There’s a certain novelty to Akio Suzuki’s approach to music composition and live improvisation. The elder statesman of Japanese sound-art’s primary instrument is a homemade device that he refers to as an Analapos. Essentially, this device consists of two iron cylinders strung together using coil springs that Suzuki plucks, strums, and sings through during his live performances. When watching him perform live, it’s hard not to be moved by the plethora of sounds that he gets out of such a simple device. The visual novelty of this tool in concert could potentially lead to his recordings having less of an impact, but luckily the sounds Suzuki creates with his instrument of choice are so beautiful and texturally interesting that his recordings are just as evocative as his performances.
Suzuki’s recently released collaboration with Lawrence English is a particularly impressive example of his work that’s sure to be of interest to fans of the EAI and onkyo scenes. However, despite many of the signifiers of those genres, these tracks are singularly Suzuki. Part of this is due to the organic yet electronic-sounding timbres of Suzuki’s Analapos, but it’s equally due to the playful and human approach Suzuki takes with his sounds throughout. English’s voice is less prominent on this release, but he elegantly incorporates his electronics, field recordings, and percussion in such a way that they almost sound like extensions of his instrument. Hopefully, this is just the first of many collaborations with like-minded performers to come in Suzuki’s all-too-limited output.
You can preview the album below, courtesy of Experimedia, and order it from Winds Measures now.
• Akio Suzuki: http://www.akiosuzuki.com
• Lawerence English: http://lawrenceenglish.com
• Winds Measures: http://windsmeasurerecordings.net
More about: Lawrence English
