MOSKITOO - DRAPE (CD)

"12k kicks off its 11th year with a new release that takes the label down new sonic pathways. Caught between the organic and electronic minimalism that 12k is known for and the unconventional Japanese pop musings and songwriting style of Happy, Moskitoo's Drape is an infectously strange, bleepy, and dreamy debut release. Sanae Yamasaki (Moskitoo) hails from Sappporo, Japan in Hokkaido, the country's northern-most prefecture. Perhaps a reaction to the cool climate of her home, her multi-instrumental talents bring a wide range of warm tones and textures to Drape by means of guitar, metallophone, organ, drum machines, synthesizers and nostalgic toy instruments. Yamasaki's gentle, airy vocals play off of broken beats and aqueous sound drops evoking half-awake memories lost and found. Influenced by visual art (she painted the cover image), modern electronic music and abstract pop, such as Eno's explorations in the 1970's, Yamasaki does not set out to write a particular style of music, but rather, lets her creative process emerge naturally, following whims and experiments.Drape is, by far, the most structured and songwritten release on 12k to date. It's a release that signifies not a complete directional change for the label but the creative go-ahead to add new nuances to the already established sound that the label has pioneered." (label info)