Various Artists
Denshi Ongaku No Bigaky / 電子音楽の美学 / The Aesthetics Of Japanese Electronic Music Vol. 1
This first volume gets the ball rolling with a fine assortment of mostly ambient, electronica and deep house-focussed joints. Draped in organic membranes and ASMR-like synth tapestries, K. Inoue’s nu-agey opener ‘Em Paz’ takes us on a ride across the most serene dreamscapes. Jazzing up these lush and oneiric coastal vibes, Gabby & Lopez ‘Drive form the Miracle’ merges a sense of Californian psychedelia with a straight out hard-bop swing. No stranger to our catalogue, Inner Science returns to serve up a crystalline slice of laid-back house on a mystique-imbued tip he holds the secret to. Flip it over and here comes Aquarium with the splendidly immersive ‘Rainy Night in Shibuya’, which very much feels like wandering amidst its neon-upholstered streets and swarming hallways in a bubble of your own.
Naohito Uchiyama treats us to a synth-drenched nocturnal ballad with the ‘80s-inflected vibes of ’Shugetsu’, whereas Keta Ra cuts a path of ethereal sublimation via the mischievously fun and bouncy balearic lounge of ‘equals’. Masterly crafted by Yuu Udagawa, ‘Infinite Possibility’ eases us in a realm where weightless pop and low-slung abstract hip-hop combine to further exhilarating effect. All in harp-driven brittleness and velveteen sub-bass stealth, Noah ‘Gemini - Mysterious Lot’ has us drifting to a lavishly orchestrated headspace, laying down an impressive work on textures and arrangements. All in on the sedated drip-tease flex, Sauce81 ’Sign of Secret Love’ is a blast of freaky hedonism, just as ready to cast its hypnotic spell down the sweatbox as it was upon its original release ten years ago.
Languid jacking house tune ’Tai+Dai’ from Keita Sano blows the winds of discoid luvin’ across the room with its impeccable balance of sharp, glimmering synthwork and driving bass onslaughts from the depths. An odd slice of reshuffled folk music, Waltz ‘Folkesta’ makes for some eerie invitation of sorts, enchanting and spookily haunting in equal measure. Back to a fevered, hip-swaying mindset, Kuniyuki hi-NRG jazz number ‘Free’ is an absolute wonder of piano and drums-driven boogie, cut from the same cloth as some of Blue Note’s finest Cuban jazz classics. Rounding off the package, Japanese legend Ken Ishii’s version of Larry Heard’s house Hall-of-Famer ‘Can You Feel It’ is pure bliss in a can, tailored to turn any crowd into a shapeless cloud of balmy euphoria and universal love, whatever the place or time.
Naohito Uchiyama treats us to a synth-drenched nocturnal ballad with the ‘80s-inflected vibes of ’Shugetsu’, whereas Keta Ra cuts a path of ethereal sublimation via the mischievously fun and bouncy balearic lounge of ‘equals’. Masterly crafted by Yuu Udagawa, ‘Infinite Possibility’ eases us in a realm where weightless pop and low-slung abstract hip-hop combine to further exhilarating effect. All in harp-driven brittleness and velveteen sub-bass stealth, Noah ‘Gemini - Mysterious Lot’ has us drifting to a lavishly orchestrated headspace, laying down an impressive work on textures and arrangements. All in on the sedated drip-tease flex, Sauce81 ’Sign of Secret Love’ is a blast of freaky hedonism, just as ready to cast its hypnotic spell down the sweatbox as it was upon its original release ten years ago.
Languid jacking house tune ’Tai+Dai’ from Keita Sano blows the winds of discoid luvin’ across the room with its impeccable balance of sharp, glimmering synthwork and driving bass onslaughts from the depths. An odd slice of reshuffled folk music, Waltz ‘Folkesta’ makes for some eerie invitation of sorts, enchanting and spookily haunting in equal measure. Back to a fevered, hip-swaying mindset, Kuniyuki hi-NRG jazz number ‘Free’ is an absolute wonder of piano and drums-driven boogie, cut from the same cloth as some of Blue Note’s finest Cuban jazz classics. Rounding off the package, Japanese legend Ken Ishii’s version of Larry Heard’s house Hall-of-Famer ‘Can You Feel It’ is pure bliss in a can, tailored to turn any crowd into a shapeless cloud of balmy euphoria and universal love, whatever the place or time.
A1. Kaoru Inoue - Em Paz
A2. Gabby and Lopez - Drive From Miracles (Kaoru Inoue remix)
A3. Inner Science - Alight
B1. Aquarium - Rainy Night in Shibuya (外神田deepspace slow down mix)
B2. Naohito Uchiyama - Shugetsu
B3. Keta Ra - Equals
C1. Yuu Udagawa - Infinite Possibility
C2. Noah - Gemini ― Mysterious lot
Written & Produced by Noah, taken from the album ‘Noire’
C3. Sauce81 - Sign Of Secret Love
C4. Keita Sano - Tai + Dai
D1. Waltz - Folkesta
D2. Kuniyuki - Free
D3. Ken Ishii presents Metropolitan Harmonic Formulas - Can You Feel It (feat. Metropolitan Harmonic Formulas and Naruyoshi Kikuchi)
Produced by Ken Ishii.
Saxophones by Naruyoshi Kikuchi.
Mixed by Ken Ishii at Far East Lab and Skywalker Studios.
Published by Truelove Music/TAP.
A2. Gabby and Lopez - Drive From Miracles (Kaoru Inoue remix)
A3. Inner Science - Alight
B1. Aquarium - Rainy Night in Shibuya (外神田deepspace slow down mix)
B2. Naohito Uchiyama - Shugetsu
B3. Keta Ra - Equals
C1. Yuu Udagawa - Infinite Possibility
C2. Noah - Gemini ― Mysterious lot
Written & Produced by Noah, taken from the album ‘Noire’
C3. Sauce81 - Sign Of Secret Love
C4. Keita Sano - Tai + Dai
D1. Waltz - Folkesta
D2. Kuniyuki - Free
D3. Ken Ishii presents Metropolitan Harmonic Formulas - Can You Feel It (feat. Metropolitan Harmonic Formulas and Naruyoshi Kikuchi)
Produced by Ken Ishii.
Saxophones by Naruyoshi Kikuchi.
Mixed by Ken Ishii at Far East Lab and Skywalker Studios.
Published by Truelove Music/TAP.
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