Keita Sano - Keita Sano

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  • Part of what made Keita Sano's first few records so thrilling was that they were stylistically all over the place. Stuffed with dizzying levels of texture and energy, they swerved through house, techno, breakbeat and disco. This was especially true of last year's Holding New Cards for 1080p. Of that album, Jordan Rothlein wrote, "Perhaps these tracks foreshadow a more sober phase in Sano's music, where he settles down and hones his approach instead of trying every style that might suit him." For the most part, this prediction was right. Sano's kept busy since Holding New Cards came out last May: he's released 13 records (two LPs, 11 EPs), plus an RA podcast with 60 minutes of his own unreleased tunes. If Sano's increased focus can be felt anywhere, it's in the latter's fiery stream of house—his rich textures are still there, but the shapes they take are more groovy than incongruous. This is also what we get on his latest full-length, a self-titled collection of dance floor bangers for Prins Thomas's Rett | Fletta label. Combining techno, disco and acid, the seven tracks on Keita Sano present a sound that's equally playful and massive. Across the album, the kicks are laid on thick, the chords gleaming and the atmospheres colorful and raw. When Sano tilts things towards disco, the vibe is at its best. "Full Of Love" is a swell of big basslines and glittering drum rolls, its backdrop saturated by joyous synths. "Honey" is a slightly softer celebration, starting off with just an acid line, and then parading into a chunky, daytime disco affair. On "Sucker Pt. 2," things take on a stunning kind of glamour with pads that sweep over the track like spotlights. The album also shows Sano's wilder instincts. "On The Floor," perhaps the biggest track here, is a cranking mass of techno, but executed with warm sounds and a wacky sensibility. Less party-focused, "Vood" spends its first third in a beatless upwards spiral, and "Leave The Floor" fumbles around springing bass squelches. "None Of Your Business," a low-swinging house track, closes everything out with a shade of blue. Compared to Sano's earlier output, this album might feel lacking in impulsivity and surprise. But, then again, with some 50 or so tracks to his name, this producer has grown familiar. It should be no surprise that even Sano's musical "sober phase" isn't so sober at all.
  • Tracklist
      01. Full Of Love 02. Leave The Floor 03. Honey 04. On The Floor 05. Vood 06. Sucker Pt. 2 07. None Of Your Business
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