Xyce - "Mosaik"

Roel Heerspink and Tom Offringa, known respectively as Cerror and Xylo, seem to work quite well together. Their latest chiptune album, released under the collaborative name of "Xyce", serves up another helping of happy tunes written on the Amiga 500, Atari ST, and PC. Although I didn't find most of the new songs to be nearly as memorable as past offerings, "Mosaik" does include a wonderful collaboration with none other than Radix (Jakob Svanholm) himself. The title track has a beautiful melody, bass line, and sense of progression that Radix and Xyce should be proud of. Other highlights include the lovely opener "Petite Amie Rouge", along with the amusing "Every Day I'm Hustlin", which made me smile with its titular speech sample.

You can stream or download the album here: http://xyce.bandcamp.com/album/mosaik

4mat - "Rips"

Just a little over a month after releasing his latest album "Origins", UK-based chiptune legend Matthew Simmonds (4mat) is back with a brand new EP. "Rips" is a lovely collection of new tunes that continue pushing the genre to exciting new heights. With 7 tracks, 4mat provides a solid and very cool release that is definitely worth your time. The first few songs shine the brightest, and "Atomic Sons" in particular is quite an awesome, soaring track. Kudos to Matt for pulling no punches with his unique and well-made music.

Stream or download the EP here: http://4mat.bandcamp.com/album/rips