Album Review: IkaRadioep3 by Various Artists
Released in 2016 under the Japanese label Dat File Records, IkaRadioep3 is a wild ride through a kaleidoscope of electronic sounds. With genres spanning Happy Hardcore, Freestyle, Chillwave, Drum n Bass, Hard Trance, and J-Core, this compilation feels like a chaotic yet strangely cohesive mixtape made for the anime-loving, rhythm-hungry crowd. It’s not just music—it’s an experience, one that leaves you questioning whether your brain can handle all the feels at once.
One standout track is "ハイカラ超シンカ☆" (Haikara Chou Shinka). This tune slaps hard with its relentless energy and futuristic vibes, blending J-Core's signature high-octane beats with a melody that feels straight out of a neon-lit arcade. If you’ve ever wanted to feel like the protagonist in a cyberpunk saga while grocery shopping, this is your jam. The layering here is nuts—there’s so much going on, but it never feels overwhelming. Instead, it pulls you into its world, making you wish real life came with background music this good.
Another banger worth mentioning is "Splash Bomb Rush." This one leans heavily into Drum n Bass territory, with rapid-fire percussion and glitchy synths that sound like they’re glitching on purpose. What makes it memorable is how it shifts gears halfway through, introducing this dreamy, almost ethereal breakdown before slamming back into chaos. It’s the kind of song that makes you pause mid-scroll on your phone because you need to figure out what just happened. Spoiler alert: You won’t. But that’s okay.
The rest of the album keeps up the momentum with tracks like "Thinking Inkling", which has this chillwave-meets-Happy Hardcore vibe that shouldn’t work but totally does. And then there’s "We Love Squid!", which is exactly as quirky and fun as the title suggests. Seriously, whoever curated these tracks knew their audience—this isn’t just music; it’s a love letter to anyone who digs bold, experimental sounds.
What strikes me most about IkaRadioep3 is how unapologetically Japanese it feels—not just because of where it’s from, but because of the sheer creativity packed into every second. It doesn’t try to fit neatly into one genre or style, and honestly, I respect that. Listening to it feels like being handed a box of random puzzle pieces only to realize halfway through that the picture is supposed to be abstract anyway.
Final thought? This album might not change your life, but it’ll definitely change your playlist rotation. And hey, if nothing else, it proves that even in 2016, people were still finding ways to make squids cool. Who knew?
