📀 Zelda & Chill | Vinyl Review | Black Screen Records | "it’s all about the tunes baby, and it delivers (Ocarina of) time and time again" 📀 @blackscreenrec #VGM #Vinyl

My partner @kingdomofcarts first came across Mikel’s Zelda & Chill on Spotify a year or so ago, it popped up as a recommended listen and we were both instantly hooked.

The blend of familiar, timeless Zelda melodies with trip-hop beats is a real winner and an album we continually return to, several times a week.

Presented on a single 150g black vinyl, the cover art features the more modern interpretations of Link and Zelda as they sit in the window seat of a café with the fascia of said cafe adorned with various neon symbols taken from the games.

It’s a rain-swept evening and both parties are staring downwards at their phones, lit by a single bulb above their heads as a menu outside leans up against a bin, sporting some dubious consumables! This is very much a soundtrack that you can imagine spinning in the background at a cool café/bar.

The artwork really captures the tone of the album, it’s very much a mellow companion, keeping you company as the rain patters outside. The neon colours and use in some songs of added vinyl pop and crackle add to that sense of cosiness, whilst DJ Cutman’s mastering style furthers the warmth of the recording. 

Tracklisting:

Side A:

1. Fairy Fountain

2. Dark World

3. Lost Woods

4. Song of Storms

5. Minuet of Forest

6. Gerudo Valley

7. Oath to Order

Side B

1. Dragon Roost Island

2. Kakariko Village

3. Ballad of the Goddess

4. Breath of the Wild

5. Hateno Village

6. Legend of Zelda

7. Ocarina of Time

I’m a somewhat casual Zelda fan in that I’ve played a handful of the games over the decades but don’t hold them on a pedestal as some do, so I approached this album with very much a focus on the music itself as opposed to using it as a way of getting lost in personal nostalgia for the games, it’s all about the tunes baby, and it delivers (Ocarina of) time and time again.

Each song is warmly produced and never ramps up in gear or gets too melancholy or maudlin, giving off a consistently laid-back vibe that’s hard to resist. it also makes the record flexible; you can just throw it on and relax in various situations without it seeming overbearing or aggressive.

The ever-present low-end bass beat anchors each track as melodies roll over the top. So many different samples and effects are used that, whilst each track has a similar mood, the drums, bass and keyboard/synth parts are always evolving and adding texture. For instance, there may be some 90’s-styled snappy snare in Dark World or bouncy bass and handclaps on Fairy Fountain but later on, there’ll be slow, jazz-style brushwork to give a smokier aura in a song or two. These subtle but key changes make the album a cohesive whole that never loses track of the slightly dreamy, ‘hanging out’ vibe. Good.

The ever-present keyboard work also sits perfectly in the mix, whether it be swirling notes, tinkling ethereal runs, or toy-radio-sounding gently distorted chords, it always feels in context and comes across with a sense of playfulness.

This is an album of cool riffs on those much-loved Zelda melodies with a cheeky grin as opposed to a po-faced, textbook approach. There’s also a tasty mix of tracks here; with songs from the original NES classic right up to Breath of the Wild, spanning almost thirty years of gold.

The songs also feel the perfect length; punchy and on the move as opposed to being epic dirges. The breeziness of them makes you just want to flip the record over and start again…which is absolutely fine.

Zelda & Chill is a bit of a gem and Mikel’s tunes have been echoing through our apartment for over a year and show no signs of abating.

Artist: Mikel (https://twitter.com/mikel_beats?lang=en)

Blackscreen Records:

https://blackscreenrecords.com/products/zelda-chill-by-mikel-gamechops?ref=DKckbeLXWw8-aj