Lo-fi boom bap with Zelda and Mario samples? AC3Beats’ Nostalgia lives up to its name.
I didn’t get my first games console until 1998 but I played on a few in the preceding years. Whether you were like me or you had them growing up, you’ll appreciate the subject matter on AC3Beats’s new album. Nostalgia has been described as “the musical equivalent of a big, warm hug” and it’s hard to argue with that summation. The album comprises of 17 instrumentals capturing that childhood essence of escapism into new and wonderful digital worlds.
“Ultimately, I wanted to create a project that people from my generation could vibe out to, and think back on to the good ‘
AC3Beats on “Nostalgia”ol days when life was simple and more joyful.”
As you’d expect from a producer from the West Coast, AC3Beats doesn’t hold back with the stonking boom bap blows on tracks such as Backyard Memories and Midnight Life. But his repertoire extends towards trap on Figuring It Out and Ice Princess, mixing the nostalgic with the contemporary. And the samples? Keen ears will recognise cuts from Ocarina of Time on the title track and Super Mario 64 on SuperAC3World.
Everything on Nostalgia just fits. It’ll take you back to a time when you sat in front of an old CRT as the warm glow of the screen brighten your face and your day. The soundtracks were like nothing you’d ever heard. Until AC3Beats reminded you decades later.
Nostalgia is available on all major digital platforms via Below System Records. Stream it below.
Tracklist
01. Backyard Memories
02. Midnight Life
03. Echoes
04. Figuring it Out
05. So Faded
06. Float On
07. One – Nine – Nine – Three
08. Nostalgia
09. Knock Knock
10. 10SuperAC3World
11. Vivid
12. First Glance
13. In the Moonlight
14. Ice Princess
15. Lost in Reality
16. Awesome
17. Sunsets