Khonnor - Lost Pets (2003)

Release Date: 2003
Origin: United States
Genre: IDM, Ambient, Soundscape, Shoegaze
Label: Please Do Something
Site: http://www.typerecords.com/artists/full.php?id=24
Tracklist:
1. Executioner The Rat
2. Rooms
3. Coffin Story
4. Cantelopps
5. Crab Foils (Fast Foils!)
6. I Was Everything You Wanted Until I Quit

Download link: http://rapidshare.com/files/238639359/Khonnor_-_Lost_Pets.rar

Khonnor - Handwriting (2005)

The next ten posts you'll be able to download work of Connor Long, a 22 years old musician from USA who started to publish work when he was only 15. Besides his age, another thing that have surprised to critics, reviewers, fans and other musicians is that he has several names that can be defined as half the way between heteronyms and pseudonyms. Honestly, I think they can be defined more as heteronyms because each different name has a well-defined style and musical structure. So, when we talk about Khonnor, Grandma, I, Cactus, or Gaza Faggot, we are talking about the same person but a different musician. Hope you like these next EP's & albums.

Cheers.

Release Date: August 22, 2005

Origin: United States

Genre: IDM, Ambient, Electrofolk, Shoegaze

Label: Type Records

Site: http://www.typerecords.com/artists/full.php?id=24

Tracklist:

1. Man From The Anthill

2. Daylight And Delight

3. Megan's Present

4. Dusty

5. Crapstone

6. Kill2

7. A Little Secret

8. An Ape Is Loose

9. Phone Calls From You

10. The Stoned Night

11. Screen Love, Space And The Time Man

12. I Was Everything You Wanted Until You Quit

13. Tattletalent (Encore)

Download Link: http://rapidshare.com/files/238635173/Khonnor_-_Handwriting.rar

Loess - Burrows (2009)

Release Date: May 5, 2009
Origin: United States
Genre: IDM, Abstract, Ambient
Label: Nonresponse
Site: http://www.myspace.com/loesswindandwater
Tracklist:
1. Lull
2. Schoen
3. Troper
4. Fascine
5. Tranter
6. Bud
7. Selkuth
8. Spetaelska
9. Nyckel
10. Thresh
11. Nomon
12. Cyanor
13. Hohn

Download Link: http://rapidshare.com/files/237863941/Loess_-_Burrows.rar

This is the new album from Loess. It is really great, amazing atmospheres, dark ambients and beautiful visual scenarios. Once again, better if listened with headphones; so close your eyes, construct unimaginable personal ecosystems and enjoy.

Susumu Yokota - Magic Thread (2000)

Date Released: January 1, 2000
Origin: Japan
Genre: Minimal, Ambient, IDM
Label: Leaf Records
Site: www.susumuyokota.org
Tracklist:
1. Weave
2. Reflux
3. Unravel
4. Circular
5. Spool
6. Potential
7. Fiber
8. Metabolic
9. Stitch
10. Blend
11. Melt

Download Link: http://rapidshare.com/files/227987686/Susumu_Yokota_-_Magic_Thread.rar

Yagya - Rigning (2009)

Date Released: February, 2009
Origin: Iceland
Genre: Minimal Techno, Ambient, Leftfield, Dub Techno
Label: Sending Orbs
Site: ---
Tracklist:
1. Rigning Einn
2. Rigning Tvö
3. Rigning þrjú
4. Rigning Fjórir
5. Rigning Fimm
6. Rigning Sex
7. Rigning Sjö
8. Rigning Átta
9. Rigning Níu
10. Rigning Tíu

Download Link: http://rapidshare.com/files/227654094/Yagya_-_Rigning.rar

Yagya - Will I Dream During The Process? (2006)

Date Released: 2006
Origin: Iceland
Genre: Minimal Techno, Ambient, Leftfield, Dub Techno, Deep House
Label: Sending Orbs
Site: ---
Tracklist:
1. Wind & Thunder
2. Choose
3. As It Is
4. But If These Words Are Heard
5. We Lose Ourselves
6. Thier Blood Is Black And Yellow
7. Like The Noise Of Great Waters
8. Change
9. A Very Long Daydream
10. When They Stood, They Let Down Their Wings

Download Link: http://rapidshare.com/files/227667385/Yagya_-_Will_I_Dream_During_the_Process.rar

Yagya - Rhythm Of Snow (2002)

Date Released: February 5, 2002
Origin: Iceland
Genre: Minimal Techno, Ambient, Leftfield, Dub Techno
Label: Efa
Site: ---
Tracklist:
1. Snowflake 1
2. Snowflake 2
3. Snowflake 3
4. Snowflake 4
5. Snowflake 5
6. Snowflake 6
7. Snowflake 7
8. Snowflake 8
9. Snowflake 9
10. Snowflake 10
Download Link: http://rapidshare.com/files/227541301/Yagya_-_Rhythm_Of_Snow.rar

Susumu Yokota & Rothko - Distant Sounds Of Summer (2005)

Date Released: October 25, 2005
Origin: Japan
Genre: Ambient, Downtempo, Experimental, IDM, Minimal

Label: Lo Recordings
Site: http://www.susumuyokota.org/
Tracklist:
1. Deep In Mist
2. Waters Edge
3. Path Fades Into Forest
4. Lit By Moonlight
5. Brook And Burn
6. Sentiero
7. Clear Space
8. Reflections And Shadows
9. Distant Sounds Of Summer
10. Floating Moon
__________________________________________________
Susumu Yokota, the name ring any bells? OK, bad jokes aside, I’m sure virtually everyone’s familiar with the workaholic behind the echoing lattices of delight that make up such recordings as Grinning Cat and Sakura, as well as the deep, jazzual and funky ‘80s house of albums like Zero. You might not know that he also runs his own record label, Skintone, and is an exhibiting graphic designer who makes all his own record covers; quite frankly, he’s probably the only person in the world who can rival Madlib for ludicrous amounts of diverse creative output. Now that’s cute, because the promo sheet under my beady eye compares Susumu’s “supernatural kind of funk” to California’s most blunted. Except they spell it Mad Lib, which sounds like a pendant to Stephen Malkmus’ Pig Lib, only for wackos (sign me up!).
Anyway, if you haven’t heard anything by Mr. Yokota, you’re missing out because he’s justly famous for being able to create wondrous atmospheres from the barest assortments of intertwined sounds, and he’s not afraid of being pretty or lush, either. A good place to start might be Symbol, which uses a very well-known selection of classical music as the starting threads, and which everyone except Wire magazine loved. My personal tip would be Grinning Cat, but for goodness’ sakes don’t start with The Boy and the Tree, because it’s all weird concussive dub gongs instead of bells on the breeze, and may dent your headspace.
Or you could start with this album right here, a fantastic display of all his internationally acclaimed production hallmarks. However, although Yokota is behind the boards, most of the music here is of Rothko’s making, and Rothko deserve more than a word or two by way of introduction. Initially consisting of nothing more than a trio of bass players and some FX (lofi gem In the Pulse of an Artery), the output of this loose collective around founding member Max Beazley moved through blissful ambient recordings (A Continual Search for Origins) towards the velvet intensity of A Space Between, where longtime collaborator and creamily voiced English poet/songstress Caroline Ross achieved equal billing, adding the folkish tones of her playing to Beazley’s ever-mellifluous bass fretwork, which has always been Rothko’s liquid spine. Along the way Beazley’s put out a slew of albums not mentioned above, found the time to collaborate with Four Tet on the gorgeous Rivers Become Oceans split 7” and released Wish for a World Without Hurt, a reaction to the events of September 11th that saw him work with static merchant Black Bear and produce music like nothing so much as the ashes of the impact site crying to themselves.
And to think I find it difficult to fit in a couple of reviews around my working week.
Yokota veterans will find themselves instantly at home on the warm broken beats of opener “Deep in Mist”, where Ross’ voice blossoms in wordless flight, and second track “Waters Edge”, which wraps her into tiny tonal chant cycles (a Yokota peccadillo) beneath gently oscillating rings and resonating piano notes huge and softly heavy as summer cloud banks. Rothko stalwarts need not be put off by the threat of pounding beats, as these only take the aural foreground on a minority of tracks, and are anyway more sinuous pulse than kick. Rest assured that things retain a silkily organic feel throughout, that there are still drifts into near-silent idyll, and that Beazley’s high tones are as gorgeously evocative of sunlight rippling on water as ever (with a particular mention perhaps being due for “Brook and Burn").
Everyone else can go out and get it safe in the knowledge that they are purchasing a collaboration by masters of their respective crafts, who in joining forces have created some of the best and most blissful music either have achieved. This is one of the ambient albums of this—and indeed most—years, and when I say ambient, I don’t really mean Eno’s airport soundtrack; apart from anything else, there is genuine songwriting and structure here. No, ambient, as in: You can do whatever you want while listening to it, but the music does not become background, it becomes part of you. One to slot next to Budd & Bernocchi’s “Fragments From the Inside” while blessing all musicians too productive to enjoy physical peace, who therefore need to create it in their minds, and let it sound like this.
A small body of such artists (Beazley amongst them) have been taking shelter from the underground cold at www.burningshed.com. I would humbly suggest that you go and peruse what they’ve got to offer, because it’s likely that you’ll find something there to cherish. I did.

Review taken from: http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/yokotasusumu-distant/
Download link: http://rapidshare.com/files/164454366/Susumu_Yokota___Rothko_-_Distant_Sounds_of_Summer.rar

Susumu Yokota - Skintone Collection (2008)

Date Released: January 15, 2008
Origin: Japan
Genre: Ambient, Downtempo, Experimental, Modern Classical, Minimal

Label: Lo Recordings
Site: http://www.susumuyokota.org/
Tracklist:
1. Kodomotachi
2. Amanogawa 1997
3. Card Nation
4. Illusion River
5. Live Echo
6. Purple Rose Minuet
7. Sentiero
8. Saku
9. Kawano Hotorino Kinoshitade 1998
10. King Dragonfly
11. Iconic Air
12. Holy Ground
13. A Heart-warming And Beautiful Flower Will Eventually Wither Away And Become Dirt
14. Hagoromo
__________________________________________________
For over 20 years Susumu Yokota has been creating a diverse body of work which, since 1998, he has released on his own Skintone label. While this work is lazily categorised as ‘ambient’, that name really is a disservice. Yokota’s music is rarely happy to find space in the background and tracks have much more movement of ideas within them than ambient music strictly uses.
Being a compilation is possibly the only fault of this disc as a listening experience, and it is a minor fault at that. The diverse nature of Yokota’s music means that the tracks jump about stylistically a little. ‘Card Nation’ from 2001’s Grinning Cat is ominous atmospherics under piano, violin and vocal snatches punctuated by heavily reverberated clangs and hisses. ‘Illusion River’ from 2001’s Will is pretty Rhodes glissandos and opera swoons under a raw, harshly cut drum loop, the tension between the two aesthetics continually shifting the focus of the track and providing considerable forward momentum. Traditional Japanese instrumentation finds its place in tracks such as ‘Live Echo’ (from 2002’s The Boy And The Tree) and ‘Sentiero’ (from 2005’s Distant Sounds Of Summer collaboration with Rothko). These are seamlessly blended with classical western instrumentation and contemporary electronics to great effect throughout. Whether creating a contemplative mood in ‘Kawano Hotorino Kinoshitade 1998′ (from 1998’s Image 1983-1998) or splicing samples into abstract shards to be recomposed in ‘A Heart-warming And Beautiful Flower Will Eventually Wither And Become Dirt’ (from 2007’s Love Or Die), Yokota avoids cliches and keeps every detail serving the whole exquisitely.
Every piece on this collection is musically noteworthy in some way. Compiler Ben Eshmade, of the program ‘Chiller Cabinet’ on Britain’s Classic FM has done a good job of creating a reasonable flow across the tracks. As mentioned, though, it is hard to listen to the entire disc and not notice the joins between disparate works. However, the strength of the material means that this leads to a desire to hear the original works in their entirety, where the flow and continuity that is core to this music can be heard and fully appreciated. As a compilation which opens up Yokota’s work to new audiences, sending them in search of his back catalogue, this is a great success.

Review taken from: http://www.cyclicdefrost.com/blog/?p=1662
Download link: http://rapidshare.com/files/164433048/Susumu_Yokota_-_Skintone_Collection.rar

Susumu Yokota - The Boy And The Tree (2002)

Date Released: October 29, 2002
Origin: Japan
Genre: Ambient, Downtempo, Experimental, Modern Classical, Minimal

Label: Leaf
Site: http://www.susumuyokota.org/
Tracklist:
1. The Color Of Pomegranates
2. Live Echo
3. Fairy Link
4. Grass, Tree And Stone
5. Secret Garden
6. Rose Necklace
7. Beans
8. Plateau On Plateau
9. Red Swan
10. Thread Leads To Heaven
11. Future Tiger
12. Blood And Snow
__________________________________________________
The Boy & The Tree is Yokota’s eleventh album in eight years. The man is not only one of the most prolific musicians of his generation, but also without a doubt one of the most imaginative. He has equally made his mark playing techno, ambient, jazz and electronica, always taking his audience by surprise while building a surprisingly consistent piece of work, making him one of the most respected composers around. Yokota’s follow up to last year’s blissful Ginning Cat and similarly excellent Will is yet another fascinating recording. Contrasted and impressionist, The Boy & The Tree is a delightful collection of radically atmospheric compositions, built around ephemeral sonic trances, in the tribal sense of the word. From the opening moments of The Colour Of Pomegranates to the closing bars of Blood & Snow, Yokota delves into ethnic sonorities, using traditional Oriental percussions and instruments combined with founds sounds to focus on the most fragile aspects of music and life and create one of the most haunting pieces of music heard in recent times. Yokota admits a certain fascination for nature, particularly feeding on the mystery of the island of Yakushima, a designated world heritage site home to hundreds of secular trees, situated in the south of Japan. He also names one of the most successful animated films in Japan history, Mononokehime, a mystical tale depicting the battle between animal gods, as a source of inspiration for The Boy & The Tree. Yokota’s delicate compositions resound with spiritual references. Chimes, prayers and lamentations all contribute to the hypnotic effect of this record, while the tone of the flutes, tables and stings, intrinsic unworldly elements in the constructions, deflects the electronic characteristic of the record by injecting some vital energy at the heart of each track. Ethereal voices are integrated in the lush soundscapes in astonishing fashion, never really being prominent, yet exercising an incontestable pressure on the music by stressing the ephemeral nature of life. Yokota’s mastery at carefully organizing sounds together and crafting intriguing melodies is more obvious here than on any of his previous releases. It seems as if each component has a dedicated role to play, affecting the general mood of the listener while not entirely connecting with the physicality of its source, be it human. Yokota has perhaps produced with this album his most intimate work. Moreover, perhaps will it prove to be too intricate and intense for some. There is no doubt however that The Boy & The Tree is his most soulful and best record to date. A must.

Review taken from: http://www.themilkfactory.co.uk/reviews/yokota_boy.htm

Download link: http://rapidshare.com/files/164397214/Susumu_Yokota_-_The_Boy___The_Tree.rar

Susumu Yokota - Live Or Die (2008)

Date Released: January 29, 2008
Origin: Japan
Genre: Ambient, Downtempo, Experimental, Modern Classical

Label: Lo Recordings
Site: http://www.susumuyokota.org/
Tracklist:
1. For The Other Self Who Is Far Away That I Can Not Reach
2. A Slowly Fainting Memory Of Love And Respect, And Hatred
3. The Loneliness Of Anarchic Beauty Achieved By My Ego
4. A Heart-warming And Beautiful Flower Will Eventually Wither Away And Become Dirt
5. The Sin Of Almighty God, Respected And Believed By The Masses
6. That Persons Hearsay Protects My Free Spirit
7. The Things That I Need To Do For Just One’s Love
8. The Scream Of A Sage Who Lost Freedom And Love Taken For Granted Before
9. A Song Produced While Floating Alone On Christmas Day
10. The Now Forgotten Gods Of Rocky Mountain Residing In The Back Of The North Wood
11. The Sacred Ceremony Conceived By Chance From An Evil Lie
12. The Destiny Of The Little Bird Trapped Inside A Small Cage For Life
__________________________________________________
Susumu Yokota returns with another glibly titled album (Love or Die) with ornately titled songs (“The Destiny of the Little Bird Trapped Inside a Small Cage For Life”, “A Heart-warming and Beautiful Flower Will Eventually Wither Away and Become Dirt”) that pairs classical melodies with Spartan, Japanese house beats. Also the modus operandi of his 2004 full-length Symbol, it’s not an entirely strange pairing, echoing as it does the melodic theatricality and mechanical functionality of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s early 80s soundtrack work, but the twist here is that the contrast between the high-culture melody and functional rhythm is heightened through the use of lush samples — not shop-worn synthesizer patches — for the orchestral instruments. Production quality has advanced so much since the halcyon days of early pop-electronics that the overlapping textures of the album can be contrasting where Sakamoto had to elicit contrast through ingenious arrangement.
It’s on the tracks which exploit the textural contrast and dramatically play the carbon-copy drums off the high-fidelity orchestral samples — like “For the Other Self Who Is Far Away That I Can Not Reach” — that the album comes closest to vibrancy. When the melodies are interpreted digitally (“The Loneliness of Anarchic Beauty Achieved By My Ego” and “That Persons Hearsay Protects My Free Spirit”) that contrast disappears and the songs more obviously belong in the contemporary Japanese canon. On these tracks the melodies are composed to compliment the sparse backing rhythms, but it’s to their detriment as these routine songs demand much less attention. When the tension of hearing classical western melodies filtered into minute repetitions is gone so too is the reason to be fascinated with Love or Die.
Yokota is an accomplished and prodigious composer, releasing one or two full-lengths every year for nearly a decade, but the vague identity of his songs – never mind the albums – is not overcome just by giving them unique, oblique names which seem like fey, Asian versions of Emo song titles. Where so much of Symbol coasted on the intense drama of the source material, drawing as it did from some of the greatest – and most overwrought — music ever composed, Love or Die is by comparison wan, thin and worst of all meandering. The album doesn’t demand attention by having a dramatic arc and simply drifts from one polished vista to another. It could be worthwhile to listen and meditate on the emptiness at the core of the electronic-music sect that considers embracing the contemporary world a betrayal of artistic vision, but as a lively musical experience Love or Die falls flat and lives in limbo between the two actions of the title.

Review taken from: http://www.panpot.ca/reviews/renderAlbumReview.php?id=177
Download link: http://rapidshare.com/files/164157081/Susumu_yokota_-_Love_Or_Die.rar

Susumu Yokota - Image 1983 - 1998 (2004)

Date Released: April 20, 2004
Origin: Japan
Genre: Ambient, Downtempo, Experimental, Modern Classical, Jazz

Label: Leaf
Site: http://www.susumuyokota.org/
Tracklist:
1. Kaiten Mokuba
2. Tayutafu
3. Fukuro No Yume
4. Wani Natte
5. Sakashima
6. Morino Gakudan
7. Nisemono No Uta
8. Daremoshiranai Chiisuanakuni
9. Kawano Hotorino Kinoshitade
10. Yumekui Kobito
11. Amai Niyoi
12. Enogu
13. Amanogawa
__________________________________________________
This fascinating collection of wayward instrumentals reveals an entirely different side to this exceedingly talented experimentalist. Reaching as far back as 1983, Images draws on the most minimal of Yokota's decidedly minimalist canon, highlighting stark solo compositions that often subsist on nothing but a beautifully stated coda and some very pregnant pauses. With its carnivalesque strut and gauzy, distant tones, opener "Kaiten Mokuba" sets the languid pace; the impossibly delicate acoustic strains of "Tayutafu" follow and the broken-toy mangle of "Fukuro No Yume" comes after that. In accordance with the album's chronological sequence, Yokota's work becomes more intricate over time, but none of the tracks here ever veer from this album's implicit schema: deceptively simple melodies, Steve Reich-like repetition, and a penchant for organic, cloud-covered instrumentation. Intoxicating.
Review taken from: http://www.emusic.com/album/Susumu-Yokota-Image-1983-1998-MP3-Download/10914653.html

Download link: http://rapidshare.com/files/164102367/Susumu_Yokota_-_Image_1983_-_1998.rar

Susumu Yokota - Sound Of Sky (2002)

Date Released: January 30, 2002
Origin: Japan
Genre: Ambient, Downtempo, Lounge, Jazz

Label: Universal/Polygram
Site: http://www.susumuyokota.org/
Tracklist:
1. Sea Blue
2. Nothing Time
3. Three Ripple
4. Crash Marble
5. Wind Wave
6. Sky Blue
7. King Of Darkness
8. Form An Idea
9. Right To Be Free
10. Make Peace
11. Sky And Diamond
__________________________________________________
Sound of Sky is filled with deep and jazzy house music. Japanese producer Yokota's album takes breakbeats and regular house beats and combines them with trumpet, vibes, bells and a few subtle vocals to create a very relaxing album. The opening track, "Nothing Time," is a great fusion of trumpet and breakbeats that proceeds at a mid-paced tempo. "Sky Blue" takes the voices of children and meshes them with crisp house beats, while "Crash Marble" bears an odd rhythmic resemblance to the Clash's "Rock the Casbah." Yokota has been producing music for many years, from techno to house to more experimental sounds, which can easily be heard in the piano work on "King of Darkness," and in the occasionally eerie synth sounds of the other tracks. As deep house goes, this is good material; he varies the tempo and the sounds he uses but still holds it together as a coherent album. It's also a very relaxing release that's easy to listen to at home. (Exceptional)

Review taken from:

http://www.exclaim.ca/musicreviews/generalreview.aspx?csid1=38&csid2=848&fid1=12177
Download link: http://rapidshare.com/files/164071251/Susumu_Yokota_-_Sound_Of_Sky.rar

Susumu Yokota - Wonder Waltz (2006)

Date Released: June 13, 2006
Origin: Japan
Genre: Ambient, Downtempo, Experimental, Modern Classical
Label: Lo Recordings

Site: http://www.susumuyokota.org/
Tracklist:
1. 1000 Wing Beats Per Second
2. My Energy
3. Capital Daisy
4. Siva Dance
5. Pegasus 150
6. Don’t Go To Sleep
7. Merrygoround
8. Robed Heart
9. Strma A Uzka
10. Eternity Is The Beginning Of The End
11. L’etranger
12. Rainbow Dust
13. Your Shining Darkness
14. Holy Ground
__________________________________________________
Susumu Yokota is undeniably a genius of modern music. Originating from Japan's minimal techno scene he has strived to create compositions of such complex depth and at the same time dazzling simplicity. His most praiseworthy work however has taken on a more abstract quality and still very much in his prime he has created three classic albums that defy comparison. Grinning Cat saw Yokota depict the Alice In Wonderland story through atmospheric soundscapes while The Boy And The Tree and his master work Sakura follow a similar path creating multi layered sounds out of sampled and live percussion and strange noises never before heard by the human ear. The result can barely be described as music but touches on a kind of ugly beauty that is absolutely captivating. Wonder Waltz is his recent album on Lo Recordings and while it still has his trademark touch it is nowhere near as interesting. Listening to the three previously mentioned records can be a frustrating experience as they never quite give you what you think you want and quite often what you think you want is some sort of beat or rhythm to emerge out of these soundscapes to bring some form to the abstract. This album proves that you shouldn't trust those form searching instincts as he gives you exactly what you have craved for years and it is disappointing. There is too much form here and the result is a little ordinary. When I say ordinary I mean by Yokota's standards, as this is far better than most other down tempo music trickling out of the tired 'chill out' scene. There are however glimmers of Yokota's genius throughout the album, the finest moment being Pegasus 150 with its eastern horns and vocal harmonies floating over a beat sampled entirely from galloping horses hooves. Another highlight comes with Robed Heart, a beautiful violin piece accompanied by a delicate percussion beat and vocals sung in English which sees yet another departure for Yokota. So on the whole this is a solid album with many genuinely rewarding moments but seen in the context of his back catalogue Yokota proves that it's not always best to get what you want.

Review taken from: http://www.chimpomatic.com/reviews/?id=256
Download link: http://rapidshare.com/files/163838970/Susumu_Yokota_-_Wonder_Waltz.rar

Susumu Yokota - Symbol (2005)

Date Released: July 19, 2005

Origin: Japan

Genre: Ambient, Chillout, Downtempo, Experimental, Lounge, IDM, Modern Classical

Label: Lo Recordings
Site: http://www.susumuyokota.org/

Tracklist:

1. Long Long Silk Bridge

2. Purple Rose Minuet

3. Traveller In The Wonderland

4. Song Of The Sleeping Forest

5. The Plateau Which The Zephyr Of Flora Occupies

6. Fairy Dance Of Twinkle And Shadow

7. Flaming Love And Destiny

8. The Dying Black Swan

9. Blue Sky And Yellow Sunflower

10. Capricco And The Innovative Composer

11. I Close The Door Upon Myself

12. Symbol Of Life, Love And Aesthetics

13. Music From The Lake Surface __________________________________________________

Having made an almost perfect musical statement with 2000's 'Sakura', Susumu Yokota is often accused of not living up to that album's sprawling scope and diffused ambience. Marking his 25th album (25!) Yokota has decided to answer those critics with a record that combines the detached aura of 'Grinning Cat' with the directness of his more truculent offerings, claiming it to be his "masterpiece". Built around hordes of classical samples (Puccini, Debussy, Mahler and Beethoven amongst them) 'Symbol' is a grand document that raises two pertinent questions; is it pretentious and is it any cop? The answers; probably and certainly. Opening with 'Long Long Silk Bridge' it's easy to stare cynically at the crate load of Juniper scented strings Yokota conjures up, dipping in and out as over-wrought choirs take to the stage with bare floorboard beats underfoot, but somehow it all works wonderfully. Yokota is barely finished on this prologue epic before he sends the listener into another huge arrangement ('Purple Rose Minuet') that sets harpsichords against some eerily echoing Japanese vocals, again to startling effect. Although his panache for bloody stupid song titles pervades throughout ("The Plateau Which the Zephyr of Flora Occupies"/"Fairy Dance of Twinkle and Shadow"), you get the feeling it's not as po-faced as you are first led to believe with a playful spirit evident on most tracks. Closing with the effeminacy of 'Music from the Lake Surface', 'Symbol' is undoubtedly overblown but in Yokota's affable hands it becomes an indulgent treat. Lovely.

Review taken from: http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=17650 Download link: http://rapidshare.com/files/163555823/Susumu_Yokota_-_Symbol.rar

Susumu Yokota - Grinning Cat (2001)

Date Released: June 26, 2001
Origin: Japan
Genre: Ambient, Downtempo, Experimental, IDM, Glitch
Label: Leaf Records
Site: http://www.susumuyokota.org/
Tracklist:
1. Imagine
2. King Dragonfly
3. Card Nation
4. Sleep Eye
5. Lapis Lazuli
6. Balloon In The Cage
7. Cherry Blossom
8. Love Bird
9. Fearful Dream
10. Tears Of A Poet
11. So Red
12. Flying Cat
13. Lost Child
__________________________________________________
Unless I somehow learn how to read Japanese, I'm a long way from understanding the Susumu Yokota story. My introduction came via a compilation track called "Azukiio No Kaori," a delicate slice of drifting ambient beauty striking enough to convince me to buy last year's Sakura. No regrets, believe me; it wound up being one of my favorite records of the year. Poking around online, I discovered that Yokota had been making music since at least 1992, and his releases numbered in the dozens. Most of his productions were house and techno variations geared toward the dancefloor, and most were only available as imports.
I've since purchased a double LP of his called 1999 (found it in a cut-out bin, oddly enough), and I could tell from the cheap, garish cover it was one of his dance releases. It's fascinating to me to think that the same person responsible for Sakura also created this. The music, at first pass (and there have not been many since), seemed stiff, without personality, and silly without the attendant humor. It's obvious that 1999 is a DJ tool and not an album, as the tracks are beyond repetitive, with no real end or beginning. This utility only served to put more distance between me and the music.
More than anything, Yokota's 1999 made me realize that I have a lot to learn about dance music, and my living room is probably not the best classroom. But it didn't affect the strong affinity I feel for Yokota's home listening material, a connection only strengthened upon hearing Grinning Cat. Where Sakura found Yokota exploring the sonic properties of the reverberating guitar, Grinning Cat focuses heavily on piano. The acoustic keyboard treatments vary from looped lullaby fragments, fuzzy with white noise on "Sleepy Eye," to the more traditional "Tears of a Poet," which seems like incidental film music from the 40's. Some of the piano parts are definitely sampled, with the loops cut in an intentionally jarring and disorienting manner. Others featuring winding melodies stretching across several bars which are surely played by Yokota.
The thematic unity of the piano aside, this record finds Yokota moving in ten different directions at once. It's almost as if these pieces were composed as singles, such is the varied feel. "Imagine" is a minimal affair, haunting and sad, with a floral melodic pattern set against samples and looped vocals. And then "King Dragonfly" comes right back with flanged drum programming, tribal clapping music and buoyant piano flourishes. "Card Nation" could be using a sampled Chopin Nocturne as its centerpiece, but it surrounds the tight keyboard loop with deep electronic percussion and distended Popol Vuh-style choir.
Grinning Cat runs the rhythmic gamut as well. "Cherry Blossom" chugs along on a 4/4 bass thump, dripping almost unbearably poignant shards of stained piano tone on top. "Love Bird" uses only handclaps and a shaker to set the tempo for the simplest melody on the record, Windham Hill as imagined by a computer. "So Red" takes a stab at laptop jazz, with tightly programmed snare rolls and a double bass ostinato.
The beautiful thing about this many-headed beast of a record is the possibilities for future directions. Yokota has a deep well of inspiration to draw from, and is extremely comfortable with a staggering array of styles. I may never begin to know and understand exactly where he's coming from, but I'm content to explore this patch for now. We'll see where I can go from here.

Review taken from: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/23371-susumu-yokota-grinning-cat
Download link: http://rapidshare.com/files/163731634/Susumu_Yokota_-_Grinning_Cat.rar

Susumu Yokota - Laputa (2003)

Date Released: 2003
Origin: Japan
Genre: Ambient, Downtempo, Experimental, IDM, Modern Classical
Label: Skintone

Site: http://www.susumuyokota.org/
Tracklist:
1. Rising Sun
2. Lost Ring
3. Gong Gong Gong
4. Iconic Air
5. Light Of The Sun
6. Grey Piano
7. 23 Degrees Dream
8. Hidden Love
9. Trip Eden
10. True Story
11. Dragon Place
12. I Am Flying
13. Dizzy Echo
14. Heart By Heart
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Susumu Yokota’s 2000 album Sakura was a landmark for ambient music. Fluid, ethereal and breathlessly beautiful from start to finish - it stands as possibly the best long player of the decade so far. Yokota’s two subsequent ambient releases - Grinning Cat and The Boy and the Tree - continued his restless search for new sounds, but paled next to their predecessor. Both records failed to flow as smoothly and effortlessly as Sakura - but still contained enough lushly beautiful songs for us to keep listening. Yokota has frequently spoken of his need to make music in relaxed conditions - and up until now, his records have certainly possessed a calm, meditative quality. On Laputa, things take a darker turn – it would seem that Yokota now makes music to soundtrack his worst nightmares. Once an artist whose music sought to soothe, he is now covering more chaotic and disturbing emotional terrain. On some tracks, this makes for a frustrating, jumbled listening experience. “Gong Gong Gong” is as uncomfortable as a night spent tossing and turning – any attempts to drift into a blissful sleep are disrupted by sharp blasts of static and manic, chattering laughter. “Dizzy Echo” piles frustratingly random noise on top of loud bell-ringing: needless to say, it’s about as enjoyable as being awoken with a bucket of cold water. On songs like these, it’s easy to yearn for the return of the old, peaceful Yokota. It would be foolish to give up so easily, though. Hidden among these tests of endurance, Yokota treats us to some of the most beautifully molten sound he’s concocted since his high-watermark. “Grey Piano” is an all-too-brief dark lullaby – a gentle piano melody coated in chilling synth effects. “Degrees Dream” combines organ washes, ripples of distorted guitar and a mysterious, detatched vocal to mesmerizing effect. These moments of greatness are well worth weeding out. And there’s plenty more, too: witness the terrifying alien voices counter-pointing one of Yokota’s sweetest melodies on “True Story”. And the alarming single note hammered throughout “Hidden Love”, underpinning delicious layers of strings and keyboards. This is ambience with a sharp edge. “I am Flying” provides some welcome relief: light, airy piano chords chime peacefully – giving the listener a brief moment of respite from the sinister soundscapes elsewhere. True, this album is best appreciated on a stereo with a program function: at 55 minutes and 15 tracks, a little home editing makes it significantly more palatable. But, it remains a towering achievement – frustrating at times, but still a gripping mood piece from one of the greatest living sculptors of sound. Yokota towers above his peers: always moving forward, even in his sleep.

Review taken from: http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/susumu-yokota/laputa.htm
Download link: http://rapidshare.com/files/163577452/Susumu_Yokota_-_Laputa.rar

Susumu Yokota - Acid Mt. Fuji (1994)

Date Released: 1994
Origin: Japan
Genre: Ambient, Chillout, Downtempo, Experimental, Lounge, IDM
Label: The Leaf Label

Site: http://www.susumuyokota.org/
Tracklist:
1. Zenmai
2. Kinoko
3. Meijiingu
4. Saboten
5. Oh My God
6. Tambarin
7. Oponchi
8. Ao-oni
9. Akafuji
10. Alphaville
11. Tanuki
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I am so tired, so I really apologize for this time review… but at least you got an small one: “An overlooked ambient techno classic, this album (Yokotas first venture into modern electronic music) showcases his unique talent for composition and atmosphere.”

Review taken from: http://acrocosm.blogspot.com/2008/08/susumu-yokota-acid-mt-fuji.html
Download link: http://rapidshare.com/files/163532072/Susumu_Yokota_-_Acid_Mt._Fuji.rar

Susumu Yokota - Sakura (1999)

Date Released: November 30, 1999
Origin: Japan
Genre: Ambient, Chillout, Downtempo, Experimental, Lounge, IDM
Label: The Leaf Label

Site: http://www.susumuyokota.org/
Tracklist:
1. Saku
2. Tobiume
3. Uchu Tanjyo
4. Hagoromo
5. Genshi
6. Gekkoh
7. Hisen
8. Azukiiro No Kaori
9. Kodomotachi
10. Naminote
11. Shinsen
12. Kirakiraboshi
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"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" has been a huge hit in more than thirty countries, but it failed miserably in Japan. Apparently, the Japanese consider public displays of wealth embarrassing, so the money-grubbing show never had a chance. Failed culture translation can work both ways, of course. Here in America, it's generally considered embarrassing for grown adults to read comics whose heroines are scantily clad prepubescent girls with stripper-sized tits. At least we all agree on Cheap Trick and the Beastie Boys.
I'm thinking about these kinds of differences right now because I'm trying to get to the root of my fascination with the gentle electronic music coming out of Japan. Though they're working in dramatically different styles, I think it's safe to say that artists like Nobukazu Takemura, Aki Tsuyuko, Neina and Susumu Yokota share a sensibility. Each is capable of crafting subtle music that's not afraid to be warm and pretty, but they shade the tender melodies and childlike naiveté with hints of violence and loss. With now-familiar techniques like malfunctioning technology (Neina's Oval-style glitch is the sound of the digital world colliding with nature) and clipped vocal fragments (Takemura's "Kepler" traps Tsuyuko's innocent voice inside a machine), the pretty music becomes something more balanced and complex.
Susumu Yokota made his name in Japan as a House DJ and producer, and this functional background could explain why his ambient music is the most outwardly "pleasant" of the artists mentioned above. Sakura is his latest home-listening entry, a placid display of slow, careful movement with a few unexpected twists.
Much of this album features Yokota's dreamy, processed guitar as a distinctive sound tool. On the lush, cascading "Saku" and "Tobiume" he drowns the electric strings in reverb, and the plucked melodies are hard to trace to their source. The faint guitar melodies work well against the synthetic drones, offering a subtly percussive counterpoint to the electronic tapestry. On "Genshi," Yokota pulls out his this-old-House tools, wielding a gentle, steady kickdrum and shimmering high-hat to push along a gurgling guitar pattern reminiscent of Manual Göttsching. Adding further variation to the six-string texture, "Hagoromo" loops an acoustic guitar pattern to hypnotic effect.
Despite its use in the above tracks, this is by no means a "guitar album," not even in the Fripp & Eno sense of the word. Each of the elements, the guitars, the occasional beats, the vocal samples (heartbreaking on "Azukiio No Kaori," which reminds me of Nobukazu Takemura's amazing remix of "Proverb" on Reich Remixed) and the flowing synthesizers, are used to further the dreamy, contemplative mood. There are a few missteps, most notable the oddly jazzy "Naminote," which seems to strive for Amon Tobin territory but mucks up the flow of the album considerably. Still, this is a worthy artifact from what seems to be an incredibly fertile scene.

Review taken from: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/23370-susumu-yokota-sakura

Download link: http://rapidshare.com/files/162757733/Susumu_Yokota_-_Sakura.rar

Various Artists - 3D Concepts | Miles Tilmann/Loess/Low Profile Society (2004)

Date Released: November 29, 2004
Origin: Verious Countries
Genre: IDM, Ambient, Drone,
Label: Toytronic
Site: http://www.toytronic.com
Tracklist Disc 1:

1. Middle Fields – Miles Tilmann
2. The Big Swim – Miles Tilmann
3. Through The T - Miles Tilmann
4. Particle 3 - Miles Tilmann
5. Smallest Flam - Miles Tilmann
6. Mid Point - Miles Tilmann
7. Retinue – Loess
8. Sofar – Loess
9. Viscer – Loess
10. Alt.Tone.Two – Loess
11. Sixt – Loess

Tracklist Disc 2:
1. In - Low Profile Society
2. Example 2 - Low Profile Society
3. Example 3 - Low Profile Society
4. Example 4 - Low Profile Society
5. Example 5 - Low Profile Society
6. Example 6 - Low Profile Society
7. Example 7 - Low Profile Society
8. Example 8 - Low Profile Society
9. Out - Low Profile Society
10. Example 10 - Low Profile Society
11. Example 11 - Low Profile Society
12. Example 12 - Low Profile Society
13. Example 13 - Low Profile Society
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Double cd compiling the very limited Miles Tilmann, Loess, and Low Profile Society marble vinyl EPs with 4 bonus new and unheard tracks from Low Profile Society. Loess deliver 5 tracks employing ambient principles for a foundation, with rhythmic elements softly extending themselves to enrich proceedings with a beautifully smoothed-over rendition of futuristic sounds. The opening “retinve” strengthens itself with a reliance on only the simplest of principles, a muted industrial percussive line loops itself for background while soothingly stretched synths and whispered basslines surround the rendition for an almost haze-driven listening experience. “alt.tone.two”, meanwhile, suddenly discovers a world of bass, more sparkling night-time ambience sets the scene while a dub-driven revolution of stabs and a skanking pace remind of Denmark’s excellent Dub-Tractor. Chicago’s Miles Tillman, meanwhile, starts proceedings with “Middle Fields” - a gorgeously layered construction of beatless textures, a dense display of warmth that brings to mind work by Brian Eno, Shuttle 358 and even the more ambient stretches of Casino vs Japan. “The Big Swim” follows in glorious form, a gentle pitter-patter in 4/4 form overlayed with more life-affirming edits of multi-coloured ambience, creating a sort of soothing tap of the feet that the likes of Christian Kleine are so good at extending with apparent ease. Low Profile Society, meanwhile, get a full disc to themselves, expanding on ambient themes to blissed-out shores previously visited by Arovane at his most spacious. 24 tracks across 112 minutes of music over two CDs.

Review taken from: http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=16016

Download link Disc 1: http://rapidshare.com/files/153476479/Various_Artists_-_3D_Concepts__Disc_1_.rar.html
Download Link Disc 2: http://rapidshare.com/files/153569809/Various_Artists_-_3D_Concepts__Disc_2_.rar.html