Search - Satoshi Tomiie :: Renaissance Masters Series 9: Satoshi Tomiie

Fancy a game of chess?

LexAffection | Philadelphia, PA USA | 03/22/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The last several installments of Renaissance's "Master's Series" have shown a remarkable trend in "progressive" styles; Dave Seaman's electro-house production took long-time fans by surprise, and Sandy Rivera's Renaissance debut resembled Sharam's vocal-house that, when released by Renaissance, seems to come out of left field. Satoshi Tomiie continues forging the treacherous path towards dance music of the future with what is perhaps the most complex and engaging "Masters" release since Hernan Cattaneo's Volume 2; from the very beginning, Satoshi is dropping hints that this is no ordinary progressive mix and is a far cry from a return to the darker tribal trance that made NuBreed 006 the biggest success of his recent career. Satoshi utilizes instead a smooth, sensual and cerebral progression of excellent tracks that is quite unlike anything I have heard before - both from Satoshi himself and the EDM community as an entity.



On the first disc, Satoshi displays the type of mechanical precision found in car assembly lines; the product, however, is far less stable; what this really means is that the style is less predictable and therefore more exciting. "Farra" begins very slowly with xylophonic chords - giving the introduction to this disc a spacious atmosphere. As a result I always find myself in a complacent headspace that is soon shattered as the music unfolds. The feather-light sounds that weave over and under the melody effortlessly capture and calm the ear - until, that is, a wickedly cool and funky bass-driven groove gives "Air Moves" and "Don't Push It" the collective momentum needed to propel the first mix closer to its peak. The cool and delicate atmospheric consistency never gives way to anything too overpowering. Interrupting (and it is hardly a rude one!) the ambience is "Darkroomboot" by Opus Ink, an alias representing the collaborative efforts of Satoshi himself with the rapidly-rising European duo Audiofly. The tempo quickens, the melody gains definition, and the rest of the album explodes with a restrained energy that I found to be decadently suitable for cocktails and good conversation prior to entering thunderous dance floors. Arguably the sickest beat on the first mix appears in "So That's What Happens", which is surrounded by electro-robotic harmony. The beat is momentarily interrupted by silence, save the churning of electric turbines; it returns, seconds later, with the same latent ferocity as before. The timbre of DJ Yellow & King Britt's "Alienation 3/Beyond the Forest" reflects the track title so well. Haunting synths cascade over a cooler and slower foundation and remind me of the feeling one would experience if one were to gaze upwards in the center of an unknown forest, touched simultaneously by fear and spiritual awe. And how fitting it is that Jim Rivers' "I Go Deep" follows! Its deep and eclectic rhythm flows like water in a brook, slowly removing one's head from the forest and placing it, gently, back into the pre-club environment. "Praise" and "Aura" end the first disc with an upbeat, mid-tempo jazziness that is quite enjoyable.



Satoshi breaks disc two down immediately, hinting at the raw energy-to-come with the uniquely staccato "chopstick" percussion of Thugf*cker's "Ahh", later dropping into a hard bass drum. I will admit that I'm not crazy about the admittedly creepy male spoken-word vocals in "I Need", but they are quickly and quietly overlooked as the cowbell-driven pace of Matt O'Brien's increasingly popular "Serotone" kick in neatly alongside the first identifiably "dark" grooves of any track mixed on either disc. It would be wise to heed the title "Lose Control", because from this point onwards the aural journey becomes bumpier, wilder and more "Satoshi" than has been shown on the album thus far. I felt that the upbeat and bouncy atmosphere shoots like an arrow straight through the heart of the second disc. The next several tracks continue the cerebral-dance theme, and "Moods" drops a particularly body-moving rhythm that warrants mention. The peak of disc two is reached with a great pairing of tracks by Satoshi; in this case, D'Julz's "Flick It" (Original Mix) and Guy Gerber & Patrik K's "Sleeping in the Bass Box". I think the combination works perfectly; the smooth and respectable build up of "Flick It"s electro-energy erupts with a mean bass line that drives the melody as much as acting as a segue between "Flick It" and "Sleeping in the Bass Box". Take note of the latter title, because that's precisely the impression this track left me feeling I'd experienced. "Cropduster" and "Driven" polish off this fine piece of work, and end disc two with a far better fade-out than was given on disc one, where "Aura" seems to arbitrarily disappear.



The complexity of Satoshi Tomiie's latest (and, dare I say, greatest?) achievement is hard to swallow at first. Only after four sessions of listening to both discs straight through was I able to realize the insight Satoshi projects. I would have to say that this album is tied for my favorite amongst the "Masters" series with Cattaneo's Part 5. Satoshi Tomiie manages to create the most outstanding aural chess match I have ever heard - and although it is Satoshi who moves the pieces, it is the listener who ultimately wins the match.



~Lex"

Technologically a Masterpiece But With Average Track Selecti

CloudMan | Vancouver, BC | 06/11/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Well as much as everyone loves to complain when they spend their hard earn dollars for an album that far from meets their expectations, I had to cringe at the some of the reviews already posted. Top notch DJ's will continually evolve. Sampling and experimenting with new sytles and trends. Those that don't fade away like Paul Oakenfold or get stuck in a mundane genre like Tiesto and his other Eurotrance commrads.



In regards to Satoshi Tomiie being a "progressive" or "soulful chicago" house DJ...I'm not sure what planet you guys are on, but Tommiie has been predomininantly electrohouse since 2003/2004! Both live and commercial.



Ok enough of that. In regards to The Masters Series part 9. I do have to agree that it falls short of what I consider a Master's set. The mixing, editting and track layout are all as good as it gets. Where both discs fall short for me are [once again] in the tracks themselves.



Disc 1 starts off with my personal favorite of the set, "Farra" by Ripperton, but after the opener, I could not give any of the remaining tracks a higher than mediocre rating. The set flows like silk, but not after track 1 was I really pulled back into the set and held there. A nice disc to be playing in the background on a lazy sunday afternoon or a late drive back from work.



Disc 2 follows the same theme as disc 1 in regards to selecting tracks that sound very similar. Making for another even sounding set. However, the tracks are much more gritty and involving. The first 4 tracks are OK with the acception of "I Need" by Marc Romboy Vs. Robert Owens. In my opinion, the album's worst track. The set gets interesting with the trio, "It's Your Time" by Planet Funk, "Moods" by Shlomi Aber, and "Celofans" by Pabo Akaros. If the set would have featured a few more stellar tracks such as the last couple, "Crop Duster" by Shlomi Aber and "Driven" by Estroe it would have scored much higher in my books.



Disc 1 gets 3/5 stars, and disc 2, 3.5/5 stars.



"

What Happens When Music Listens To You

Mark Eremite | Seoul, South Korea | 11/19/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Not all of my friends understand my taste in music. Specifically, they don't "get" electronic music. "What is this?" one friend asked. "It sounds like a computer is puking on a bass line."



Most genres aren't that hard to pigeonhole. Pop and rock, punk and jazz -- there are staples, chords, and tones to them that are instantly recognizable. It really isn't TOO difficult to separate the bad from the good in most cases, although, of course, there's no accounting for tastes.



What makes electronic music so hard to talk about (and review) is its constellation of goals and permutations. There are those who want something to dance to, or something to lounge to, to meditate to, drive to, to soak some bedsheets to. The best gauge of electronic music, in that sense, is anything that accomplishes what you want it to. Which is why well crafted sets like this one can still let you down. It's also why this "genre" is more and more the kind of music you must probe. If you don't want to think about or really experience the songs, if all you want is some back beats and synth, there are plenty of cheesy trance/chillout/dance albums out there to choose from. Those guys are McDonald's. This stuff, however, is filet mignon.



Tomiie is one of those "forest for the trees" DJs. He is a meticulous mixer (see James Holden for someone with the same obssession with fine-tuning). Instead of trying to cull together a Grand Scheme Set, Tomiie focuses on the details, on the microscopic merge of harmonies and sounds. On the one hand, its some masterful spinning. On the other hand, you might find it boring.



Take Disc One. It builds nicely into spacious lounge territory, accruing a smooth-malt finish up to and through Phonogenic's "Air Moves." When the original version of Jimpster's "Don't Push It" plays, the over-arching tone is of a cruise ship at dawn, an expansive and harmless lackadaisical lilt. Tomiie uses "Welcome To Zion" (an equally expansive and harmless cut by King Roc) to add a brilliant dose of menace. Suddenly, with the onset of Vernon's "Don't Be Lonely," you find yourself out of the lounge-scape and into darker deep house territory. The transition is sweet and seemless. What once was placid now thrums with ripples, and then waves, and then frothing peaks and troughs. He winds it all down with the Jimpster redo of Motorcitysoul's "Aura," a cut that feels abortive but which is standard for sets of this size. After all, that CD can't last forever.



There's a moment in Disc One where I think Tomiie falters. It comes in the last third of "So That's What Happens" (by Herlihy & Torrance). It's one of those sections that usually comes right before the DJ amps the rpms up a notch, a quick pause in the sonics that preambles the big explosive climax. But this set doesn't really have any big explosive climaxes, and so the pause sucks some of the life out of the line-up.



Disc Two, however.



You can tell when "Ahh" and "I Need" unspool that Tomiie is testing dirtier and grittier territory. Minimal techno tin-beats multiply rapidly over the accelerating bass line. Accompanying this progression are some beautifully restrained versions of De Sardi's "Lose Control" and Planet Funk's "It's Your Time." Shlomi Aber's "Moods" takes a weird and unexpected trance turn that, while not unpleasant, is still distracting. But Tomiie remembers where he's going after that and ratchets up the creepiness with "Celofans," "Sleeping in the Bass Box," and "Crop Duster." Talk about climax. In those last two numbers, Tomiie whips the rhythm into muzzled frenetics, makes it growl and snarl, but keeps it from biting, finally sedating wonderfully with Estroe's "Driven."



If you're playing this at home and all you're hearing are a mish-mash of electronic noises over a repetitive bass line, I suggest you put on the headphones and sit still for a bit. This isn't the best album I've heard from Renaissance, but it certainly has more to offer than you'll find in most crowded, slop-happy clubs. Sometimes the best thing about this music isn't the massive cuts that get you bumping. More and more it's about the nuances, the spices, the subtleties that tickle the soul. If you're not the kind of person who cares about nuances in music, I understand your position and would direct you to the Ultra Dance albums and their ilk. Otherwise, all I have to say is, maybe you're just not listening hard enough."