12 Bit Blues

12 Bit Blues
Studio album by
Kid Koala
ReleasedSeptember 17, 2012 (2012-09-17)
Length41:15
LabelNinja Tune
Kid Koala chronology
Your Mom's Favorite DJ
(2006) 		12 Bit Blues
(2012) 		Music to Draw To: Satellite
(2017)

12 Bit Blues is a studio album by Canadian DJ Kid Koala. It was released on the Ninja Tune label on September 17, 2012.[1] It peaked at number 21 on Billboard's Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart,[2] as well as number 6 on the Blues Albums chart.[3]

Recording

The album was recorded on an E-mu SP-1200, a 1987 drum machine and sampler known for its use in early hip hop.[4] On the album, Kid Koala used it to manipulate old blues recordings.[5] In making the album, Kid Koala did not use sequencing software, choosing instead to layer tracks of scratching and cutting on top of the manipulated blues samples.[6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic80/100[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
ABC Newsfavorable[8]
AllMusic[6]
BBCfavorable[4]
MSN Music (Expert Witness)A−[9]
Nowfavorable[10]

At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, 12 Bit Blues received an average score of 80% based on 9 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[7]

PopMatters named it the 6th best Canadian album of 2012.[11]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."1 Bit Blues (10,000 Miles)"4:01
2."2 Bit Blues"3:28
3."3 Bit Blues"2:56
4."4 Bit Blues"3:54
5."5 Bit Blues"4:37
6."6 Bit Blues"4:27
7."7 Bit Blues"4:32
8."8 Bit Blues (Chicago to NY to LA)"4:10
9."9 Bit Blues"2:16
10."10 Bit Blues"2:08
11."11 Bit Blues"3:14
12."Denouement"1:37

Charts

Chart Peak
position
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[2] 21
US Blues Albums (Billboard)[3] 6

References

  1. ^ "12 Bit Blues by Kid Koala". Ninja Tune. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Kid Koala - Top Dance/Electronic Albums". Billboard. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Kid Koala - Blues Albums". Billboard. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Chick, Stevie (2012). "Kid Koala 12 Bit Blues Review". BBC iPlayer. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  5. ^ Weingarten, Christopher (September 12, 2012). "Kid Koala Breaks Down Scratch-Pop Masterwork '12 Bit Blues': Full Album Stream". Spin. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  6. ^ a b Anderson, Rick. "12 Bit Blues - Kid Koala". AllMusic. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  7. ^ a b "12 Bit Blues by Kid Koala". Metacritic. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  8. ^ Raible, Allan (September 20, 2012). "Review: Kid Koala's '12 Bit Blues'". ABC News. Archived from the original on August 26, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  9. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide: Kid Koala". MSN Music. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  10. ^ Boles, Benjamin (November 29, 2012). "Kid Koala - 12 Bit Blues". Now. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  11. ^ Henderson, Stuart (December 4, 2012). "The Best Canadian Albums of 2012". PopMatters. Retrieved January 24, 2018.