A tasty and refreshing sonic affair, driven by an exotic African spell and the tricky yet catchy gymnastics of a confident, creative artist.
Tokyo-born, London-based Masaaki Yoshida (a.k.a. Anchorsong) returns with his second album, Ceremonial, on Tru Thoughts. As the press release states, the album reflects Yoshida’s newfound love for vintage African music, intertwined with the charms of his debut album Chapters (Tru Thoughts , 2011), continuing what the skilled electronic artist began with his Mawa EP (2014, BBE).
“I came across The Vodoun Effect by Orchestre Poly-Rythmo at my local record shop”, recalls Yoshida, of the moment that sparked this new direction; “It had a profound effect on me, and I began to dig deeper into ‘70s African music. Everything sounded fresh to me, and I felt a need to make music reflecting these inspirations.”
Ceremonial is a tasty and refreshing sonic affair, driven by an exotic African spell and the tricky yet catchy gymnastics of a confident, creative artist. These words from Yoshida in a way capture the spirit of the album: “One of my favourite things about African music is its cheerful and uplifting feeling. I think about how their lives must not have been easy, but it still sounds like they’re celebrating their everyday life.”
Ceremonial is available on Tru Thoughts.
