Japanese track-maker Makoto Nagata is a relative newcomer in the world of electronic music, having just released three singles this year before the latest collection - an eight tracker titled ‘Immersion’ in December.
Not that you would notice this by listening to his work though which spans the worlds of IDM, future garage, ambient, and downtempo - flitting between them with aplomb. Different moments on the record could quickly draw favourable comparisons with the likes of Jamie XX, Burial and Brian Eno - clearly Nagata is taking his musical cues from some top-drawer electronic icons.
There are some real sonic pleasures on display throughout, but the pièce de résistance of this offering is nestled right in the middle of the collection and goes by the apt title: “Depth”.
It’s an unashamedly bustling track, where emotive breath noises and sound design elements circulate between floating Rhodes, dance beats, and driving bass lines in an elegant sound that is reminiscent of the early dance forays of Four tet. Around the mid way point a throbbing bass synth takes centre-stage before a steady rise brings the main themes back in once more with some pitched vocal snaps that could easily have been straight out of the Kieran Hebden playbook.
It’s an enjoyable listen that shows more than a touch of personality from the producer - balancing sensory stimulus and fun, expertly crammed into a smart package of just over three minutes.
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