021.5 - The Deep Dive - Macroblank - 絶望に負けた Notes and Interview

 

The deep dive is for readers who want to dig further into the album by reading the notes and pre-review interview that is done with each artist.  It is best read after the review.

Notes

1 - Right off the bat you know where this is going.  Chill piano, a shaker, and bongos.  The piano just has the right amount of reverb on it, you know this is gonna be groovy as hell and chilled to the max.  It's after the first few chords that the first surprise hit me.  I was not expecting a guitar.  This may be one of the first times I’ve heard a Santana like guitar used in vaporwave.

Whenever this song is on I can't help but either tap my foot or sway my body to the groove, it's that demanding of your attention.  The way that the bass interplays with everything gives this a nice fat bottom end too.  

So breaking this down, there is the shaker, the bongos, but also a drumset on percussion.  The guitars are actually the lead instrument for a majority of the song, giving blues type solos.  Again there is just the right amount of reverb.  The piano’s really bring it all together though, those chords punctuate the start of a new measure and they really add to the flow and groove to a massive level.

Right around 3 minutes there is a nice breakdown where everything gets a little more reverb, the piano takes over the lead and the percussion stops for a few seconds and lets us just take it all in. After the song starts right back where it left off and ropes us in with its insane groove again.

I’m really curious how macroblank put everything together so well, this truly sounds like it was recorded in a lounge by a live band.  The way that he constructs his vaporwave is on another level, probably one of the many reasons why I enjoy it so much.  

2 - Again the song comes out of the gate strong.  This time the guitar is front and center with just a tiny bit of reverb on it.  I really love that effect, it adds to the super chill nature of every song on the record.  We’re introduced to the main riff and then the whole song starts to build around this idea that was established in the beginning.

The percussion doesn't come in until the third repetition of the riff and when it does it just makes me sway like nothing else.  There is also some sort of keyboard effect going on in the background that sounds almost like a synth pad.  It's subtle but it adds a layer of depth that just drives the whole thing to another level.  I love how everything sounds so simple but if you listen in very closely you can hear a ton of subtle touches that Macroblank has put in to drive the depth and character of the song.

Just a couple of examples: along with the main riff there is some very subtle key work that just accents the main riff; there is a little bit of piano added sometimes buried really deep in the mix; there is layerings of the main riff in the background so that when the riff switches from its A pattern to its B pattern the A pattern plays deep in the background.  There are a ton more examples but it wasn’t something I noticed until I was listening very intently.  Macroblank has mastered the art.

3 - This one starts off quite different from the first two tracks.  Nice way to shake it up.  The first two songs have that one two punch type feel, but they are very similar in the way that they are constructed and the instrumentations used.  
Here we start off with a really subtle trumpet and not a guitar in sight.  Tons and tons of reverb on the trumpet to start before the song kicks into its infectious groove. Again that bass guitar and percussion, the grooves man, the grooves.  It never lets up.

The trumpet has an interplay with a male voice and both are used in almost a call/answer type fashion.  The trumpet will play and then the voice will sing.  The voice isn’t saying anything, just using musical tones.  

Things begin to change slightly around 1:30, a lounge organ plays a few chords along with the voice and the trumpet is dropped for a bit.  Nice little interlude there before the main portion of the song returns, though it feels more like a B section than just an interlude.  This is confirmed after a few more minutes into the song: there are two major parts of the song.

When the B section returns it gives us a tour de force of groove.  The voice is used to a different effect, and the trumpet is used very sparingly. Towards the end of the B section there is a flute that plays along with the groove and it's another welcome surprise.  Macroblank is not scared to use unconventional instruments.

All of the songs to this point have been in the same tempo but that hardly means that they are boring.  It does bring to mind though that each one of these songs are kind of a variation on a theme.  With the theme being a dangerously catchy groove.

4 - Reverberated piano, but not in a way that it recalls the first song.  No this is much more individual notes played in succession rather than chords.  The piano is also the dominant instrument on this song once the groove kicks in.  

There seems to be this stop/start going on with the percussion in this song, its a very cool change of pace for everything.  Every now and then the percussion just stops and lets the piano just breathe and lets the listener just take everything in.  

Once we really get going in the song there are some twinkling almost xylophone effects being used to compliment the piano.  The flute returns as well.  Where the song really gets interesting though is at the end of these breakdowns.  There are different elements added in each time and they range from running water to deeply hidden brass instruments and vocals.  

By the third and fourth repetition of the main piano riff there is a muted trumpet playing along, some xylophones deep in the mix, a synth choir of male vocals, and a lead trumpet playing over everything.  This song takes the idea of ‘variations on a theme’ that we have seen on the groove and focuses it into the main piano melody established right at the very beginning of the album.  Again a nice change of pace and just a beautiful song all said and done.

5 - Whole note chords on an electric organ.  What a nice way to start off the track. Again tons of reverb and you just know that this thing is going to bust into a killer groove.  The bongos, drum set and bass guitar come in after a few chords and it does not disappoint.  At this point there is a very strong theme emerging from the album.  This ultra chill, reverb heavy groove invested combination seems to be the bread and butter of what Macroblank has going on in this album.  

Each song has its own identity though.  Its very easy to tell that this is a cohesive album, but the instrumentation and the variations in theme are enough to make each track stand out in their own way and stem off boredom.  

Once the track really gets going we’re graced with a muted trumpet.  I get this picture of a trumpet player with a plunger playing in a lounge.  This whole album has a huge lounge feel to it.  There are also some male vocals that are chopped up and reverbed as an additional effect.  

Again here, everything works really well when it is added together.  This song has a more singular focus than many of the other songs to this point.  It largely stays the same over its four minute run time.  Not a bad thing, just another fold to the ever increasing intrigue that is Macroblank.

6 - Ok this one is significantly different than anything before it.  Like this sounds like it could be on a different album. There are some chill synth pads to start that are fading in and out, but where things really differ is in the percussion.  We got a drum and bass type breakbeat going for the first major part of the song.

The other major difference here is the length.  Most of the songs on the album so far have ranged between 4-5 minutes, maybe bordering on 6.  This giant is well over 10 minutes long.  It takes its time building and really just seems like Macroblank is having fun experimenting with different drum patterns over different instrumentations.

Around about half way through a flute comes in and starts playing a nice jazz influenced melody.  It's super drawn out and chill, and gives a nice contrast to the drums.  This song is so different from anything that came before it on so many levels.  It doesn't have that insane groove that everything else to this point has had, its twice as long, and it just has a playful fiddling type nature to it.

That said, it's not bad, and in fact it's very good.  It's placed at a point in the album where if the listener was bored with the same beat and tempo then this is the break that they would need.  The song, rather than being groovy, has a hypnotic feel to it.  It lulls you in with its repetition and wraps you in a blanket of chilled out drum and bass. I never thought I would call drum and bass chill… this is a first.  A great linchpin type song for the album.

7 - And we're back to our regularly scheduled Macroblank.  I think that the previous track was something to just change up the pace for a bit.  Let the listener know that there is more to this album than just insane grooves and chilled martini lounges.  It was the perfect break.

An electric piano and bass guitar lead the charge here, once things get going the lead is taken by a guitar and it starts us down the path of groove once again.  What just struck me about this album is how low the kick drum is mixed.  I didn’t really notice it until here but there is almost no audible kick drum unless you are really listening for it.

There are a few new elements in this song compared to previous ones.  The major one being the inclusion of synth strings.  It begs the question, how much of this album is sampled and how much of it is actually composed.  So much of this fits so well together, I have a hard time believing that it's all plunderphonics. Something to ask Macroblank about.  

8 - This might be the first and only misstep on the album.  For whatever reason the vibe on this song doesn't sit as well with me as every other song on the album.  That doesn't mean it's bad, just that it may not be my thing.

The intro starts off cool enough with a piano and trombone lulling us in, but it's after the first shift where things just kind of drop off.  The groove is there but the choice in instrumentation just doesn't feel right to me.  The lack of depth here is a big difference to the insanely high standard that Macro has set for himself on this record.  The keyboard just doesn't fill out the sound as much as I would have expected.

That said, there is a very cool record noise sound going on in the background and there are the typical hidden elements that are buried deep in the mix.  There is also a return to the ABAB structure.  The A part of the song is really dope but the B section is not as strong, and unfortunately that is the majority of the song.  But man that A section is sweet as hell, the production makes it sound like something out of the silent hill soundtracks with that small hint of reverb and haziness.  Absolutely love that part. I just wish it was more of the song.  The one song on here that just doesn't do much for me.  

9 - We’re back boys.  This song starts off with some slow synth pads and some distant and echoy percussion.  When the groove comes in its instant head bobbing.  The sax that comes in as the lead about 45 seconds in just brings me right back to the sweet sweet place that is Macroblank’s music.

The trumpet switches leads with a guitar and they both have that beautiful reverb on them.  This is a core tenet of the sound that Macroblank has created on this album.  Both the layering of instruments as the song goes on and the reverb.  But man that reverb.  

The breakdown at 2:33 is just insanely well placed too.  The piano and distant male vocals just gives the listener a few seconds to breathe before the groove comes back in.  

The way that the sax and the guitar interplay and feed off each other also adds another layer to the song after the breakdown.  Its a feast for the ears and is the perfect example of the sound that Macroblank has mastered on this album.  

10 - Another slight shift in tone.  This one has almost an ambient feel to it until the percussion comes in.  Synth pads lay down the foundation and guitars play lazy leads over it, even more chilled out than a majority of the album.  

When the percussion does come in the whole thing maintains the ultra chill vibe but it moves it from vaporwave into something that I would haer off of the Chrono Trigger soundtrack.  This song is next level, possibly my favorite one on here.  

The melodies that are played here are slow but deliberate and those deep dips that are heard alongside the percussion just ooze Chrono Trigger.  That said, it's not only video game music here, there are still the typical Macroblank traits.  The reverb is huge and the synths dominate the background.  But it's the interplay between all of these elements that brings the song to life.  This could have easily been a cover song of the Kingdom of Zeal, but it was brought beyond anything that I could have imagined by adding in the elements that Macroblank thrives at.  

11 - This song harkens back to the first half of the album.  Very lounge music driven.  Again a sax takes the lead here alongside percussion and a bass guitar and leads us into an insane groove.  This feels almost like a Jazz track because the sax keeps playing improvisation solos.  That and the electric organ doing solos as well, this really brings forward the lounge jazz feel.

It's almost like the keyboard and the sax are battling it out against each other to see who can do the more soulful solos.  I would love to sit in this lounge and kick back with a bourbon and listen to the wonderful tunes on display here.

Another great mix up in the flow of the album, the pacing is really on point for the entirety of the album, which is amazing considering how long the whole thing is.  

12 - The closing track starts off with some cool lounge chords that are heavily reverbed.  I’m having a real hard time believing that all of this is plunderphonics at this point, so much of this album just fits so well together.  

Light percussion and some background instrumentation comes in to back up the keyboards but the melody remains the same, and it will remain the same for quite some time.  This song doesn't really feel like it should be the end of the album, but then again I don’t want the album to end either so I could be biasing myself.  

This song is more of a throwback to track 4 where it's a single theme that is built on throughout and just keeps growing over time.  I really enjoy this style of composition and I’m glad that Macro revisited it.  

While this may not feel like a closing track, it is a fitting one.  The album goes out on a super chill note as it should.  What a pleasure it's been to listen to this thing, one of the absolute best vaporwave releases this year.  

Interview

So much of this album sounds like it truly belongs together.  Way more so than typical vaporwave.  How much of the album is sampled?  How much of it was original compositions on your part (if any)?  

The majority of my work is sample-based. However, in most cases, I try to enhance the samples that I use as much as I can through audio editing and with the addition of some of my own instrumentation, such as drums and percussion sounds. I always want to bring the best grooves out of a sample that catches my attention. It is necessary for me to edit and mess around with the structure and the composition of a sample as much as needed, since I always have a very specific vision of how I want my music to sound like.

How do you go about composing/creating your songs?  Again the individual elements sound like they truly belong together.  

Since my music can easily fall under the category of plunderphonics, the usual process of getting an interesting track out really boils down to the sample selection. Most of the time it requires me to scour the internet, having to listen to hundreds of hours of music, in order to find something that could fit on a release that I’m working on. What is particularly interesting about this process is that sometimes I may even stumble upon an interesting sample in the most random ways, when I would least expect it. After finding something that I could work with, I try to mess with the sample as much as needed, so it gets to reach its full potential, as well as my own standards. As I have stated before, this process includes lots of structural and compositional editing, various effects, as well as adding my own instrumentation. After gathering a bunch of ID’s, it’s just a matter of curating and seeing what best fits with the vibe that I am trying to create for an album or EP.

How are you able to get and maintain that insane groove throughout your songs and albums? You have various styles on display throughout your discography but there never fails to be a beast of a groove at least somewhere on the album.

Thank you so much! Part of the reason why there’s quite a few styles being present in my discography is due to the fact that, growing up, I got influenced by loads of different music, and even to this day I still love exploring different genres that I haven’t listened to before. I have a very deep appreciation for music that catches my attention or makes me move. So, with each style of music that I attempt, I try to bring the best out of that, even more so when it comes to the groove that it has to offer.

Track 6 is very different from the rest of the album. How did your composition style change on this track and what was the reason for its inclusion?

Yes, indeed. Track 6 is pretty different, because of the fact that it takes a bit of a different influence, compared to the rest of the album, that being drum and bass from the 90’s. I have been a fan of that kind of music for quite some time now and I was eager to have some of it on this album, as well. In particular, track 6 is pretty long too, almost double the amount of time of a regular track that you would find on this release. The main reason why I had decided to include it was so it served as a bit of a break in the pacing of the album, hence why it is placed right in the middle of it. It is also meant to offer some contrast to the listener, compared to everything else until that point.

Can you describe how you got into vaporwave and how you settled into your current style?

I had first heard of vaporwave around 2016, when Floral Shoppe by Macintosh Plus started to get a little bit more mainstream attention, in particular the song リサフランク420 / 現代のコンピュー. I never thought too much of it during this time period, but I started getting more into the genre around 2018-2019, out of pure curiosity, to see how vaporwave was doing and if anybody was still making music like that. To my surprise, vaporwave was more alive than ever before, being more vast in subgenres and styles than I could’ve remembered. Slowly, but surely, listening to vaporwave and leaving it in the back whenever I’d be working on something or doing just about anything, became a very usual recurrence.

Early this year, I suddenly got recommended in my YouTube feed the full length album (or tape edition EP, if you will) from Haircuts for Men, titled ダウンタンブルと死にます. It really caught my attention. The aesthetic was like something I hadn’t seen before. The title of the album was long, consisting of Japanese characters only, while the name of the artist was in English. Upon clicking on it to see what it’s all about, I was greeted with these chill and catchy beats, getting me immediately hooked on it. Of course, YouTube started recommending me even more music from Haircuts for Men, so around this time, this specific style of vaporwave really kept me coming back.

How do you see your style evolving?  Do you ever see yourself moving beyond vaporwave?

I would love to expand on this style of vaporwave as much as I can. I have loads of ideas in my mind and a variety of moods and styles that I want to approach with each new release. My goal is to have as much of a complex discography as possible (obviously, still within the same realm of instrumental beats), so there can be something for everyone! Also, I don’t really see myself moving beyond vaporwave with Macroblank. I have a very specific vision and goal with this project, so I don’t really see myself moving past this genre in the near future.

Why are your song and album titles in Kanji?

I mainly use Kanji, because I try to drive the focus more towards the music itself and less on the naming of the releases. I feel like it is a really satisfying feeling to be able to play any of the songs from a discography, and to still be able to enjoy it just as much, without knowing what you’re going to be listening to, beforehand. The fact that it is Kanji gives it more of a vaporwave vibe, while at the same time adding on top of the general aesthetic. I would love to try this concept out with more foreign languages in the future, especially the ones that primarily use different characters than the Latin alphabet. Obviously, there’s always going to be exceptions, such as my “ibis valley” EP, where I use English for the album and song titles. I feel like it’s good to have variation as much as possible.

How did you come to choose the aesthetic for your albums? What influenced you to choose the design philosophy that you have?

I am a huge fan of eye-catching graphic design and I’ve been one for as long as I can remember. Before 2020, I had dabbled around in Photoshop and I knew the general basics of photo editing, although I never gave it a proper shot until the start of this project. In a way, Haircuts for Men’s artstyle pushed me to attempt it myself and to try to improve as much as I could. I really appreciate the look of a diverse and appealing discography that manages to stay consistent, but also filled with many different ideas at the same time. Because of that, I wanted to interpret this very idea in my own way.

Track 10 has a very distinct feel to it.  It reminds me a lot of the Kingdom of Zeal in Chrono Trigger.  Did this influence the track at all and what were your influences on this track specifically that made it have such a distinct tone?

It actually really does! It feels like it can go along with the Kingdom of Zeal theme song really well. I know of Chrono Trigger and most of the games in the Chrono series, but unfortunately I never had the chance to get to play those when I was younger. One thing that is for sure, though, is the fact that I love the soundtracks of these games, especially the one from Chrono Trigger. I didn’t have any particular purpose in my mind when I added the 10th track to the album, but I feel as though I definitely got influenced in some way by music like the Kingdom of Zeal theme song.

There are a few songs that seem to go together in pairs (track 1 and track 2 go together; track 4 and track 12 are very similar).  Did you do this with intent or was this just something that happened as you were constructing the album? If you did it on purpose, why?

That’s true, there are a few tracks here and there that seem similar in style. I didn’t have any specific thought behind it when I laid them out in the album, but one thing that’s for sure is the fact that I tried to keep the album cohesive from start to finish, aside from the small breaks that offer some variety to the listening experience. So, I think that’s why I must’ve subconsciously added similar tracks in a slightly more “scattered” manner across the album.

We’ve discussed this briefly before but can you go into your influences for this album and your style overall?

Well, it’s no surprise when I say that the main influence behind my music and style is Haircuts for Men’s work. I guess I could say that this album, in particular, takes a bit of inspiration from works in the likes of ダウンタンブルと死にます from HFM. I really wanted to capture a melancholic, yet loungy mood with this release.

There’s something behind this combo of vapory chill beats and eye-catching aesthetics that I really like. I have always been a fan of chillout music, and this style of vaporwave represents one of the best ways to put it out there. Not only that, but graphic design quickly became one of the most enjoyable activities for me, while also being very rewarding whenever I’d manage to pull off something that I’m very proud of.

What kind of equipment was used to create this album?

The only equipment I use for making music is my software, Ableton Live.

How did you come up with Macroblank as an alias?

Early this year, back when I started to really get into HFM’s discography, I was desperately searching for more artists that made similar music to his. At that time, I couldn’t really find anyone else being suggested on forum posts and such, so I was slowly leaning more towards the idea of trying this style of vaporwave myself. Eventually, I ended up telling myself: “Hey, you know what? I should probably give it a shot”. And so, I did.

I remember how exciting of a feeling it was when I had first opened up Haircuts for Men’s Bandcamp page - I didn’t even know where to get started. I very rarely get this sort of experience when it comes to music and, if I do manage to create something similar to that with Macroblank in the future, then I’d consider one of this project’s main goals to be achieved.

Is there anything further you would like people to know about your music or other projects?

I would definitely want to let people know that there’s a crazy amount of music coming out soon. I have even planned out stuff for the next year, so I highly recommend everyone to stay tuned for that as well. I’ve got loads of exciting ideas and goals for the future of this project and I am incredibly thrilled for what’s next to come!