Jet Force Gemini "CompuSiege" 4:53

It was cool to see aluminum return to OCR back in 2018, and even cooler to see this contribution to Jet Force Gemini: Mizar Attacks!, a genre-blending EDM joint with an intro that will send chills down the spine of anyone who lived with dial-up Internet access (kids these days don't remember, etc.) - I had visions of AOL, briefly, before the big lofi brass hits & epic drums gave way to a 90s-style house piano, "Hey!!!" sample, and lazer FX. And then... bitcrushed, garbled choral chops? Yeah, man. Tons of percolating, staccato synth patterns, even some turntablism on the aforementioned choir, and then... a transition into a synthwavey 80s ballad, with EP and luscious synth pads, circa 2'03"??? Sure. aluminum makes it work, somehow; Liontamer evaluated:

"If you like Yuzo Koshiro's stuff, definitely check this out, as the first minute feels like Alistair Lindsay's Jet Force Gemini piece adapted to Streets of Rage from :24-2:02, which is always a great approach in my book. aluminum's a man of many talents though, so things shift into a darker electronic fare afterwards, all of which remains cool-sounding and retro futuristic; the imagery's definitely dystopian for me, but who knows what it would conjure up for you. Really creative take on a militaristic orchestral sound, shifting in some very different directions. Credit to aluminum, you can never, EVER put his musical style in a box!"

Excluding the downtempo section, the more active bits of this definitely have a Streets of Rage / Koshiro vibe, good call there from Larry. I like how 3'51" transitions striaght back into a frenetic barrage, even though looking at the track duration/progress, you know it's gonna be over soon. The segues here are almost sudden "by design," since they fit with a narrative that starts off intense, downshifts to a peaceful oasis of pop balladry, and then ramps it back up at the end. The level of mangling (chopped, crushed, turntabled, glitched, & otherwise twisted) on the choral part really add some flavor, and the resulting chimera feels like it's been influenced by music genres & subgenres from the last four decades, give or take :) Great hybrid stuff from aluminum & another banger from Mizar Attacks!!