- A sampling of Kiki Kudo's finest kitchen wave techno, compliments of the chef.
- It's hard to keep track of all the lives that Kiki Kudo has lived. She moved from Tokyo to New York in 2011 to work as a journalist after publishing two semi-academic books. Arriving in New York, she left writing behind as she immersed herself in the music and food scenes—producing and DJing while building a foodie following thanks to her bento boxes served in jars. Now primarily known as a chef, music still plays a prominent role in her career. Vogue once profiled an open-decks dinner party she hosted, and she's responsible for one of the strangest cooking videos I've ever seen.
When she does focus on music, there's something of a chef's touch to her arrangements. Take the standout from 2020's Workshop 28 compilation, "Grand Street Piano." The track centers a peak time rave piano line, but the rest of the soundscape challenges the palette with shadowy synths, broken drums and arrhythmic bass pulses. Her latest EP, for The Trilogy Tapes, only refines this careful balance. Like some of the world's most renowned (or controversial) cooks, Kudo combines elements that both provoke and satiate.
The A-side, "Plotline," starts out harsh with some blown-out kick drums, then mellows into hazy tech house thanks to the warm, buzzing synths and slightly swung percussion. But the track finishes with some heat with a dahs of 303 and detuned chords that sound like they're melting. The 14-minute flip is even more complex in its flavoring, as muffled chords blend beneath skittering, IDM-style percussion. Kudo hints at release with bright major key pads and bouncy synths, until she suddenly pitches them lower in the mix, like another aromatic disappearing into the base notes of a broth.
Kudo has described her music as "kitchen wave techno." You can hear it on Profile Eterna, and it's more than just about knowing her background in cooking. While both tracks are long and dense—the two-track EP clocks in at 27 minutes—there's a deliberateness to each sound she uses, every proportion perfect and complementary. It's also her most accomplished release to date, following a number of Bandcamp one-offs, digital EPs and even a 60-minute hardware jam for Good Morning Tapes. Her last full vinyl release, for Incienso in 2018, showcased a producer with a ton of great ideas, but those tracks felt like bite-sized portions of short-circuited techno. On Profile Eterna, she serves a full meal in two tracks.
Tracklist01. Plotlined
02. Space Planar