I'm not sure where I found this album (I'm not sure where I find most albums, frankly... let's just assume that they find me) but it's pretty delightful. You never know di GAMEBOY, mi seh dem inna jungle. is a short but sweet culture jam of sorts from an artist out of Japan who calls himself Cow'p. It's essentially a collection jungle music tracks made using a Gameboy sound card but the music has a very tactile feel to it which makes it work as intended- you know, as dance music. I suppose you could call this chiptune music, except for the fact that it's more or less straight jungle music with hyper-sequenced Kazumi Totaka-esque leitmotifs making frequent cameos. Also chiptunes often only endeavor to mimic the profile of classic soundcard tech, but in this case, I'm almost certain that Cow'p is actually using a Game Boy sound card and not an emulator (either that, or its a very very good emulator). There is an unmistakable acoustic rattle to these beats and melodies that is just not present on most digital reproductions and it's very satisfying. It takes me back to playing Super Mario Land on the original Game Boy handheld and enjoying the reverberation of sound echoing throughout the plastic casing as I stomped goombas and triggered bombshell koopas. The fact that this is serious body music, as well as a faithful reproduction of the distinct material qualities of a prior technological era, makes this release impactful on a physical, aural, and nostalgic level. It is a surprisingly holistic enterprise and proves that you don't need more than four channels to get down. Get it in your hands, put it in your ears, and let its power move you.
