Ryu Konno dubs the music on his new album Miraisekai as “story,” combining electronic music with contributions from guests to create a “sound-journey.” The need to invent a new genre tag to bundle with the LP seems like pure PR…DJs like Konno have been borrowing elements from the organic side of sound long before he decided to put one-half of Tenniscoats up against a club beat. And really, why try to spruce up what sounds like a very solid album of electronic music with hyper imagination? The samples off of Miraisekai hint at a very accomplished DJ successfully bringing in outside elements – a little guitar strumming there, some jazz piano, folk vocals – to make music capable of moving a nightclub and as a headphone listen. “Stereo Sky” featuring Saki Oshitani starts with just quietly plucked piano and vocals, but soon Konno introduces a swath of electronics that simultaneously propel and smudge the song up. Neither his music or her singing completely dominate the spotlight, both rather tip-toeing hand-in-hand to very pretty results. Whether his new album deserves to be labeled a “journey” remains to be seen, but all signs point to, at the very least, a solid collection of electronic music.
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