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AOKI TAKAMASA + TUJIKO NORIKO
‘28’
CD, Splinter Series, FAT-SP10
Release Date: 22nd August 2005
Barcode: 6 - 00116 - 12102 - 8
Tracklisting:
1. Fly2
2. Vinyl Words
3. When The Night Comes
4. Doki Doki Last Night
5. Fly Variation
6. 26th Floor
7. Alien
8. NOLICOM
‘28’ is the work of two Japanese artists both now resident in France and both aged 28 - hence the title. This album
is the result of over 3 years worth of collaboration between the pair, coming together to form a beautiful marriage
of sweet female vocals, alongside pristine, lusciously textured and layered electronics, and some clever yet funky
beat programming. ‘28’ has the feeling of a classic electronica album.The sonic precision, clarity and detailing of
each element has been lovingly worked on; everything fits and flows together as the album unfolds with an
organic, slowly unfurling logic. Often built up in overlapping layers, Noriko’s voice is beautifully recorded and
placed within the mix. Although largely sung in Japanese, her vocals adds a warmth and solidity to the album –
like a series of breathy vapour trails or lullaby coos and hums, which are occasionally chopped into and stuttered
via computer, yet never jarringly so. Added alongside the gentle loops and textures of the music, the album is
consequently held between a kind of swaying, fluid drift where the various layers gently slide across one another,
and the sudden elastic snap of the beat.
Aoki and Tujiko’s collaboration began in 2002 when they were both booked the same event for The Cartier
Foundation in Paris, got talking and began working together on the track ‘Fly’ for the first time. As they worked, it
quickly dawned that they both really liked what they were doing and so decided to extend the project to an albumlength collaboration. Yet following that show, the pair found little time to work together because Aoki was at the
time living in Osaka whilst Tujiko was in Paris. As a way around this problem, they began sending their audio files
to each other as CDRs, working separately on ideas and then sowly building their tracks bit by bit. Consequently,
it took a long time to finish this album, although the process sped up when Aoki also moved to Paris just under a
year ago.
Whilst this album marks the first time the pair have worked together on a recording, AOKI has previously released
four albums on the Japanese-based Progressive Form label and one on Cirque. Somewhat better known to
European audineces, Noriko has released albums on Mego, Sub Rosa, Tomlab, all of which have received
glowing and considerable coverage. Aoki and Tujiko have already played together as a live duo a number of
times, including Fondation Cartier in Paris 2002, Sonar Festival in Barcelona in 2003, Prague and Italy in 2003 and
Toulouse 2004. We hope to be setting up some new European shows for the pair in the near future.
For more info on this or other FatCat releases, please contact Marcus at the above address / numbers or via e-mail at
[email protected]