In 2016, old school video game nostalgia spread like wild fire. From the Pokémon Go craze at the beginning of the year to the $9.99 ambush known as Super Mario Run, geeks and casual gamers alike were fed with vintage titles updated for the digital age. Estado de México’s El Catorce also caught the video game fever when he rediscovered the beloved 1993 first-person shooter Doom, and he was inspired enough by its soundtrack to record a four-track EP built from its sonic universe.
Just in time to say goodbye to 2016, the Bass Rats crew member (which includes producers BrunOG, Yelram Selectah, Ghetto Kids, and more) released Soy Muy Joven Para Morir through Peru’s Terror Negro Records. On it, Catorce transports us to those horror-themed Doom episodes with a dance-oriented twist. Relying on some of his go-to genres for this adventure, the producer born José Sandoval, hosts a slightly macabre post-club party. It kicks off with an intro that immediately sets the tone, using machine gun blasts as non-beats. Soy Muy Joven Para Morir shares conceptual and sonic elements with Fatima Al Qadiri’s Desert Strike EP, a quality most apparent on the tribal-fueled trap track “La Presa.” While the Kuwaiti artist’s angle is hi-fi and political, El Catorce’s is all about experimentation and nostalgia. “Los Demonios” and its slow, mutant dembow rhythm goes double-time as though the listener is approaching the game’s dreaded boss level. Instead of sounding menacing or ominous, “Señales del Mal” is driven by melancholy melodies and the electro edge of baile funk. Shooting demons has never sounded this fun.