Ukiyo no Kiroku: Myceliumbug
The art of Dō (Way) in music is measured by Integrity and Consistency. Few artists have demonstrated such a quiet and profound commitment to these pillars as MyceliumBug. Their name, evoking organic growth and subterranean textures, is a statement of intent: a constant search for warmth in the coldness of digital lo-fi.
This chronicle is not just a review; it is a study of how the vision of a single producer can evolve and mature over the years. Today, we delve into the heart of his discography to trace that common thread of quality, that unwavering “Honne” that has defined his sound.
As far as we know, “Ethereal Distances,” released independently on March 1, 2020, laid the foundation for what we now know as his musical career. The EP features four tracks, the concept of which draws us into a technical palette based on what could be described as “distorted sounds.” This can be clearly heard from the outset with “Fahrenheit,” which I find a little long, and the instrumentation is based on what I mentioned earlier, with moderate industrial sounds distributed throughout both the drums and the background melodies.
In December of the same year, he released “Breath Underwater,” five tracks that obviously changed his approach in terms of concept. Here, his musical production style was gradually being refined. Although several of the singles featured almost the same percussion, they were easy to differentiate by the melody that accompanied them, which can be heard throughout the EP, with “Murk” and “Cube” standing out the most.
One of his best singles is found on the EP “My Windows,” released on July 24, 2021, namely “Till Morning,” a very complete track that expresses feeling and originality. From this point on, it is clear how MyceliumBug has improved and continues to improve to this day in his music production technique. his music production technique. Taking a closer look at the single, we see how its composition is marked by melodic notes in line with the concept presented by the EP, with a vinyl sound in the background accompanied by drums that vary and generate quite exceptional percussion.
Taking a big step forward in time, at the beginning of 2024, together with Zad.Collective, he will release “Buried Cassette,” an album that gives us 13 minutes of exciting tracks but also introduces us to a MyceliumBug who, over the years, has managed to improve his music production technique. The first single, which bears the same name as the album, is a work like no other, using soft Lo-Fi techniques and the sound of rain in the background. “Buried Cassette” manages to transport us to that enchanted forest atmosphere, and I really enjoyed listening to it. Although each track attempts to convey the same concept, this one and “Lost Pictures” are the most successful in doing so, with the latter standing out in particular, bringing variety and a good structure in terms of its composition.
On September 22 this year, he released what would be his most complete album to date, under the Lofi Records label. “Kintsugi” is a unique work, full of originality and made with love for the Lo-Fi genre. From the outset, the album immerses us in sounds set in nature, accompanied by Japanese-style percussion. The single “Kintsugi,” which shares the same name as the album, is truly beautiful. The handling of the instruments and how they take complete freedom throughout the track is very impressive, not only in that single, other examples that stand out are “Lotus” and “Restoration,” the latter being the most popular on the album. Behind this incredible work is a team in charge of mastering, and thanks to them, the way the sounds stand out and shine on their own without overshadowing the others complements this musical work.
The discography analyzed is not simply a catalog of music, but a document that traces the evolution of the Architectural Vision in the genre. The artist's path (Dō) is the story of unwavering discipline: from the raw, textural experimentation of his early days (reflected in “Ethereal Distances”) to the compositional mastery that allowed him to achieve the global production standard of “Kintsugi.”
The quality of his work culminates in a production where the instruments shine on their own without overshadowing the others, and the theme is sustained with a technical cleanliness that was validated externally by one of the most prestigious labels in the world. This is proof that sustained rigor and the search for conceptual originality (Japanese style and nature) are the only way for individual talent to become a benchmark of unassailable quality.