Simon Mills aka One Half Of Bent’s new album is shaped by two machines: The MEGAfm synth and BlastBeats Groove Box.

These instruments, produced by Twisted Electrons, contain vintage Yamaha sound chips – the YM2612, which was used in Sega’s late `80s Megadrive consoles, and the YMF-262, from Creative Labs’ early `90s SoundBlaster soundcards. Their possibilities, and limitations, inspired and define Mills’ set. The retro, 8-bit tech giving his customary gentle jazz and funk compositions a very Rephlex / Aphex twin feel. If composed on conventional kit, the music could have ended up a collection of library cues, while now it soundtracks an imaginary round of golf. Bochum Welt’s Module 2 in particular is a good point of reference, since it too paid homage to `80s home computer games.

Keys are delicate cascades of dancing counterpoint, but the chords are often buzzing and distorted. LFO bleeps are more sweet, cute squeaks, while rhythms whizz, whirr and purr, like Plaid / Black Dog Productions’ intricately interacting circuitry. Generating an IDM-derived electronic counterpoint. Pretty chimes and playful percolations, plus the odd crunchy beat. Robotic finger snaps give Sky High a laidback syncopated techno swing. Caddy1000XL is an beatless oasis of soothing sine waves. Future Fairways, too, is “ambient”. A mix of sighs and melodic sound effects. Santini summons summer showers and could pass for one of Mike Paradinas’ mellower moments, something, say, from his recent Balmat LP.

Several of the tracks, such as Settings, seem to pay tribute to rave. Softly reprising piano anthem riffs, with a played-on-a-kids-keyboard vibe. Wobbly Cottages is a happy, carefree whistling sorta samba, romantic string-serenaded sunset / twilight house. Hall Of Fame appears to draw on A Guy Called Gerald’s Voodoo Ray.

Lullabyebye is Bontempi / Casio fusion, floating on fluid, rippling, trickling sequences. Like something from the Radiophonic Workshop. Woozy, wonky and slightly otherworldly. The climatic, congratulatory end screen theme, You Did it!, has fluttering, lighthearted frequencies bump to bitmapped glam boogie.

One Half Of Bent’s Imaginary Golf Game can be ordered from Bandcamp.