Published by Davide Pappalardo on February 17, 2018
Tomohiko Sagae is not a new name for our readers. On May 2017 we reviewed his debut album on HANDS called Sensory deprivation, one of the finest release in the field of rhythmic noise with technoid and industrial elements, a work in which he showed his abrasive and militant take on the genre. The Japanese dj and producer now returns with Deba bocho (Japanese kitchen carvers used for fish and meat), a cassette made of five tracks, three originals and two remixes courtesy of Operant (Luna Vassarotti, August Skipper) and Stave (Jonathan Krohn), released for the newborn Amsterdam based label Strange Therapy. Here he further dwells in noise and grinding electronics, as well as in mechanical rhythms and factory-like atmospheres, maintaining an uncompromising attitude expressing his love for strong rhythmic-patterns and crushing, shrilling sounds. The two guests enrich the sonic experience by giving us their personal interpretation of the tracks making them their own.
Db#1 welcomes us with its noise-saturated soundscape, harsh and grinding in its distorted loop and surely not something aimed to the faint of heart. It works wonderfully as an introduction to the world of Tomohiko, making it clear that he has no intention to accommodate the casual listener. A wall of noise of short length, it soon makes room for Db#2, a rhythmic noise venture characterized by a train-like movement and sharp sounscapes. The track keeps going with power, adding a pummeling bass which simply makes its way in ultra-distorted sounds (vocals?), and then it explodes in a drum machine-driven delirium. Dark pauses only enhance the oppressive momentum of the track, ready to erupt in ferocious industrial tinged attacks. Operant rework it by focusing on ambiance and pressing rhythms and adding Luna’s vocals in the mix, enriched by ghostly filters and ghastly modifications. A technoise crescendo guides us among an energetic and lively structure, ready to explode in ts finale, a grandiose and pounding rhythmic ride underlined by abrasive atmospheres.
Db#3 opens the second part of the cassette with its majestic march, a futuristic and grim affair completed by insane, riffing, rhythms and hammering beats. The result shows once again Tomohiko skills: he develops enthralling and contagious movements while at the same time choosing to focus on the harder side of rhythmic structures. Shrills, distortions, are the substitutes for melody, conquering the airwaves and our minds. The track is reworked by Stave, who gives us a syncopated take with breaks and almost dark ambient layers. An elegant and evocative atmosphere wraps the obsessive rhythm, an aspect which dominates the ending session of the number.
Deba bocho is another accomplishment for Tomohiko Sage, further developing his vision and sound in a direction aimed to stay true to the roots of industrial and noise music, while belonging to the modern scene. Whereas other players on the field just use some aspects of the more abrasive side of electronic music in order to enhance what are basically club tracks, he instead embrace the exalting, obsessive elements of rhythm and noise, skillfully manipulating them without over-thinking his approach. The two remixes enrich the sonic palette of the release thanks to top-notch renditions which show their own identity, but aren’t at odds with the main sonic theme. At the end we have a perfectly crafted and physical sound that is a statement of one of the best representative of modern industrial music.
Label: Strange Therapy
Rating: 8