Sunday, December 13, 2009

Magical Power Mako


Aside from having one of the best names ever, Makoto Kurita's Magical Power Mako project is an underground staple in Japanese psych/avant garde.
Kurita left primary school to fulfill his musical itch, beginning to experiment with synths and integrated samples/field recordings. His house overlooked a hot springs and an octagonal hotel, which Kurita believed was watching him while he worked; spurring his first release at 14 -- 'Summer 1970: Things a 14-year-old boy thinks about' (if you're curious, the opening song was called "I Bought An Extraordinarily Big Eye In The Town One Day For A Good Bargain Price")

He recorded almost constantly afterward, but his perfectionist nature led to many tapes never seeing the light of day. This guarded behavior caused minor issues with record labels, but ultimately his debut 'Magical Power', followed particularly by 'Super Record', cemented Kurita as one of the exciting and inventive artists in the Japanese underground.

Kurita is still releasing work today (scattershot nature has swayed more toward tranquil ambient works
), while work from his earlier catalog is still being unearthed and appreciated by experimental mavens alike.

Maybe not the kind of records you'll put on in groups, unless you're trippin on smarties candies or something -- but both albums are just great examples of creative introspection done right. Both cover a lot of ground but still manage to feel linked in their progression.
Def give these a try.



Magical Power [1973]
+++++++++++




Super Record [1975]
+++++++++++
mind the graves



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