Bleep

Osaka-based producer 99LETTERS makes his debut on the Phantom Limb label with a new LP entitled Zigoku [地獄]. Once again displaying his patented blend of traditional Japanese instrumentation and darker-than-dark techno inspired sound design, 99LETTERS delivers a collection of songs that embraces the desperate bleakness of Hell, of which the album is named after in Japanese. Though nearly drumless through its entire runtime, the crackling samples and buzzing electronics have their own sort of rhythmic density, lending Zigoku [地獄] the sort of off-kilter and decidedly unsettling vibe that makes for an intense, but ultimately rewarding listen.