Nara producer Sakasa decided to challenge themselves a bit with their newest album. Here are the rules Sakasa imposed while recording this collection:
1. Sample only Japanese ’80s POP music.
2. Use only Ableton Live 8 standard.
3. Don’t use any plugins and hardwares (samplers,synthesizers,drummachines and effectors).
4. This is NOT a remix !!
5. This is NOT a mashup !!
The last three aren’t rules per se, more of clarifications between one dives into Sakasa vs Japanese ’80s POP Music Living Dead, but it is good to know all the same. Whatever Sakasa’s source material, the songs here do not sound like simple reworks or lazy mashups, but rather radical new creations, with several lasting for more than seven minutes. Some, like the hazy “Cloud Tone,” border on the ambient (a few beats breaking through the ether keep it from being pure vapor) while “Crack Of Dawn” reduced the vocals from an older pop jam into a jittery jog of syllables. Many tracks – looking at you “Traffic Jam” – are even chaotic, the sort of stuff you wouldn’t expect to be stitched together from J-Pop samples and Ableton. It’s a cool challenge, and Sakasa made it enjoyable for listeners too. Get it here or listen below.