Index Plaza by ako

This four-track single is a case-study in lofi vs high-gloss production methods. Started when I acquired a Yamaha PSS-480, a small plastic-y keyboard that would easily pass for a toy. I was utterly beguiled by this little FM-synth (running the same sound generator found in classic SoundBlaster and AdLib soundcards) masquerading as a beginner's keyboard, so I decided to make a demo track using only synth and drum sounds made on the PSS-480 to explore the weird world of sounds it was capable of (track 2). As a counterpoint to this I created a luxury mix of this demo track (track 1), which is the same track but remade in the most luxurious way possible with the most high-end equipment from the same manufacturer I could find as a comparative study. The gear list for this includes a Yamaha Disklavier (a MIDI controlled self-playing grand piano), Yamaha SY22, DX21 and RX5. I enjoyed the comparison between a £50 'junk' keyboard vs. recreating the same track with the most ridiculous amount of equipment possible. Like cracking a walnut with a £12,000 sledgehammer. Track 3 is a version featuring a bass guitar collab from Kublai Shan, who appeared on my Album: 'West Babylon' and track 4 is a stripped back version focusing on the grand piano part.

Video: https://youtu.be/aybK7kRfc58

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Tracklist

1.	Index Plaza I (Luxury Mix)	3:23

2.	Index Plaza II (Yamaha PSS-480 Demo)	3:22

3.	Index Plaza III (feat. Kublai Shan)	3:22

4.	Index Plaza IV (Piano Mix)	3:23

Credits

released January 21, 2022

License