Again Yokota, with his most ambitious album
Susumu Yokota - Symbol (Full Album)
Describing the work of an artist who has released over twenty albums in just over a decade is never an easy task, especially when the artist in question is a cult figure like Susumu Yokota, who in the early nineties produced several successful works oriented towards techno music and is now recognized as one of the leading figures in contemporary electronic music. In fact, since the second half of the nineties, Yokota has increasingly gravitated toward experimental and challenging musical solutions, blending his style with elements akin to ambient music, jazz, and minimalism; it is precisely through titles like "Cat Mouse and Me" (1996), "Magic Thread" (1998), "Sakura" (2000), and "Grinning Cat" (2001) that Yokota earned the respect of major artists like Philip Glass, Brian Eno, and Thom Yorke. His latest studio work, "Symbol," is a quirky and ambitious attempt to merge electronics with symphonic music and the most contemporary trends in classical music through a daring reinterpretation of the great works of Beethoven, Mahler, Ravel, Debussy, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky... The somewhat blasphemous and provocative idea of intertwining the great romantic symphonies with avant-garde music primarily inspired by the minimalist school of Philip Glass and Steve Reich, in a context of pure electronics made up of orchestral samples and contemporary rhythmic beats, results in a work strongly dominated by a decadent and romantic component. The excellent and illustrious vocal participation of Meredith Monk brings "Symbol" significantly closer to the pagan neoclassicism of Dead Can Dance and Cocteau Twins, without ever descending into pretentious vocal exercises, and also contributes to providing a precise melodic identity to a mysterious sonic kaleidoscope that may sometimes seem a bit naive but is undoubtedly fascinating. Susumu Yokota himself has defined "Symbol" as his masterpiece, and it’s hard to disagree with him; one can only wonder how many people are willing to be captivated by the beauty of this album...
Recensioni
Susumu Yokota - Symbol (Full Album)
Describing the work of an artist who has released over twenty albums in just over a decade is never an easy task, especially when the artist in question is a cult figure like Susumu Yokota, who in the early nineties produced several successful works oriented towards techno music and is now recognized as one of the leading figures in contemporary electronic music. In fact, since the second half of the nineties, Yokota has increasingly gravitated toward experimental and challenging musical solutions, blending his style with elements akin to ambient music, jazz, and minimalism; it is precisely through titles like "Cat Mouse and Me" (1996), "Magic Thread" (1998), "Sakura" (2000), and "Grinning Cat" (2001) that Yokota earned the respect of major artists like Philip Glass, Brian Eno, and Thom Yorke. His latest studio work, "Symbol," is a quirky and ambitious attempt to merge electronics with symphonic music and the most contemporary trends in classical music through a daring reinterpretation of the great works of Beethoven, Mahler, Ravel, Debussy, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky... The somewhat blasphemous and provocative idea of intertwining the great romantic symphonies with avant-garde music primarily inspired by the minimalist school of Philip Glass and Steve Reich, in a context of pure electronics made up of orchestral samples and contemporary rhythmic beats, results in a work strongly dominated by a decadent and romantic component. The excellent and illustrious vocal participation of Meredith Monk brings "Symbol" significantly closer to the pagan neoclassicism of Dead Can Dance and Cocteau Twins, without ever descending into pretentious vocal exercises, and also contributes to providing a precise melodic identity to a mysterious sonic kaleidoscope that may sometimes seem a bit naive but is undoubtedly fascinating. Susumu Yokota himself has defined "Symbol" as his masterpiece, and it’s hard to disagree with him; one can only wonder how many people are willing to be captivated by the beauty of this album...
Recensioni
odradek
13 may 20
DeRank ™: 8,92
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