Over the last month or so we’ve reviewed Akira Kosemura’s debut effort, his split with Haruka Nakamura, Motoro Faam, Kashiwa Daisuke, Opitope and adding to that the earlier reviews of Sgt. and World’s End Girlfriend, you can’t resist Japanese Electronica artists at The Silent Ballet right now. Joining these ranks is Shuta Hasunuma, an artist and musician from Tokyo, with his second album OK Bamboo, a captivating mix of organic and electronic instrumentation, which is at times rewarding, and at others frustrating.
The influence behind OK Bamboo is, according to Hasunuma himself, his interest in the ancient relationship between Japan and bamboo, synonymously linked to each other since the beginning of civilization. While this influence might not directly come across on the record, with the thought of bamboo never at the forefront of the listener's mind during any track, there is a certain natural feeling to parts of the album, especially during the more minimal pieces. The music is uncomplicated and subtle, forcing the listener to strain at every note, every added dimension, and ultimately engage fully with the album to truly take it all in.
Self-titled opening track “OK Bamboo” is almost the entire album in a three minute preview, as a glitching minimal drum loop and rising ambient drones compete with light jazz piano, seamlessly woven together and never once conflicting. It is this unobtrusive mix of organic and electronic sounds that feature on the album highlights. “Discover Tokyo” stays with a piano led melody, jaunty and almost hypnotic in its arrangement with guitar and synth added for extra emphasis, while electronic swirls and cracks fade into the background. A more minimal approach is adopted on “Niagara Shower,” as sparse and almost fragile movements intertwine, reminiscent of both Fennesz and Ryuichi Sakamoto in their more ethereal moments. OK Bamboo closes with “Ideal Junta,” acting like a sunset on a warm sunny day as gentle, elegiac piano work is occasionally joined by the odd glitch and drum beat, fading blissfully into nightfall.
The frustration on OK Bamboo is due to some tracks overplaying the role of electronica in them, shunning the need for organic and acoustic melodies, and is in a direct conflict with what makes the album so rewarding at times. Both “Return of Bamboo” and “The Highest Point Of” warp what seem like perfectly good piano riffs beyond recognition, leaving the tracks devoid of any emotional depth to get lost in, as there is nothing constant to sink our teeth into. The biggest disappoint comes with “Already There,” which offers nothing but glitched up guitars and some ill-advised percussion. It’s a track that I imagine Four Tet pulling off with great aplomb, but it seems just a step too far for Shuta Hasunuma.
All in all, OK Bamboo is a mostly rewarding and engaging listen, blending the digital and organic in mostly perfect unison, creating a gentle and bittersweet experience, especially within the more minimal compositions. Shuta Hasunuma might be a relative unknown in the Western world, but more albums of this calibre will see him sit comfortably alongside his contemporaries, and maybe even one day surpassing them.
-James Ould