Spectreview: Shinichiro Yokota – Tokonoma Style

Released: November 22, 2021

Electronic
(Japanese House)
(Dance)

-RED-

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Shinichiro Yokota (and his longtime musical bestie, Soichi Terada) are largely responsible for taking Japanese house music – the wheelhouse of DJs like Ko Kimura and YMO touring member Satoshi Tomiie in the 80s – and spreading it outside of the country. Maybe that’s the reason why the cover of Yokota’s new record, Tokonoma Style, features the record spelled out in English though Kanji transliteration. Far East Records is the closest link us Westerners have to this niche, which sounds exactly like you’d imagine without listening: light, restrained beats bathed in bright colors and a metropolitan sheen. 

I discovered Yokota two years ago when I covered his excellent I Know You Like It, and I’m just as enthusiastic about his continuing work. Tokonoma Style may not have highlights as obvious as “Tokyo 018 (Watashi Wa Tokyo Suki)” or “Timeless,” but its best moments are more evenly distributed and makes it more rewarding of a listen. Those moments include the lounge bounce of “Kagemusha,” the capacious frizz of “Space Station” and the cheesy but classically featherweight “Momiji,” a song I can easily imagine soundtracking your vendor of choice.

These songs are all simple repetitions with only slight variations across their runtimes. They don’t build so much as they bore into you, wriggling their way into your subconscious. The drum programming is what makes them feel classic: house was essentially invented on Roland machines, after all. Yokota’s approach is so consistent that when any incongruous detail surfaces – the touch of reverb on the piano sample of “Accelerators,” or the crystalline intro to “Interested In It” – it makes an impact. But more than anything, it’s the apparent joyfulness of his music that resonates. Whether its the bubbly extended version of previous single “Time Lapse” or the soft ease with which “Retro Graffiti” opens the record, Yokota delivers these tracks without a hint of pretension, inviting the listener into his humble but effective variation of a genre known for its ability to inspire communal experiences.

Recommended for a party! A dance party!