New Seiho: “Bird Scat”

Earlier this year, Seiho released his album Collapse which saw him mostly moving away from the frantic dance music he had been crafting over the last few years in favor of a sparser, jazzier set content to take its time (with a few bangers mixed in for good measure). Not a huge departure (he’s been moving in more abstract ways for years), but it was a reminder that indeed he’s never content to be in one place. New song “Bird Scat,” shared on SoundCloud last week, strikes a balance between Collapse and what came before, showing a sort of hybrid style. There is a very clear beat present, and many of the techniques that were ever-present in his music — split-second vocals, water droplets — reappear. But they are joined by splashes of traditional Japanese sounds, and stretches of this are near a capella. It’s fractured, sure, but also really calm and sweet. Listen above.