eformusic

Beyond Raging Waves (with Shinichi Kinoshita)

Beyond Raging Waves (with Shinichi Kinoshita)

Artist: DJ Krush
Album: Jaku

I always have an idea: To but the ancient Chinese elements, the most original and essential influence on Orientalism, into post-modern style. For example, how to place the five notes (Do Re Mi So La) in usage of the ancient Chinese music and try to fit them into electronic music like those stuff by DJ Shadow will be one of my task. There are already some stuffs out there that is inspirational, like Archive’s All Time and 78BPM’s In to the Valley, but DJ Krush’s Beyond Raging Waves still suffocated me a lot.

Jaku is the album that is reckoned to be the most heavily inbound in Japanese elements. That’s why it is the one I have chosen to listen to beforehand all others of his. However, I was so impressed at the beginning, not because of the music, but the lack of Japanese elements. I was confused for a while until I got to hear Slit of Cloud, which started with a Kabuki-like solo that sharpened my hearing a bit. And till Beyond Raging Waves I finally in love with what DJ Krush did.

I don't think it is that hard to combine ancient oriental music element in to the most modern style, according to DJ Krush. Imbedded solo shamisen within the electronic drum beat, the song is exactly like what is in my mind. The sharpness of shamisen mixed so well with the softened drum beat (don't know it is taiko or not) like both are melted.

Oh my Holy God, Shinichi Kinoshita is just incredible, and the shamisen in his hands almost suffocates me. That broken-pieces-of-sound created by a shamisen just keeps killing and killing me again and again. Maybe that is the soul in this particular piece of music that attracts me so bad, and my soul as well being hauled away from my body. It not only suffocates me, but it also blinds me. Not being like tradition hip hop that pull the emotion downward, it is like the music from all above, as if the brightest light that leaks out from heaven.

I never think of there is such experience when listening to trip hop. The uprising feeling of mood and the soul dragging oriental element just blow me away. Thanks to this piece of music, I know about DJ Krush and more importantly Shinichi Kinoshita.

posted by Yang @ 01:56