- Rich collages of jazz, ambient and house.
- Ever since he released his first EP in 2015, Yoshinori Hayashi has sounded like an artist with a good album in him. The End Of The Edge, for Brian Not Brian's Going Good label, was so richly textured that the listening experience was more vertical than horizontal—it didn't matter where the track was heading, because every moment was so engrossing. Nowhere was this more true than on the sublime "Geckos," a track that resurfaces on Ambivalence, Hayashi's first LP. The album, which includes new material alongside highlights from his first few EPs, cements the Japanese artist's niche between jazz, ambient and house.
Ambivalence is a product of its creator's environment. Hayashi works in Tokyo's Face Records, which stocks disco, funk, soul, reggae and hip-hop. He studied composition under Mica Nozawa, who he credits as a crucial influence. Hayashi compares his own work to that of a collagist, dutifully assembling his disparate influences into busy yet coherent productions.
The album's first track, "Overflow," is reminiscent of "Geckos," with small flourishes of jazz piano and a bassline that unfurls at the unhurried pace of a dub or instrumental hip-hop record. "Palanquin Bearing Monkey," first released earlier this year on Disco Halal, is a combination of jazz-fusion and house that wouldn't sound out of place in the Better Days catalogue. The titles of "Bit Of Garden" and "Downstream" imply a continuation of the environmental music made by artists like Hiroshi Yoshimura. "Bit Of Garden" heads in that direction until a slow house rhythm kicks in around the one minute mark. "Downstream" could be an ode to Jon Hassell with its tabla-like percussion and woozy bursts of trumpet.
As well as being an accomplished producer, Hayashi is an impressive DJ. "Spasms" is his take on stripped-back club music, with a muffled kick drum and a bassline that brings to mind a video game soundtrack. "0208" is the track that most overtly unites Hayashi's DJing sensibilities with his experimental streak. A soundscape of chimes, creaks and a lingering synth line pave the way, four minutes in, for the arrival of claps and a kick drum, as a sumptuous house track unexpectedly emerges. The track's arrangement reminds me of Hayashi's DJ set at this year's Rainbow Disco Club, where he began with smooth jazz and prog before venturing into house. The ability to blur genres and influences is a crucial part of DJing. It's a skill that Hayashi has also mastered in the studio.
Tracklist01. Overflow
02. Ill Chose
03. Palanquin Bearing Monkey
04. Bit Of Garden
05. Double
06. Downstream
07. 0208
08. Chironex
09. Flexible Mono
10. Spasm
11. Geckos