Skillful Electronic Music // To my embarrassment **I never heard of Imachi Akira or Russian Electronica Netlabel. And although the label puts information online only in Cyrillic script, this record grabbed my attention immediately. Japanese Akira hails from Tokyo and delivers wonderfully calm Electronica and Guitar-based Ambient on his “Lycoris Radiata” album.

Imachi Akira - “Noise Dreams” (MP3)

Imachi Akira - “Untitled” (MP3)

“Lycoris Radiata” is wonderfully diversified! The album kicks in with the ambient “Noise Dreams”. The tracks sounds rather dreamful than noisy and charmed away my misgivings that Imachi Akira is just another Netaudio Noise-musician. “Birdpia” afterwards entangles Electronica, gentle guitar-chords and field recordings. Alone, the mix is a bit awkward with the clicks n’ cuts quite prominent (which is true for some of the tracks and the only major drawback.

At “Aware Si Mono”, Akira pulls out the echo chamber, mixing warm noises with harmonica and his guitar pickings.  The title track “Lycoris Radiata” surprises with massive guitar feedback and distortion noises, while “Silent Way” just afterwards shows the way back to Dub and Jazzy soundscapes. Double bass and piano work superb.  “…” is the last track on the album and with it’s introspect Folk-motives, all these little noises and lo-fi atmosphere it reminds me of Rain Netlabel or, more explicit, Daisuke Miyatani or Beddoes (from whom you will hear somewhat later).

Central to Imachi Akira’s album is the twelve-minutes “Untitled”. On top the murmur of a streamlet, a very simple synth bubble is heard. Minute by minute, additional layers of synth loops are introduced. With increasing complexity, motives form in-between what is really played. That recalls Steve Reich’s early works or Philip Glass indeed, but Akira keeps it down to earth by hitting-in a powerful piano track at halftime. The epic ending is noise, and then, the silent creek again. Wow.

MP3 Electronic Music Download

Download: “Lycoris Radiata EP” ZIP

Artist-Website: imachi.org

Release: Imachi Akira - “Lycoris Radiata EP”

Netlabel: electronicalabel.ru**

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