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 seventh original album and features compositions by Ryo Watanabe, Taihei Sato, Hiroshi Okubo, Shinji Hosoe, and Ayako Saso.

Body

If I had to describe Hiroshi Okubo's contribution, "NEBULA," in one word, it would be electrorock. This theme, which opens the album, is an adrenaline filled rock/techno piece that really delivers on the energy aspect. The synth effects and the vocal samples add a nice little contrast to the beat and melody. While the piece really doesn't develop too much beyond this, I can't find myself stopping it anytime soon. It's really one of Okubo's better NanoSweep contributions.

"missing crossing," by Shinji Hosoe, offers a nice club sound with a variety of vocal samples. At times, the sound has a more industrial sound, as do some of the vocal samples. Some of the more interesting passages include the combination of whistles, industrial effects, ethnic vocal samples, and a nice tribal feel at times. This is easily one of Hosoe's best NanoSweep contributions to date.

Ryo Watanabe manages to impress me yet again with "AVALANCHE." This is an extremely catchy electronica piece. While it does take a while to get going, the wait is definitely worth it. The various effects added to the melody line give it a nice "cascading" effect. However, the most striking portion of the composition comes when the piano makes its entrance. The fusion of these two makes for an excellent mix and gives it a sound that reminds me of the Peanuts cartoon, at least the piano does! I don't think electronica was in Charlie Brown's time!

Surprisingly, Ayako Saso doesn't earn the title of favorite theme on NanoSweep 7. However, that doesn't mean her composition is bad, far from it actually. It's got a nice industrial sound to it, some crazy vocal samples, and a pretty damn catchy beat, with a nice melody to boot. In ways, it almost has a gamey sound at times.

My favorite theme belongs to "fall for ever, no loss cut" by Taihei Sato. In contrast to the openings for the rest of the album, this one sets itself apart by offering an ethereal, almost mystic sound as it opens. As the piece progresses, however, it transforms into a nice club piece. It features a variety of synth sounds and instruments in the melody line. Combine that with an excellent beat and you've got a winner in my book. The times when it slow down really help to bring that etherealness heard in the beginning into the mix of the rest of the piece.

Summary

NanoSweep 7 is the ultimate NanoSweep experience. There is not a single piece that I find boring. I think that every composer really brought their A+ game on this one. This one just came out so it shouldn't be hard to get at VGM World. What are you waiting for? You're missing out on one of the best NanoSweep experiences yet! I only hope the eventual NanoSweep 8 can live up to this one!