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12"
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R-N 170EP
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Inspired by her residencies at Stockholm's EMS, Kyoka's SH may be her most experimental record yet. Each of these four snapshots manifests its own spontaneous character, as they were edited and recorded during various sound checks and performances. The results showcase Kyoka's chaotic sound with unforeseen shifts in beat, unpredictable repetitions, and surprising clicks and bops. Gloomy opener "Susurrus" is followed by the dubby, up-tempo "Smash/Hush," which culminates in a repetitive and hypnotic swirl. The B-side, on the other hand, continues with the slamming "Hovering" and concludes with "Shush," complex track with diverse breaks and cuts.
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LP+CD
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R-N 153LTD-LP
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Limited deluxe edition of Kyoka's 2014 album Is (Is Superpowered) (R-N 153CD). 180-gram LP packaged in handmade cardboard slipcase with silkscreened Kyoka logo designed by Hamburg-based illustrator Alex Solman. Includes CD and download code for the 12 tracks on the CD plus a Japan-only bonus track. On Is (Is Superpowered), Kyoka uses her own voice much more often than usual, in the form of short snippets as well as longer sung melodies. These elements are set and arranged as if they were an autonomous instrument. Sometimes these voices give the impression of being a Babel-esque language mix-up, or even a kind of cryptic message for the listener, as found in the song "Meander." The production process of the record was heavily supported by her label-mates Frank Bretschneider and Robert Lippok -- a unique production team in the history of Raster-Noton. While Lippok focused on preserving the roughness and complexity of Kyoka's compositions, Bretschneider concentrated on refining their fluidity and focus. Both tried to keep the vitality and hyperactivity of the initial tracks without losing their distinctive eccentricity. Although Kyoka's sound is often somewhat chaotic, it is by no means stressful, but energizing and easy to enjoy. The only exception to this can be found in "Piezo Version Vision," the noticeably roughest track of the record. Her particularly progressive style is best reflected by the song "Re-pulsion," a rolling groove combined with unusual clicks and snares and topped with crazy-sounding voice fragments. The album thus further deepens what she initiated with Ununpentium/iSH (R-N 115EP), released in 2012 as part five of Raster-Noton's Unun series. It presents a stylistically broader spectrum of Kyoka's music, but at the same time exhibits the fresh and positive, sometimes even child-like attitude for which she is already known.
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CD
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R-N 153CD
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The significant novelty of Kyoka's first full-length album Is (Is Superpowered) is that she uses her own voice much more often than usual, in the form of short snippets as well as longer sung melodies. These elements are set and arranged as if they were an autonomous instrument. Sometimes these voices give the impression of being a Babel-esque language mix-up, or even a kind of cryptic message for the listener, as found in the song "Meander." The production process of the record was heavily supported by her label-mates Frank Bretscheider and Robert Lippok, which is, in this way of forming a production team, a unique constellation in the history of Raster-Noton. Whereas Lippok focused on preserving the roughness and complexity of Kyoka's compositions, Bretschneider concentrated on refining them regarding their fluidity and focus. Both tried to keep the vitality and hyperactivity of the initial tracks without losing their distinctive eccentricity. Although Kyoka's sound is often kind of chaotic, it is by no means stressful but rather energizing and easy to enjoy. The only exception to this can be found in "Piezo Version Vision," the noticeably roughest track of the record. Her particularly progressive style is best reflected by the song "Re-pulsion," a rolling groove combined with unusual clicks and snares and topped with crazy-sounding voice fragments. The album thus further deepens what was already initiated with her first EP Ish, released as part five of Raster-Noton's Unun series. It presents a stylistically broader spectrum of Kyoka's music, but at the same time exhibits the fresh and positive, sometimes even child-like attitude she is already known for.
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12"
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R-N 115EP
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The fifth release in the Raster-Noton Unun series is a 12" release by Kyoka, known for her chaotic, direct approach and heavy/rough sound, resulting in a broken pop-beat with experimental yet danceable rhythms. Produced by Frank Bretschneider. Berlin, June/July 2011. Remix for "HADue" by Atom TM. Photo by Sylvia Steinhäuser. Live drum by Tetsuya Yamasaki, Turkey. Ryuichi Sakamoto on Kyoka: "it sounds like a toy box turned upside down. How can she make such pretty & chaotic sounds!? I love it!"
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