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With no mother tongue to describe his life experience, or tradition to connect him to society, Takashi Suzuki's CD releases seem to be the only way for him to tell his story. Water and Air (63'44") deals with vague forces, and so is not an easy album to explain. It provides a place of escape, an ambient domain offering rare solitude and unexpected beauty. The 12 tracks on Water and Air have no memory of the modern world. Their sole purpose is but to open up the inner-sphere. Picking up all the secret whispering of mankind, this work may transport listeners to a place they do not recognize - as we ultimately reach the sanctuary of our own minds. Sounds glow in translucent, pastel color above the deep, quiet rumblings of a far-off tone. The synthetic sound of something vibrating supports welling chords and electronic textures. Slow motion, heart-felt harmonies issue and recede, in a succession of celestial steps toward the ether. Effectively placed within the expanse of Water and Air are occasional looping grooves. Peaking through the rush of strings and choirs, these mellow zones of kinetic pulsation provide a welcome feeling of forward motion. Mystical melodies move Water and Air into illuminated space, while gray atmospheres will elsewhere direct another piece into decidedly subdued sonic hues. While this music may give the impression of something gentle and demure, it asks quite a bit of us - as we are gently quieted into contemplation. An explorer of infinity, Takashi Suzuki is a musician who may be too liminal for our realm, yet he is fully alive to it.
- Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END 23 June 2016 |
