Japanese beatsmith and RBMA graduate Yosi Horikawa got his big break in 2013 with his debut album ‘Vapor’. The release defied stylistic boxing with its mix of different contemporary music styles. Now, from its immense popularity comes the first official EP of ‘Vapor’ remixes. Including reworks by Yosi’s friends Daisuke Tanabe, kidkanevil and Fulgeance, plus an original track by kidkanevil directly inspired by Yosi’s style, the EP offers an insight into how Yosi’s compositional methods are interpreted by his contemporaries.
« RBMA graduate Yosi Horikawa returns to First Word with a selection of remixes of his 2013 album Vapor. The Chiba-based sound designer and producer has built a loyal following with praise and support from Benji B, Gilles Peterson, and DJ Food for his releases on both FW and Eklektik Records. Vapor solidified his unique sound, weaving together diverse sample sources, rhythms and melodies into something that defies stylistic boxing and invites you to just get lost in the music. Echoes of dance music, hip hop and musique concrete can all be found amid the sounds of nature and everyday life that underpin the grooves of the music.
For this remix project he’s enlisted close friends Daisuke Tanabe, kidkanevil and Fulgeance to add their own styles to the enigmatic producer’s work. Daisuke Tanabe adds a subtle groove and synth melodies to ‘Kingdom Of Frogs’, keeping the spirit of the original whilst effortlessly making it his own. His Kidsuke collaborator kidkanevil tackles lead single ‘Stars’ with his trademark beats and bleeps taking the sublime sounds of the original into more delicate territory. Lastly Souleance / Musique Large boss Fulgeance gives a signature lo-club disco bump to ‘Beer’ that is sure to find favour on the more leftfield dance floors this autumn. »