- A moody house heater from one of Japan's most dedicated students of the genre.
- Keita Sano is an absurdly prolific producer. This year alone, he's put out new music almost every month, often multiple records in a span of weeks—and each one lives up to his high standard of experimental yet groove-focused house and techno. Based in the western Japanese city of Okayama after a stint in Berlin, he can make 12-minute beat odysseys that move from ambient techno to thrashing drums ("Half Pizza"), off-kilter dubsteppy dancehall ("Fat Riddim"), rousing house (look no further than his RA Podcast) and austere dub techno ("001").
His latest EP, Love Is Emotion, is heavy on acid house and wonky nu-disco, with plenty of twisted FX, flammable basslines and psychedelic textures that push both genres into decidedly darker territory. Out of the four tracks, one bucks this trend. "Violet" is a leisurely house track built around a syncopated bassline that snakes around floaty chords and poignant piano notes. This low-slung heater focuses on atmosphere and mood rather than hands-in-the-air moments—more proof of the Japanese talent's deep range.