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SONIC 018CD
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Takeshi Nishimoto comes from a background as a guitarist, receiving classical training from some of the world´s premier guitar players, while on the other hand, he has been steadily growing into the more electronic music scene with a bunch of albums on CCO as I'm Not A Gun alongside John Tejada. Takeshi appeared solo on record first in 2007 through CCO offset label Büro and returns now with his second album, this time for sonic pieces. Although you could say Lavandula is a guitar solo record -- that really does not do it justice if you dive deeper into the sounds that resonate within it. At times, Takeshi uses some really fine electronic methods to bend and shape the guitar and background atmospheres, like the beautifully perceived "Strassenlaterne." Other times it feels like you are in the middle of a still picture from a forest lake in the Japanese countryside, slowly waking up together with the sun. The track "Tone Water," on the other hand, sounds like Squarepusher's classic acoustic masterpiece Music Is Rotted One Note played on the guitar instead of bass and comes off as a fresh change of direction in the middle of the album. Lavandula is a very personal and beautiful album that brings to mind the film music of Gustavo Santaolalla (21 Grams, Babel, Biutiful) or Tape's classic albums for Häpna, but traveling through Japanese, North American, and European traditions. A great record to bring while traveling, wake up to in the morning, or simply enjoy on a quiet evening.
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CD
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BURO 005CD
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This is the first solo album by Berlin-based guitarist and composer Takeshi Nishimoto. Monologue was recorded in a one-day session in a church in Berlin, the natural acoustics providing a perfect ground for Takeshi's compositions. The guitar-playing represents what every artist should strive for through the recording process; the subtle combination of innocent meanderings and musical dexterity. In doing so he proves that the actual talent for composing is far more important than the relentless studies of those viewed as sacred artists. Full of creased melodies and charming adjuncts, Takeshi Nishimoto seems to take genuine pleasure in allowing compositions to unfurl with a languid grace that stands in stark juxtaposition to the urban agitation in which most of us live. Opening through a piece entitled "Morning 4am," Nishimoto's Japanese heritage is immediately apparent with a poignant composition that evokes mist-draped mountains, Koto mysticism and the swell of optimism that dawn ultimately brings. Immediately following this water-color prologue is the buoyant acoustic guitar of "Rider," wherein the hushed soft-shoe dancing of traditional flamenco or slow-motion grace of ice-skaters is brought to mind through delicate guitar, which retains its polemic despite an outward fragility. Blossoming from a chiming guitar that eschews any notion of hushed reverence, "Miles And Thousands" is nonetheless a pithy distillation of what it means for music to be haunting -- instinctively bringing to mind a tranquil and inviting landscape that demands your exploration, before the brief vignette of "Looking Up The Sky" snags the attention amongst its undulating tones. "Voice 1 -- Slow Door" coats an abstract heart with a sparing gloss of plucked strings to startling effect, while "Interweave" bucks your expectations as a Brazilian flavor is introduced through Takeshi's pin-point executed tremolo. Takeshi's inherent talents and sensibilities have allowed him to assemble a repertoire of twelve compositions that are both spellbinding and surprisingly complex, with harmonic chord inventions that impress immediately without cluttering the ears.
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