Din A Testbild
Programm 4

Tech tech tech house

Simple, but vibey stuff...

They are sampling Beastie Boys.

Shimizu exploring the intersections of fusion, synthpop, new wave, and jazz. Good stuff._________________________PressAcclaimed saxophonist, producer and composer Yasuaki Shimizu will release Kiren, his unreleased album from 1984, on the Palto Flats record label on February 25, 2022. Liner notes by music historian Chee Shimizu, and credits in both Japanese and English.By the early 1980s Yasuaki Shimizu had established himself on the Japanese new wave scene, producing many important experimental pop records and releasing several albums as the bandleader of Mariah. Following the release of his widely regarded solo classic Kakashi, from 1982, and the otherworldly Utakata No Hibi, by Mariah in 1983, he went into the studio the following year with frequent collaborators, producer Aki Ikuta and Morio Watanabe (bassist of Mariah), to record a mystifying collection of experimental dance music. Utilizing cutting-edge technology and studio trickery, Kiren showcases Shimizu's trademark playfulness, marrying richly layered production techniques to off-kilter, sometimes traditional sounding rhythms and melodies. Portending his work with the Saxophonettes as well as forecasting trends in techno, new wave, and futuristic rhythmic music, this formerly lost album represents an important period of Shimizu's artistic expression, an artist at his peak, while successfully exploring the intersections of fusion, synthpop, new wave, and jazz.As Chee Shimizu (no relation) writes in the liner notes, Kiren, and his concurrent release Latin were “born out of a free environment of collaboration that existed between Yasuaki and Aki Ikuta ... (exemplifying) his most energetic works.” In listening to Kiren, we might share with Yasuaki Shimizu the joy and excitement of experimentalism and movement that went into the making of this album, now released for the first time many years later.

Awesome

Clear Arabic influence, but anything but stereotypical. Sonic timbres, and new wave sensibilities. ______________________________PressRandom Numbers is proud to present the latest release of fellow Italian Steve Pepe, real name Manuel Cascone. After some brilliant EPs on Hivern Disc, Macadam Mambo and inside Out Records, we are honoured to have him over for the album that has already enchanted us."Arabia per Delfina" opens the dance with a languid sound, which slithers in slowly but persistently. Protagonist is a solitary synth whose bright and sensual frequencies rise from the darkness, lighting up the room like the sultry moon in the summer nights.The Arabic influence is clear, supported both by the title and the sonic timbre: anything but stereotypical, is reinterpreted by Steve Pepe through his New Wave sensibility.What follows, “Sospesissimo”, softens the initial intensity slightly through its wobbly and playful groove. Here the guitar strings seem to move in slow motion, conveying a slight feeling of dizziness. Elements from jazz and downtempo music are expertly arranged into a bizarre and synaesthetic choreography of gestures.The percussions hinted in “Sospesissimo” become more insistent, almost unruly, in “El Pelusa”, which pushes us effortlessly towards a frenetic and liberating dance.This cornucopia of Latin-infused sounds marks the contours of an iconic character, Diego Armando Maradona, AKA Mano de Dios, and culminates in a carnivalesque explosion of euphoria."Carpenter" enhances the peak reached by its predecessor with a more reserved and introspective verve, but no less fascinating. As a composition with oneiric nuances, deep volumes and chiaroscuro, "Carpenter" demonstrates the double-edged nature of this album and, consequently, the wide emotional spectrum that Steve Pepe manages to convey in his productions.Almost sneaking up on us is “Verso”, with its classical violins and the fearless cacophony challenging the harmony of the track. Fearless is also Steve’s voice, which channels the intensity and excitement of a journey that’s about to begin, but whose destination is yet unknown.A slight hint of existentialism comes into play just before we approach the next track, "ZimaNeta", which marks the end of this sonic journey.Here it is again, that very same languidness grasped in the opening. If “Arabia for Delfina” lets us glimpse the moon, “Zimaneta” goes straight for the entire Milky Way with its multitude of glimmering dots. In this spacey exploration made of a thousand colors, all the musical elements encountered along the way are revealed once again for a final farewell.