onitor - Takashi Wada

Takashi Wada - Araki

Araki (onitor 52) is the second onitor release of Takashi Wada and as it's predecessor "Meguro". it's a beautiful mixture of pop, ambinet, japanese roots and the deep musical comprehension of Takashi Wada. Takashi Wada, who has recently moved from Paris to Berlin dedicates this album to the memory of his Grandfather Araki.

We remember 2003. Takashi Wada released „Meguro“, his debut album, named after the part of tokyo he was raised at. A very impressive work of a 21 year old boy, showing a deep musical knowledge. „Meguro“ was filed in the Popambient case in the record stores – a fact which is fine with us, but did not show enough of the musical deepness of the album, going much further than most of the other releases in the genre.

As we all know, wonder happen if you only believe hard enough. Yes, thats what we at onitor believe in - and indeed, „Meguro“ was also heard and understood from people not included in the artists family and friendship. Lets say it with Leonard Cohen (a little Größenwahnsinnig, but why not): First he convinced onitor, than the world. And the world means especially Japan. Even if it sounds like the closest thing, it is quite unusual for Japanese artists to be recognized in their own country. So we are even more happy that „Meguro“ got good response in Japan (a fact we own our lovely people at Plop distribution a lot for) and allowed the artist to tour in his birth country. His first homecome in years – he left Japan with 16 for studies in music in New York, Paris and London – was a very sucessful experience. Those who saw him in the fall of 2003 were surprised that he not only performed his beautiful electronic listeing music, he also showed, later at night, a straight Dance approach with Detroit-inspired (Minimal)Techno-Tracks.
The last two years saw him returning to Japan quite regular – but still Wada is answering on questions regarding his live performances that he is not that kind with them: The studied musician is missing the real instruments in the Laptop-Performance – as a result he is thinking about including them, and why not, as he is playing guitar, piano and trompet among others.For a conceptional artist like Takashi Wada it is a question of ambition to come up with a new direction for his 2nd album – that said, the basis remains the same: architecture, metropolis, landscapes, animals, humans and daily sounds. In opposite to his debut album, on which he explored the pure transport of feelings (not in a sense of presenting them, more as a kick start for the social communikcation processes), he starts a step higher with „Araki“. Wada is targeting for the self-realization.The album feels like unworked wood. Wood which is in its natural condition, not already prepared by humans and included in the functional process of modern society. The meaning behind this: Wada is arguing for a purness of the arts, to step away from the pressures and expectations of the world around the artist and create something out of the process of the own thoughts and feelings – who manages to come to this point, manages to self-realize himself. In the words of the artist: „The idea is to show the energy and passion in this album, mainly.“ As a result he did not leave so much free space in this album – every second is filled with sounds. The sound to this intense process is full of references: Jazz, Artrock, Avantgarde and for sure also still Electronic Listening – Wada is managing to combine the past and future of electronic music in one concept without losing the status quo of our times. „Araki“ is at the same time a small bar club in New York in den late 60ies, with Miles Davis performing, the Can-Studio on the countryside of cologne in den mid 70ies, the desillusionated Sheffield of the 80ies with the Soundtrack of Warp, the hip-but-fucked-up Berlin of the post-wall-time of the early 90ies, the pop academie 2006 and the congress of future 2030.

Regarding his working process Takashi Wada is nobody who needs to be put in front of his laptop and instruments, he is living the process of making art 24 hours a day. And 24 hours a day the music is very much alive within him, speaks to him, leads him: He is driven by art – in the very postive sense.
The inspiration for „Araki“, this manifest for an intense, empathic artist existence, is a result of Wadas occupation with dead. Wada was thinking about the question what old people think in their last moment. If they think the way to the other side is real? If they think it is a feedback of their own memories – an illusion? Or if it is the first sign of the other side? His resumee: It makes no difference, in the end there is no final truth anyway. Everything in life is a subjective choice, our self definied world. You make your decision on life without a gurantee for the results as well as a certain truth behind. That said it makes totally sense that Takashi Wada is only listeing to his own masters voice.
The real inspiration to „Araki“ – you can imagine after all written so far – is very personal. „Araki“ was the name of Wadas grand-father. And also the tracktitles „Maboroshi“ (illusion) and „Kotodama (message from nowhere) show his deep thoughts after the dead of his grand-father. As mystical as all of this sounds it is the perfect picture for this wonderful, mysterious album: „Araki“. But listen by yourself. Words cant describe the magic of this work near by equal.

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