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12"
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MUSAR 017EP
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In Japanese, the word "Guru-Guru" refers to the state of spinning, whirling. This state is captured in the work of Japanese artist Hoshina Anniversary, who makes his third appearance on Musar with his EP Guru Guru and marks the return of the label after an extended break. Hoshina's self-titled brand of "watechno" has appeared on well-loved dance music labels like ESP Institute, Volvox's Jack Dept, and Young Marco's Safe Trip, alongside Musar where he also appeared as Shifting Gears back in 2022; an electronic-jazz centered moniker. His Guru Guru EP captures the latest snapshot of Hoshina's sound and sees him draw from Japanese language as a through-line. The title track is the clearest representation of his "watechno", where he uses Japanese instrumentation on top of a menacing EBM-style march. The track's slowly whirling momentum is the "guruguru". On tracks like "Banri", which means far away in Japanese, we see new shades to Hoshina's work as he mixes a Japanese Wadaiko drum groove with acidic elements and piano melodies to make a track of contradictions which pairs roughness with elegance. Whereas on "Usagi", Japanese for rabbit, Hoshina fires up the BPM. Piano melodies remain here but their effect is more drifting and emotive than on "Banri". "Kaga" is named after a place in the southernmost part of Ishikawa Prefecture, between Kanazawa City and Fukui City. On this track, Hoshina's love for jazz comes through and even mirrors the work he put out as Shifting Gears.
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12"
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MUSAR 007EP
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Musar introduces Tokyo-based DJ and producer, Hoshina Anniversary. Zangai EP is made up of three new tracks that play on Hoshina's influences from contemporary techno to experimental jazz, filtered through his Japanese heritage, coupled with a soaring remix from Musar associate, Ricardo Tobar. "Zangai" is a rolling acid paean to the atmospheric ruins of Oda Nobunaga's Azuchi Castle, while a darker mood and texture defines the satisfyingly rubbery techno weight of "Tenjin", translating as "deified spirit". Tobar expels the darkness at the center to see the light for his buoyant remix, leading to the jazzy, high-tempo electro of "Tenjou".
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12"
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BNR 147EP
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Hoshina Anniversary follows his 2014 album Barcelona with Tough, another striking piece of work. The intoxicating "Tough" and the more laid-back "Motion Emotion D.I.C.E." make up the A-side. American techno producer D'Marc Cantu (2AM/FM, Spectral Sound, Ghostly) and Greg Beato (Apron Records, L.I.E.S.) deliver remixes of "Tough" on the B-side.
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