by
Matthew Smolak
In this review:
Ken Ishii
Future in Light (2003)
Ken Ishii is one of the best-known Japanese
DJ's around and he's been producing innovative material since
the early 1990’s.
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::
Future in Light :: |
But saying he is one of the best-known Japanese artists doesn’t
necessarily mean much in North America, where essentially
all Japanese artists are obscure. Being unknown also makes
Ishii’s music that much harder to find, especially in
the northwest frontier where I reside. Even here in Edmonton,
with a population approaching 1 million, Ishii might as well
be a type of sushi.
I always enjoy new material from Ishii, but I dread the difficulty,
time and the proportionate expense of trying to get my hands
on his obscure albums, particularly on vinyl, as is my snobbish
preference. So, it was with a mixture of joy and dread that
I discovered his newest album, Future in Light, on
the Internet some time last spring.
Flash forward to January 2004, when a copy arrived on CD
(that is all that is available from the North American distributor,
Run Recordings) at my local independent music store. Having
liked everything I’ve already heard by Ishii, I was
expecting another great album. Having waited so long to get
it, my expectations unconsciously grew.
My first impression of the album was that the cover was a
little cheesy: a computer generated version of Ken Ishii,
appearing in some textured grid, like a character from Tron,
wearing computer-animated headphones, the universal cliché
symbol identifying a DJ. Well, you should never judge a book,
or CD, by its cover right?
Unfortunately, the album didn’t meet my expectations.
It sounds like an album by Ishii (so many electronic artists
have little unique sounds that show up here and there that
define their style), but overall it is a lighter and more
sugary album, and this recipes make it almost, well, cheesy.
It sounds like something explicitly written for 12”
vinyl singles intended to be mixed into endless sets by club
DJs for the Euro-trash set. And the American wanna-be-Euro-trash
set. There are interesting hooks in individual tracks, but
the fact is none of the tracks sound like unique, individual
songs. Several just sort of begin by plunging right into the
beat and then fade out at the end, making it easier, perhaps,
for DJ's everywhere to incorporate them into their sets. The
songs have no context, no mood is set. Each track is just
a momentary collection of 1’s and 0’s in an even
longer set of 1’s and 0’s.
There are a few decent tracks that stand out, particularly
at the halfway point of the album. “Liquid Metal”,
with its bent notes, is one of the more memorable tracks,
although it happens to hang on just a little too long. Following
that is “Melting Point”, one of those songs that
starts off right away without setting a tone. It, too, seems
to continue on a while longer than necessary, sort of like
a sweet-tasting jingle that becomes sickening when it won’t
leave your head.
The next tracks, “Presto” and “Beep Twist”
are the best tracks on the album. “Presto” is
one of the dirtiest tracks: with just a bit of decay and crunch
in the sound, it stands out. “Beep Twist” is the
best of the bunch, one of the few songs with any build up,
leading into a frantic collage. This song hints at the spastic
craziness that Ishii has delivered in the past, particularly
on the classic album, Metal Blue America, but unfortunately
“Beep Twist” becomes conspicuous on this album
by the lacklustre company it keeps.
Finding such enjoyable moments on Ishii’s newest release
is a hollow reward. Like voting for politicians, it is a matter
of choosing the best of a mediocre pack. Truly and disappointingly,
this is the least inspiring of Ishii’s albums. The lack
of dynamics in and between songs on Future in Light
results in an unfortunately forgettable album, so much more
acute in comparison to his brighter past releases.
More on Ishii
www.kenishii.com/index-e.asp
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Matthew Smolak is a musician, DJ and politician
living in Edmonton, Alberta. He believes no man with a good
car needs worry 'bout nothin'. Listen to Matt live via Webcast
on Sundays between 9 and 10 a.m. MST as he preaches to the
savage mind and spins eclectic mixes. www.cjsr.com
Thoughts on Ken Ishii or music in general?
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