Gorgeous debut album of new age/grime fusion from Local Action's newest avatar, Yamaneko. Sublimating the structures of OG grime with the diaphanous tones of meditational aid cassettes, Yamaneko's 'Pixel Wave Embrace' reads like a strange wet dream on screen, and the results actually aren't too far off. Whilst the likes of Visionist, Moleskin, Fatima Al Qadiri and Slackk have all emphasised grime's melodic, ethereal side, Yamaneko takes that aesthetic one step further east to a synaesthetic xen space full of fragrant, reflective chimes and harmonics. It's most explicit in the title and weightless sound of opener, 'Fragrance Transmission', and explored to shimmering degrees over the proceeding 12 tracks, from the Haruomi Hosono-like cuteness of 'Greeen Hillz' to the piquant daintiness of 'Primrose Island' and the anonymously titled '~', alongside more subtle mutations of grime's rhythmic genus, as with the frothing percolations and gunshots of 'Slew Wave' the acidic 'Accelera Rush', and the icy, stately poise of 'Noises in the Wave Wire Like Kissing of the Sea' feat. Rimplton. Simply, it's not gonna wreck a club, but it may well imbue your listening space with the tranquility of a Japanese garden. Recommended!
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Gorgeous debut album of new age/grime fusion from Local Action's newest avatar, Yamaneko. Sublimating the structures of OG grime with the diaphanous tones of meditational aid cassettes, Yamaneko's 'Pixel Wave Embrace' reads like a strange wet dream on screen, and the results actually aren't too far off. Whilst the likes of Visionist, Moleskin, Fatima Al Qadiri and Slackk have all emphasised grime's melodic, ethereal side, Yamaneko takes that aesthetic one step further east to a synaesthetic xen space full of fragrant, reflective chimes and harmonics. It's most explicit in the title and weightless sound of opener, 'Fragrance Transmission', and explored to shimmering degrees over the proceeding 12 tracks, from the Haruomi Hosono-like cuteness of 'Greeen Hillz' to the piquant daintiness of 'Primrose Island' and the anonymously titled '~', alongside more subtle mutations of grime's rhythmic genus, as with the frothing percolations and gunshots of 'Slew Wave' the acidic 'Accelera Rush', and the icy, stately poise of 'Noises in the Wave Wire Like Kissing of the Sea' feat. Rimplton. Simply, it's not gonna wreck a club, but it may well imbue your listening space with the tranquility of a Japanese garden. Recommended!
Gorgeous debut album of new age/grime fusion from Local Action's newest avatar, Yamaneko. Sublimating the structures of OG grime with the diaphanous tones of meditational aid cassettes, Yamaneko's 'Pixel Wave Embrace' reads like a strange wet dream on screen, and the results actually aren't too far off. Whilst the likes of Visionist, Moleskin, Fatima Al Qadiri and Slackk have all emphasised grime's melodic, ethereal side, Yamaneko takes that aesthetic one step further east to a synaesthetic xen space full of fragrant, reflective chimes and harmonics. It's most explicit in the title and weightless sound of opener, 'Fragrance Transmission', and explored to shimmering degrees over the proceeding 12 tracks, from the Haruomi Hosono-like cuteness of 'Greeen Hillz' to the piquant daintiness of 'Primrose Island' and the anonymously titled '~', alongside more subtle mutations of grime's rhythmic genus, as with the frothing percolations and gunshots of 'Slew Wave' the acidic 'Accelera Rush', and the icy, stately poise of 'Noises in the Wave Wire Like Kissing of the Sea' feat. Rimplton. Simply, it's not gonna wreck a club, but it may well imbue your listening space with the tranquility of a Japanese garden. Recommended!