だんだん早くなる (Dandan Hayaku Naru)

Released

40mP is a wizard with Vocaloid software. The voice synthesis program is famous for its most popular voicebank, called Hatsune Miku, but the best Vocaloid producers know how to do more with it than just punch in lyrics. 40mP shows the breadth of his creativity on Dandan Hayaku Naru (TL: Getting Faster and Faster), taking one song and twisting it in a variety of ways. The title track takes a simple tune and adjusts the tempo, speeding it up and slowing it down to disorienting effect. “高くなる” (Takaku Naru, TL: getting higher) gradually speeds the track up into a helium-induced fever, while “近くなる” (Chikaku Naru, TL: getting closer) plays tricks with volume and stereo panning to make you feel like the singer is creeping up on you. “好きになる” (Suki Ni Naru, TL: growing fonder) takes a different approach, switching the track over to waltz time and transforming it into a cute love ballad. On the final track, 40mP ditches the synthesizer and plays Miku out with unadorned piano backing. Dandan Hayaku Naru is a small showcase of production tricks, but it also shows something with a robotic exterior can still have a heart.

Shy Clara Thompson

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