Album Review

Boy 8 Bit – Madrigal

• 1st Jul 2011

Boy 8-Bit, aka producer David Morris, has released his latest EP Madrigal on This is Music – home to 2010’s banger The Keep. The inspiration for Madrigal, he says, came from his instructor in spinning class…Riders, rise as one!

When I first heard the name Boy 8-Bit, the feeling that some mega bleeps and squeaks were going to do naughty things to my frontal lobe was strong. It just has that implication, albeit untrue. Though not enough maxed out twisty melodics for some, or 80’s bleepy for others, he has a robust reputation in the electronica house scene. A big brother to the fluokids kids, installing subliminally a love for 80’s computer games and some seriously eclectic influences like 90’s rock metal.

A boy no more, he has confessed his style has become more restrained, going techier/housier, less crazy and noisy which is reflected in these new tracks.

Phase IV, The “is it / isn’t it named after the intelligent ant movie of the same name” , starts you off with sci-fi horror, a super long build up, a fidget minimalist edge, partly cloudy with a chance of rain.

Followed by Fire Extinguisher. ‘The name of this track comes from the fact there is a fire extinguisher on the wall of my studio’. Why else? Like his take on the UK funky scene, melodic with good casio bleeps.

The lead track Madrigal, which recently rocked Annie Mac’s socks when she played it on her show, is UK funky house tech with some silver grime lining. It will no doubt soon be dropped on some dance floors near you.

Black Satanic Mysicisim is deeper, darker with good baselines and drops. This is one that will definitely do things to said lobe.