Overview

NanoSweep is an ongoing series of original music that was initiated in 2004 by various members of NanoSounds and SuperSweep. It usually features members from each of these companies and occasionally a guest composer. This is the eleventh original album and features compositions by Hiroshi Okubo, Shinji Hosoe, setzer, Takahiro Eguchi, and Ayako Saso.

Body

The album opens up with "Coincide" by Hiroshi Okubo. Unlike his contribution on NanoSweep 10, this theme is much more relaxing and a smooth electronic mix with some jazz and soulful tones. It definitely has a very nice atmosphere and really helps distinguish itself from the other themes on the album, but at the same time, somewhat out of place, although it does set up a nice flow for the rest of the album.

"Platinum Circuit," by Shinji Hosoe, is one of his best NanoSweep themes in a long time. What I really like is the intro, which really makes me feel as if I'm in the crowd at one of the many events that feature Shinji Hosoe as a DJ. The electronic beats are also quite slick with a lot of accompanying synth in a variety of styles, such as chiptune-like and robotic beeping. It's a lot of fun and really manages to get the listener moving their body.

New addition to SuperSweep, setzer, also known for his work in the doujin circle MintJam, brings the most intense theme, "Bloody Mary." This theme is rather dark compared to most Nanosweep entries. Grungy guitar riffs, wispy vocal samples, and intense drum beats make up the majority of the track and it really makes for a lively listen. Of particular note are the sinister synthesizer accompaniments that bring a very haunting nature to it. It's a very impressive theme!

Each time I hear a new track by Takahiro Eguchi, I fall more and more in love with his musical style. "Apture Sun" continues this tradition and it's probably my favorite theme on the album. It's a stunning complex mix, despite its seemingly simplistic nature. The opening features some slick synth that has a bit of a dirty feel into it, before moving into this heavenly trance theme full of wondrous elements, such as stunning piano melodies that show a truly deep emotion, some beautifully filtered acoustic guitar to give this pseudo-futuristic rustic sound, and so many layers of synthesizer that manage to create an atmosphere where something new can be heard with each listen. This is easily the best Takahiro Eguchi original theme I've heard.

Lastly, Ayako Saso's "Indigo Wind" is a fantastic way to close the album. It's a Middle Eastern centred rave theme. The exotic vocals work extremely well with the intense beats, as do the sitar accompaniments. The slower, more dramatic sections really help build up this sense of energy before it transitions back into the rave style music. In the end, I think Saso really succeeded in creating a unique theme with a ton of variety.

Summary

I think this album is definitely one of the more accessible NanoSweep albums. Hiroshi Okubo's smooth electronic mix starts off the album just right, whereas Hosoe's electronic offering isn't as quirky as some of his previous themes. setzer, the new addition to SuperSweep, manages to create a dark and intense grunge techno theme while Eguchi offers quite the opposite with a beautiful, intoxicating piano trance theme. Lastly, Saso manages to end with a hardcore theme with some ethnic influences that should appeal to most people who like her rave style music. It's a very successful NanoSweep album and definitely in my top five.