Tanabe fuses fragments of electronica, jazz, 8-bit chiptune, clicks & cuts, dub, and more, to create his very own blend of organic-flavored synthetic mischievous music.
“How would you describe Floating Underwater?” a friend of mine who currently resides overseas asked me. “It’s a bizarre, quirky, abstract dream” I answered. That convinced him. He ordered himself a copy. After he got it, he listened to it every day during his train ride to work in the morning for almost a week. “Better than coffee” he said. It gave him the right boost, the right groovy energy to start the day with. It became the soundtrack of his train ride. “It intensified the beauty of the passing sceneries seen through the window” as he put it.
He also said the few people who were on the train at that hour and usually looked a bit grumpy, seemed nicer while Daisuke Tanabe’s music was flowing to his ears through his decent pair of headphones. He swore he even saw a little quirky smile popping up on a couple of faces. I haven’t had the chance to experience Floating Underwater outside the walls of my house yet, but I can totally see why this album is quite capable of intensifying the joy of an early morning train ride, and infusing you with the right energy to start the day with. The sonic architecture on Floating Underwater is uplifting, tricky, full of groove and dipped in tender psychedelia. It emits colorful urban scents, but is quite suitable for some eccentric dancing in the middle of a hidden glade with a few close friends. In terms of sound and style, Tanabe operates in the same fringes of the musical spectrum as his sonically kindred spirits: Shigeto and Ametsub. He fuses fragments of electronica, jazz, 8-bit chiptune, clicks & cuts, dub, and more, to create his very own blend of organic-flavored synthetic mischievous music.
Contemporary but not cheesy, eclectic, fun and quite accessible in spite of its crafty nature, Floating Underwater is an attractive modern-day gem of electronic music made out of fifteen mini tunes. A little sonic adventure capable of infusing uplifting vibes into the body. Make it the soundtrack of your nocturnal car ride, morning train ride, evening stroll, afternoon gathering outdoors or after party chill diving, either way, you’ll be uplifted. The CD and LP come with lovely artwork by Tanabe himself.
Floating Underwater is available on Ki.
