Published
Thu, Aug 19, 2021, 16:35
- Two years in the making, the ten-track LP finally arrives next month.
Tokyo-based producer Prettybwoy explores identity and uncertainty on his debut album, Tayutau.
Arriving September 17th via SVBKVLT, a label that he's been part of since 2016, the new record comprises ten tracks of experimental garage, techno and ambient with artwork by Wang Jingxin. There are also guest appearances from Primula and IIII. It'll be followed by a separate EP of remixes, details of which have yet to be revealed.
Made over the last two years, Tayutau was delayed several times due to burnt hard drives, job losses and pandemic-fuelled anxiety. "Too many things have changed since starting to make this album, and I think that is reflected in the production," Prettybwoy described in a statement. "The album can be split into three parts—tracks I made before the pandemic when things felt stable, tracks made during lockdown in isolation, and tracks made during the cautious and conflicted opening up and the lead-up to the Olympics. There has been so much confusion and changes back and forth, but I want to have hope and try to keep focused, which at times hasn't been easy."
Those emotions are reflected in the LP's title. Tayutau, a Japanese term used in literature, refers to a state of indecisiveness. "To lose determination or purpose, often temporarily, or to drift or sway to and fro," as the label describes it.
The album also probes the question of national identity and geography. "This is a trip in search of my new identity, or maybe to understand my current one," Prettybwoy said. "I am Japanese, living in Japan, but my music is only released by labels from other countries. I am a member of SVBKVLT (China) and also POLAAR (France), but where or who am I in Japan?’
Prettybwoy's most recent release on SVBKVLT is the single "Centrifugal" for the 2020 compilation, Cache 02. His latest output on POLAAR includes a remix on the 2019 compilation Territoires Vol. 2, as well as his Parallel Lives EP from 2018.
Listen to "Destination feat. IIII" off Tayutau.
Tracklist
01. Destination feat. IIII
02. Genetic Dance II
03. Mikoshi
04. IslanD
05. Jeopardy feat. Primula
06. Isol
07. SLT
08. Rat's Talk feat. IIII
09. Brontides
10. Ó‹(Tear)
SVBKVLT will release Tayutau on September 17th, 2021.
Photo credit: Takahasi
