- Kohei Matsunaga is an unpredictable but rarely disappointing artist. He's made music since the early '90s, and in that time has collaborated with the likes of Merzbow, Sensational, Mika Vainio and Autechre's Sean Booth. More recently, the Japanese artist has released with the likes of PAN, making vibrant, retro-tinged rave on his own and more experimental computer music with Toshio Munehiro as NHK. Doom Steppy Reverb, Matsunaga's first album for Diagonal, was preceded by a run of experimental techno singles, all sporting numerical track titles and dark dance floor fare.
Regardless of the alias he's working with, Matsunaga tends to hit his stride when decorum and anarchy rub against each other, especially when it's done subtly. Doom Steppy Reverb has that quality in spades. Take that rambunctious kick in "1089s"—if it feels overly angular at first, a few minutes later it's irreplaceable. Then there's "1038 Lo Oct Short" and its slight double-step, sounding like a fumble that Matsunaga takes command of. The syncopated "1073+Snare" evolves into a dilapidated breakbeat with a number of screws lovingly loosened.
Doom Steppy Reverb doesn't diverge much from its range of sombre and sullen techno parameters. Thankfully, zoning out on the details reveals a feast of quirks. The tracks are playful, even if they're disguised as something straight-laced and functional. Considered alongside the cartoony artwork and the thought of Matsunaga performing live in his 3D specs, it's hard to take this music too seriously. Doom Steppy Reverb isn't the most outlandish NHK yx Koyxen record, nor the most technical or especially colorful. It's somewhere in between those things: unassumingly cool, a little nerdy and loads of fun.
Tracklist01. 1073+Snare
02. 1089s
03. 1038 Lo Oct Short
04. Y
05. 1048
06. 1082 S
07. L
08. 1070s
09. 1759+