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artist.....: Ena
album......: Binaural
year.......: 2014
label......: Samurai Horo
SMGHOROCD01D
source.....: CDDA
moodswing..: Drum & Bass
releasesize: 204.22 MB
tracks.....: cd1: 14 / cd2: 01
length.....: 122:04
encoder....: VBR LAME 3.98.4 -v0
quality....: avg. 232kbps
scenealized: 03.30.2015
Since its inception in 2011, Samurai
off-shoot Samurai Horo has become one
of the most interesting labels within
the vague parameters of drum & bass. So
far they've released experimental 170
BPM music almost exclusively on two- to
four-track vinyl EPs (one notable
exception being last year's Scope
compilation), but I'd been yearning to
hear an artist album from them for some
time. ENA is the perfect choice for
such a landmark release. The Tokyo-
based producer has been deconstructing
and rebuilding drum & bass since 2008,
although it wasn't until last year that
he released his debut solo album,
Bilateral. While that record strayed
from the genre he'd previously been
associated with, 2014 saw him take a
renewed interest in the drum & bass
template.
Anyone familiar with ENA will know his
fondness for found sounds. That organic
quality is present throughout Binaural.
The opener "Dast" begins with what
sounds like an alarm, interrupted by
surreal swells of feedback. By the time
"Pressed" comes around, the album feels
like a nightmarish insect slowly
rousing, each tight percussive roll a
flicker of hundreds of spindly legs.
When more obviously synthetic sounds
rise to the surface, they're used
subtly and sparingly. The soft keys of
"Antenna" provide a pleasant interlude,
while the occasional ebb of a bassline
on "Chemically" helps create something
resembling dance music, though it's
still hard to imagine it in a club
environment.
The CD/digital tracks alone would have
made for a near perfect full-length for
Samurai Horo, but sticking to what
feels like a core part of their ethos,
the vinyl release is a different beast
entirely. On songs such as "Back Cover"
and "Fifth Resonance," the skeleton of
drum & bass is more clearly displayed,
though the general ambience remains the
same. The digital version feels a
little more coherent and considered,
but if you enjoy one you'll surely
enjoy the other. Binaural breaks new
ground for what was already an
impressive label.
psst, more info at samuraimusicgroup.com
CD1
01 Dast 04:45
02 Absorption 2 04:47
03 Reconnoiter 05:02
04 Chemically 05:41
05 Sneaking 05:43
06 Pressed 04:59
07 City Lights 05:08
08 Faction 03:42
09 Out Of Nothing 06:08
10 Antenna 05:06
11 Nerve Fiber 05:44
12 Lapslap 04:27
13 Recapitulate 06:13
14 Hygrophobia 04:13
CD2
01 Binaural Live 50:26