Kenji Tanaka – Wait – Intumi Records
Buy link: intumi.bandcamp.com/album/heavy-rain
With his EP ‘Heavy Rain’, Kenji Tanaka makes his debut on Intumi Records. All three tracks were created in one weekend and are therefore inextricably linked. However, the inspiration comes from weeks and months beforehand. The title is definitely to be understood as an emotional weather condition. Intangible feelings were expressed and processed using analog synthesizers and field recordings.
‘Heavy Rain’ is the first track on the eponymous EP – rain-like textures and lulling vocals are reminiscent of a fever dream. Heavy atmospheres suddenly change from deep despair to boundless optimism and back again. After a few minutes, there is finally a redeeming kick drum, and the mood changes from dystopian ambient to evolving techno.
‘Wait’ is techno with a simple but effective groove. Raw, steady, and loopy. The sweep synth that kicks intakes over the track and leaves no other focus. However, it does not stick to time signatures. The trip is complete once you have lost your bearings for the third time.
The third track, ‘What Are You Thinking’, is both confident and agitated. The melancholy of the first track echoes audibly, but the attitude is much clearer and promises some kind of healing. The EP ends as a question, its analog soundscape fading out a few minutes after the last drums have fallen silent.
The cover (acrylic on canvas) is hand-painted by Sacha Ketterlin and visually reflects the mood of the EP – fractured, disrupted structures, warm and cold at the same time.
Release date: February 7th, 2025.