T-Atoms' music highlight:: Astrolabe

Astrolabe, Astrolabe, Astrolabe...

Wow...

That is all I can say when I hear his music!

This is what I want to hear when I hear house music from Japan! His sound to me is VERY Japan. I think of Japan when I hear his music. Not Europe, the US, or anywhere else, JUST Japan! As a Japanese artist, he has hit the nail on the head with his production skills!

Why do I describe his music as VERY Japan? His samples! Yes a REALLY good producer can place some samples in the right place and make people dance and nod (or both), but it is his choice of samples! He samples old Japanese songs and tunes, and if you are at all familiar with any old Japanese media of any kind, the tunes will sound very familiar to you, even if you never heard of them before!

His first song I heard from him, was A Trial Run. This song was an INSTANT SORer (Stuck on Repeat...er). I think I had this on repeat for a day straight, and lots of free time to listen to it. I am listening to it while I type this and still bobbing my head! The sample he uses for the vocal is simple yet brilliant! Even my girlfriend who isn't into dance music at all can be found bouncing around the room chanting "Get Ready, get ready, get ready, get ready..." and that is a sign of a hit! Hmmm, I will need to put this on repeat again now...

His next song I heard was FLAG. Damnit, that sax sample is sexy as hell isn't it? The steady drum beat, mixed with that sax sample and the filtered vocal samples, combine for a marriage of awesome that only Astrolabe can pull off! Very danceable tune like A Trial Run, but 100% unique as far as I am concerned. Nothing else like it!

Next was BASE 5-2. Another Astrolabe classic in the making! He goes crazy with the samples yet again, and it works up into a very nice frency of vocals and drums and gets you into that groove that only a good song can bring to you! Cool relaxing breakdown near the end that gives you a chance to catch your breath! The eery strings add a nice touch too!

The next song, is the last one I have from him, and it is called This Emergency. Again, another strong sample used here, that becomes instantly infectious once you hear it. He really knows how to choose them, doesn't he? This song is definitely one of my favorites from Astrolabe!

Check out his MySpace page for some songs I have yet to receive mp3s for, and I will upload them if I ever get my hand on them so you can SOR them!

By the way check out his new songs Meteoroid and Cultivation Room! These two songs would be tied with A Trial Run for amount of times played if I had the MP3s! I LOVE these songs!!!

I would also like to thank Astrolabe for giving me some advice and a look into his production process through MySpace. He also let me know about a great event happening in Tokyo in October that I WONT miss, to go see Mr. Oizo DJ live. Hey I may get to meet Astrolabe in the flesh too!