Browse by Artist: YOKOTA, SUSUMU

Artist:	YOKOTA, SUSUMU
Title:	Sound Of Sky
Label:	EXCEPTIONAL (UK)
Format:	2LP
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	EX 202LP

Double LP version. "Susumu Yokota is one of those artists who cannot be pinned down to one genre or style. Last year he released different projects that expertly covered experimental electronica, deep house and a garage album all to great critical acclaim from respective specialist and mainstream press. On this, his second album for Exceptional, he is focusing on deep, jazz oriented house music, along the lines of Joe Clausell and Osunlade. 'Nothing Time' is a tribute to those days without responsibilities and pressures, relax and soak up the vibes of this glorious breakbeat based house track. 'Three Ripple' ups the rhythmic ante with a greater emphasis on the kick, accented by rising keyboard wails. Susumu's musicality is clearly apparent on 'Crash Marble', where he manipulates a blues groove into crunchy house beats, similar to St Germain, but with a bit more dirt. The gorgeous ambient interlude of 'Wind Wave' is based around a heavily effected and treated keyboard line. The album's title track melds a fat kick and a bassline with jazzy keys, and an infectious chant. The addition of sax on top is the final coup de grace. 'King of Darkness' must be an ironic title -- it probably won't work for the 'Dark Drums' fans out there. The main motif is a lilting piano supported by a house rhythm section. 'Form and Idea' lets the listener relax back and observe the gestation of a musical theme, imitating the excitement of the arrival of a novel thought and the peaceful delight of a problem solved. 'Right to be Free' is a low slung groove helping an understated vocal come through. It marries a righteous take on house with some of the production sensibilities of the Cologne sound. Expect to hear 'Make Peace' on deep dancefloors near you soon, it has a truly cavernous kick drum. The album closes with the downtempo breaks of 'Sky and Diamond' -- its deep reverb winds the proceeds off perfectly. Yet again Susumu Yokota has demonstrated his mastery of another musical genre but kept his trademark respect for space and depth through fine attention to production details like his sensual use of reverb."

Artist:	YOKOTA, SUSUMU
Title:	Image 1983-1998
Label:	LEAF (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	BAY 009CD

Now mid-line price. "Yokota has been earning heaps of praise for his super-funky blend of house, techno, disco, jazz and breaks, with releases on Japan's Sublime Records, among others. The Leaf Label has licensed Image 1983-1998, a collection of mainly acoustic and oddly moving instrumental and vocal pieces from Yokota's own Skintone label for release outside Japan. It's a very personal project, representing a a very different side to his musical persona to the one you may already be aware of. Five of the tracks were recorded with guitars and organs in 1983-4, the remainder were inspired by those songs and were recorded in 1997-8. Yokota is proving increasingly difficult to pin down, which can only be a good thing as far as we're concerned. On this album you can hear the influences of Felt, Durutti Column, Jim O'Rourke, Mouse On Mars, Satie and Cluster tied together like a Fellini soundtrack, the tracks are mainly guitar, organ a bit of vocal utterances."

Artist:	YOKOTA, SUSUMU
Title:	Magic Thread
Label:	LEAF (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$10.50
Catalog #:	BAY 011CD

"Though probably better known for his funked-up techno and house (and jazz, disco, drum & bass, etc), Susumu Yokota received fulsome praise for the Image 1983-1998 album released by The Leaf Label in1999. Magic Thread was actually released in Japan before Image, in a limited edition of just 500 copies on CD -- the very first release on Yokota's own Skintone label. Magic Thread has a more electronic feel to it than Image, but is still possessed of the plaintive melodies and haunting minimalist dynamics that made Image such an unexpected treat. After Ken Ishii, Yokota was the first Japanese techno artist to release music in Europe. Since then he has enjoyed a prolific career as both a DJ and recording artist, working under a host of pseudonyms, including 246, Ringo, Prism and Stevia. With his star currently very much in the ascendant in his native Japan and continental Europe, Yokota has begun to make an impression in the UK with his two most recent albums on Sublime, 1998 and 1999.

Artist:	YOKOTA, SUSUMU
Title:	Grinning Cat
Label:	LEAF (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.00
Catalog #:	BAY 017CD

"Grinning Cat is the fourth album to be licensed by Leaf from Susumu Yokota's own Skintone label in Japan. It follows last year's splendid Sakura, currently the highest selling Leaf release ever. To date we have released the critically lauded Yokota albums Image 1983-1998, Magic Thread and Sakura, as well as the Mix remix 12". But it's not all one-way traffic with Yokota 's appreciation of The Leaf Label resulting in the recent Leaf Compilation CD on Skintone."

Artist:	YOKOTA, SUSUMU
Title:	The Boy and the Tree
Label:	LEAF (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.00
Catalog #:	BAY 025CD

2002 release. "There is an island called Yakushima in the south of Japan, which is designated as a world heritage site. It rains a lot there and there are many trees that are two or three thousand years old. It is a very mysterious island. Also, there is an animation film called Mononokehime directed by Hayao Miyazki. The scenario, nature itself, is the living thing and this film has sharp animal sensibilities. These two things have effected this album very much. I also moved to the suburbs of Tokyo two years ago, and live in a place which is closer to the mountains and river. I go to the mountains a few times a week and this atmosphere is reflected in my music. The smell of grass and trees, the air in the woods makes my mind clear. And it gives good effect for making music. Walking among the big trees, I can hear my heartbeat and also the sound of the earth echo."

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