Over the past few years, the future funk genre has attracted attention online as a natural extension from the vaporwave scene. A sample-heavy form of house music, future funk features a much more upbeat sound that pulls from French House, Disco, City Pop, and anime soundtracks. While it retains vaporwave editing techniques, future funk also has more concrete rhythms and shifts away from ambient influences. Although the genre is still in its infancy, it’s quickly become popular and Mikazuki BIGWAVE is one of the most consistent artists in the scene.
While future funk artists generally have sounds influenced by 70s disco and French House, Mikazuki BIGWAVE takes more ideas from J-Pop and anime soundtracks in a sound he describes as “kawaii groove”. On his second album, 海辺のSENTIMENTAL, he continues to experiment with different ideas and techniques based on the theme of sentimentality. Much like his previous album, 星空ROMANTIC, the songs draw upon a lot of different influences including EDM, Trap, J-Pop, Nightcore, and Future Bass. The sample splicing and arrangements remain the most impressive aspect of Mikazuki BIGWAVE’s music and they’re melded together incredibly well on 海辺のSENTIMENTAL.
Unfortunately, 海辺のSENTIMENTAL also has a few uninspired songs like its predecessor where Mikazuki BIGWAVE draws out sections of songs for far too long. On songs like “netsurf” and “Hold My Hand”, their second halves become painfully boring with a looping drumline or sample that never evolves. With already short runtimes, it sometimes sounds like Mikazuki BIGWAVE had no idea how to flesh out songs but didn’t want it to be only a minute or two. The experimentation is also a little hectic at times and a few transitions between songs feel like abrupt stops. The highlights of this album really emphasize how talented Mikazuki BIGWAVE is at manipulating vocal samples like on “Aitai 2 YOU” or “Take Me Up Higher” which are just nonstop fun for the entire song. The highs of this album are phenomenal and showcase future funk at its best but there are also a number of forgettable moments in between. An unapologetically fun album, 海辺のSENTIMENTAL doesn’t always hit all the right notes but when it does, it’s a magical experience. If anything, it proves that Mikazuki BIGWAVE is here to stay in future funk and hopefully we see future releases that are tighter and more cohesive.
Must Listens: Take Me Up Higher, Aitai 2 YOU, With You
