When legendary hip-hop DJ/producer DJ Krush performed traditional Japanese court music known as gagaku at last year’s Red Bull Music Academy Tokyo, little did the turntable icon know that one of the Academy’s attendees, the Tokyo-based Japanese electronic music producer Shintaro Haioka, was working along similar creative lines.
Like Krush, Haioka sees endless musical possibilities in fusing contemporary sounds — synths, drum machines and vocals) with traditional Japanese instrumentation. The result of his exploits can be heard on his elegant full-length debut, From Ash Hill, which finds the Red Bull Music Academy alum blending a variety of sounds and sonic textures.
Haioka’s full-length arrives after a series of EPs for the forward-thinking Berlin-based label Emerald & Doreen, and it’s certainly not one to miss.
Listen to the exclusive world premiere of From Ash Hill in its entirety below.
Haioka’s From Ash Hill is released May 29 on Emerald & Doreen.