seven

tigerbeat6 material has always been hit or miss with me. its distinct flavor of electronic music spiced up with general feel of lighthearted fun, goofiness and flashy glamour makes it more accessible to the audience that otherwise might have overlooked the electronic genre. com.a is probably the most successful recent pick for the label.

born in england, raised in new jersey and hong kong, age yoshida is currently residing in tokyo, japan. strictly speaking, it is his second full-length album, more "streamlined" (or dare I say, "serious"?) than its predecessor. initially both has been released on his own romz label.

his brand of recycled pop reminds me of sonic dragolgo, but com.a's approach is more tame, falling closer to another japanese artist nobukazu takemura. compared to the latter, com.a is a lot "jucier," more reckless in its composition, simply more fun.

com.a does not make any overly complicated social statements, he also does not pursue the kitsch glitter of hip-hop, but uses some of its elements in combination with overall upbeat feel to create the music that is incredibly energetic, powered by the bass-heavy broken breakbeats that would make any venetian snares fan content, and any gameboy electronics addict break a sweat in a matter of seconds. as for me, I could finally sigh with relief and let myself enjoy its unique combination of heaviness and well-natured goofiness without having to justify it with contrived pop art theories or cultural slumming.