On Waikiki Beach flutters with an experimental electronic smorgasbord that doesn’t let up during its 24 minute stay—its distracted and meandering sonic debris is one that we’ll continue to revisit.
Downtempo, broken and fragmented IDM (1999 > 2020)
The first track on this EP was inspired by Autechre’s “Flutter” (Anti EP, Warp 1994)—programmed to have non-repetitive beats and therefore can be played at 33 1/3 or 45 rpm, and the only explicitly political record Autechre have released)—and Tomoroh Hidari’s re-release of On Waikiki Beach finds a home with Ivory Bunker (for Tomoroh Hidari and related projects) 21 years after its 1999 inception. Described by the artist: “In a year that has mostly seen us surf our own couches and dreaming of brighter shores—the time has come to revisit these little gems and release them together with two remixes.”
Downtempo, broken and fragmented IDM, On Waikiki Beach is abstract to its core—each piece a snapshot through a seemingly lost time capsule—this EP remains polished and current even with its roughened texture. The original “ワイキキビーチのに日本の女の子 (Japanese Gals on Waikiki Beach)” is a blissful and curious 7-minute foray through drifting scatter-beats and chugging melodic strands that ebb, flow, screech and crumble as its 2020 revision takes on a minimized trajectory. The emotive backbone and swirling synth notes cascade into oblivion as the track finds all manner of clicks, cuts, and crunchy soundscapes midway.
“明日の音 was Dreaming of Waikiki Beach on a Cold Noisevember Night” projects an atmospheric-drone version of itself, the “cold noisevember night” apropos of the initiative, Tomoroh Hidari finds solace in strange ambient accumulations where found sounds and extraterrestrial soundscapes all make sense in the long term. The remastered “Oh Yeah!” sheds familiar shadows while ambient glitch’n bass shapes take centerstage—the fractured electronic grindcore, braindance collapse, rapid fire beats, and disjointed screeches break apart in tangled unison. An audible workout for the senses with vivid and dense production skills, all the while, a smooth delivery start to end.
On Waikiki Beach flutters with an experimental electronic smorgasbord that doesn’t let up during its 24 minute stay—its distracted and meandering sonic debris is one that we’ll continue to revisit.
On Waikiki Beach is available on Ivory Bunker. [Bandcamp]
