Anchorsong At Juno Download

Review: Available as a special Juno Download exclusive release, Brighton label Tru Thoughts release the debut of Tokyo-born multi-instrumentalist Anchorsong. Having supported Prefuse 73, Daedelus, Gonjasufi, Jaga Jazzist and DJ Krush among others, Anchorsong steps up with an impressive array of ideas and an eclectic approach to sound - check the tight funk drums of "At The Hyatt", the soulful Rhodes bounce of "Darkrum", the orchestral sweep of "Plum Race" or the jumbled, Dilla-esque swagger of "Ornaments" to see what we mean.

Review: Anchorsong is electronic production whizz Masaaki Yoshida, who recently relocated to London from his native Tokyo. Although known for his remarkable live sets in which he assembles music from scratch, here we have the more traditional pre-recorded version of his sound. Title track "Darkrum" is a perky, jazzy number evoking reminiscent of American early 80s TV themes such as Benson, all set to funk bassline and a 4/4 beat. Throwing Snow's remix is a punishing banger best described as sounding like drum n bass performed by a live band. Kidkanevil on the other hand, delivers a haunting, arpeggiated bleep-out of a remix that dances on that fine line where hip hop and say, witch house occasionally meet. B-Side "Hit The Bottom" sees Yoshida explore moodier territory where laid-back nu-disco flowers into a stunning piano and brass crescendo.