Articles
2007 Ten Favourite Labels
Backtracking Greg Davis
Shackleton Interview

Albums
John Luther Adams
Joseph Auer
Commix
Dartriix
Floratone
Furniture
Shuta Hasunuma
Richard Hawley
Hologram
Icarus
Kiln
Kobol
Labradford
Last Days
M83
Mai
Darren McClure
Near the Parenthesis
David Newlyn
Objekt4
OK Ikumi
Ontayso
Wendel Patrick
Phon°noir
Pocahaunted / Robedoor
Poostosh
Prefuse 73
Quosp
Rapoon
The Retail Sectors
Skull Disco
Socos
Supersilent
Tigrics
Trentemøller
Zuydervelt / Baars / Veld.

Compilations/Mixes
Airport Symphony
Devil in the Detail
Dinky
EXPANSION | contraction
Funckarma
Little Darla v. 25
One Five Zero
Playgroup / Alter Ego
Signal Path
Soul Jazz Singles
U-cover Mix 03 [IDM]
Ricardo Villalobos
We Are All Cotton-Hearted
Well Deep

3"/ 7"/ 10"/ 12"/ EPs
Basic Unit
Bodycode
Kit Clayton & Sutekh
Dartriix
Ditch
INKlings
Insanic4
Lackluster
Najem Sworb
Ontayso
Sutekh
The Tamborines
Telafonica
Zainetica

Shuta Hasunuma: OK Bamboo
Western Vinyl

Shuta Hasunuma's OK Bamboo opens with a dash of glitchy splatter, suggesting that his second full-length may part ways dramatically from the soothing ambiance of his eponymous-titled debut, but the moment quickly gives way to a lush moodscape of piano-based elegance. Though the Japanese artist clothes his meticulously-assembled compositions in dense folds of textures, field samples, and electronic manipulations, they're anchored by sparkling melodies that breezily flutter and weave. Bright piano lines dance throughout, and act as stabilizing nuclei for the ever-mutating patterns that surround them. Hasunuma's material generally opts for uplift rather than melancholy: “Discover Tokyo” teems with so many joyous melodies, it could pass for a musical promo designed to lure travelers, while “Sunny Day in Saginomiya” lives up to the jubilant promise of its title. A shuffling rhythm drives the stuttering acoustic guitar edits and delicate piano-synth melodies of “Already There” while “The Highest Point of” is surprisingly buoyed by a funky underpinning. Though such uptempo settings appeal, Hasunuma's arranging and song construction talents are showcased even more effectively in slower pieces like “Idle Junta” and arguably the album's loveliest piece, “Niagara Shower,” a placid collage of acoustic guitar, piano, tinkles, and electronic murmurs that coalesces into an evocative eight-minute oasis.

December 2007