It was only a matter of time before the experimental, techno tsunami would wash up on the shores of Japan, and this fine budget-priced compilation from the obscure Tokyo-based Soup label (distributed in the U.S. by Dutch East India) shows that artists on the Pacific rim have been mastering the same techniques as their American and British counterparts. The general flavor here is acid jazz: post-bop instrumental samples looped and tweaked, sometimes sauteed with funky breakbeats and sometimes stretched and bent into ambient ...
Read More
It was only a matter of time before the experimental, techno tsunami would wash up on the shores of Japan, and this fine budget-priced compilation from the obscure Tokyo-based Soup label (distributed in the U.S. by Dutch East India) shows that artists on the Pacific rim have been mastering the same techniques as their American and British counterparts. The general flavor here is acid jazz: post-bop instrumental samples looped and tweaked, sometimes sauteed with funky breakbeats and sometimes stretched and bent into ambient soundscapes. Taichi's "The Ultimate Preference" is based on a two-note string bass sample, over which are layered an electric piano riff and a jumpy drum & bass breakbeat loop. Then there's the slow and funky "Hoshizukiyo" by Nagi, which features a super-compressed drumbeat, chirping synths and jazzy piano chords. Montage's "Eternal Beatz" is a less ambiguous foray into straight drum&bass that features a nicely integrated trumpet part. There's nothing here that breaks any new ground, but it's very fine of its type. ~ Rick Anderson, Rovi
Read Less
