Podcast 869: Altone

Altone is Yuki Takasaki, an emerging talent in dub techno. This is evidenced by his latest record, Invincible Nature, which landed on Echocord, the Kenneth Christiansen-helmed label that’s been at the forefront of the genre for more than two decades. (If that’s not enough to tempt you into a listen, it comes with remixes from Another Channel and Thomas Fehlmann, which opens eatures in this podcast.) Before he began releasing his distinctive twist on dub techno in 2018, Takasaki performed at numerous venues in Japan, touring Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto as a member of a post-punk band, and from there began exploring ambient and dub techno. Forest Land—his debut album, on Lithuania’s Greyscale, in 2020—captured some of his best work in these two genres. It’s a style of music he describes as “a mechanical yet universal and natural experience,” created by ‘random’ noise and warm looped soundscapes that can “swim through the deepest part of your consciousness.” For his XLR8R podcast, Takasaki has mixed some of his favorite dub techno tracks from the past six months with a couple of his favourites from the last. “I aim to showcase both the cutting edge of dub techno and its deep-rooted elements at the same time,” he says.

01. What have you been up to recently?
Aside from the release on Echocord, I’ve been working on several vinyl releases and remixes. Now that those have wrapped up, I’m focusing on producing new tracks. I’m incorporating production techniques that I haven’t used before, and while it can be tricky at times, it’s also an enjoyable process.

02. What have you been listening to?
Recently, I’ve been listening to 90s electro and some modern genres with a touch of jazz. I always find comfort in music that has roots, feels smoky, and is a bit noisy, both in terms of acoustics and genre. I also enjoy a wide variety of music, but I’ve found myself listening to Dawn of Midi again. Their 2013 album Dysnomia, released on Erased Tapes, has been on repeat for me. It’s truly amazing, offering a raw brilliance that shines through the music.

03. What is it that appeals to you about electronic music?
One key aspect is the loop. Despite being a continuous repetition of a few bars, I can feel the universe and nature within it. There’s a sense of freedom as a real-time art form within the constraints of the physical world. Though it might seem contradictory, when immersed in the loop, time expands, and I feel a boundless world. This is something unique that might not be present in music that focuses on melody or complex storytelling.

04. When and where did you record this mix?
I usually create my mixes at home in Tokyo, or sometimes in my office, which is just a regular business office. I often use only a PC. I want the freedom to create wherever I am. My ideal scenario is that I could be on a train, at a café, or having dinner at someone’s house, and if I open my PC, I can be in a one hundred percent creative environment.

05. What setup did you use?
Since I’m not a professional DJ, I used Ableton Live. I don’t use any other special equipment.

06. How did you choose the tracks you’ve included?
While dub techno is a relatively new genre, there are, of course, many legendary artists who deserve respect. However, I didn’t choose tracks from those artists. Instead, almost all the tracks I selected were released within the last six months to a year.

07. What’s next on your horizon?
Pursuing a music career from the Far East, solely through producing tracks, has been a challenging journey. However, receiving mix offers like this has been a true honor and brings me great joy. Speaking of releases, I recently achieved my dream of releasing on Echocord, a goal I’ve had since I was a teenager. Moving forward, I want to take my time and create freely, embarking on new challenges.

XLR8R Subscribers can download the podcast below. If you’re not an XLR8R subscriber, you can read more about it and subscribe here.

Tracklisting

01. Altone “Naturally Unnatural” (Naturally flowing Thomas Fehlmann Remix) (Echocord)
02. Grad U “Epsilion Eridani” (Pro-Tez)
03. Convextion “Kuiper” (Mojuba Records)
04. STAR_DUB “Voodub Outtake 3” (dbh-music)
05. Björn Petrikat “Game Over” (Lempuyang)
06. Noosa Sound System “A Long Commute Dub” (ODrex Music)
07. Mihai Popoviciu “Waitin’” (Dub) (Berg Audio)
08. Basicnoise “Reduxtion II” (Scale Limited)
09. Brendon Moeller “Traffic” (New Wipers mix) (third ear recordings)
10. Van Bonn & Upwellings “Cosmic Reef” (Van Bonn records)
11. Stillhead “Hibernate” (Mike Schommer Remix) [Primary Colours Music]
12. Steve O’Sullivan “Tribal Dub [Mosaic Records]
13. Matt Thibideau “Subduction” (Kontakt Records)

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