Track of the Day: 'Sunshower' - Soichi Terada

Having moved back to Manchester for a temporary period, I am able to peruse the diverse and expansive shelves of Piccadilly Records at my whim. Huzzah. It is among said perusing, that I found this gem of a record by Soichi Terada, an electronic producer and composer from Tokyo who- apart from composing the hyperactive music for the video game Ape Escape, releasing numerous albums via his band Omodaka and running his label Far East Recordings- made pioneering House music in the early '90s.

As a mysterious synth melody, floating keys, crisp hi hats and a pumping bassline plant you firmly in the romantic era of Chicago House's heyday, the record stops, and Nami Shimada's fragile and innocent vocals teleport you to the day-glow neon of a tracksuit wearing Tokyo karaoke bar. Her tones shimmer over the track, filling every pocket of rhythm with glittery, heart-shaped emotions, with just enough sickly sweet emotivity to stop you short of producing a rainbow-coloured pool of vomit.

Terada unashamedly makes use of '90s tropes; jingles, stabs, a brash howling sample and harsh brass synth all make their own cameo, along with everybody's favourite sound: the vocoder. It would be easy to simply dismiss these sounds as cliche, however, they add a haphazardly tongue-in-cheek charm to a song which is using the newest technologies of the day, by a man who graduated in Computer Science and Electric Organ, at the impressively titled, 'University of Electro-Communications'.

The beauty of 'Sunshower' is its ability to make you frolic like a little kid, singing along and pretending to know Shimada's words whilst performing the silliest of dance moves*. Furthermore, like all good dance tracks, it appeals to the layman club-goer as well as the music nerds, listening out for the bizzare musical nuances. Finally, as if the latter weren't enough to sell you, Larry Levan, the godfather of New York House, remixed the track with his own voicemail to Soichi Terada: "Mr. Levan calling Mr Terada, I need to know the key of your fucking song." Charming.

Happy listening,

Josh

Sunshower is out now on Crème Organization to buy at Picadilly Records (and all other respectable outlets, mind)

*For some interesting choreography, check out this song by Nami Shimada.

Track of the Day: Mittland Och Leo - 'Decades'

It’s rare in this age of absurd Discogs prices that dance or electronic vinyl sees the light of repress paradise. However, once in a while it happens…

Take ‘Optimists’, the 2014 album by Belgian electronica/exotica duo, Mittland Och Leo, which I found on a well-known alternative record website. The song which instantly struck me was the epic first track: ‘Decades’.

A pounding drum machine leads the track with perfectly coordinated, spasmodic rhythms. The masterful approach to space and pace give the song a tight groove and unexpected danceability, sending the listener on a high-speed, Starfox-like glide through clouds of clicks, toms, snares and a punchy, low-end kick drum. Purposefully puerile and naive, (think samba demo track a la primary school keyboard) it is the drums which, in part, create a feeling of nostalgia; akin to time-travelling into the imaginary bedroom jam sessions of a 1980s teenager, or, to the twee, yet ironic, sounds of early electronic pioneer Raymond Scott and his song Portifino 2. 

The rich tones of an organ cum synth bathe the song in warm, heavenly light, morphing suddenly, from an angelic three note refrain, into a grandiose, Angelo Badalamenti-esque church organ, full of fire and brimstone. Juxtaposed against this conflict between good and evil is the crescendo: an indescribably beautiful harmony consisting of a simple change in melody and a heart wrenching analogue warble. It is this genuine emotional output which saves Mittland from becoming another duo of nerdy, pretentious hardware enthusiasts and allows them to create music, which not only demands to be listened to and interpreted, but stands alone as music, not another "DJ tool" or one-off.

While ‘Decades’ is a self-professed piece of nerdy, knitted-sweater-wearing electronica, it is far from abstract; expressing human emotions behind it’s electronic exterior and striking a fine balance between cerebral electronics, hazy, pop-orientated melodies and dance floor-ready rhythms.

Now, to get out of my overdraft and review the album…

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Optimists is available now on  JJ Funhouse.

Buy it on digital here: https://mittlandochleo.bandcamp.com/

... and 12" repress here: https://boomkat.com/vinyl/1203145-mittland-och-leo-optimists

Listen to more of them here: https://soundcloud.com/mittlandochleo

... and follow them here: https://www.facebook.com/mittlandochleo?fref=ts