Jolly Mare - Castlemare

Last time we encountered Jolly Mare, the Italian producer entrenched in a 1980s aesthetic, we shared his song and video Nobody Cares – a funky number with a killer bassline. This time around, it's a wholly different vibe that's keeping our ears interested. In Castlemare, he piles on the synth in a minimalist journey into what could be the last level of the hardest retro videogame you've ever played. Plenty of space brims between the notes of his eerie melodies, only making the sounds more effective when they glitz and blip. The beat is slow but fidgety, with double-tap hi-hats and very wet claps. It all serves to create this triptune sound – not quite chiptune, but not exactly trip-hop either. And to illustrate it all, VJ Video DaDa (who often provides visuals Jolly Mare's live shows) has edited scenes from an obscure supernatural martial arts film – the perfect showcase for these retro sounds.