24. Susumu Yokota- Symbol


Now that most ambient/electronic music has been downgraded to new age or elevator muzak, how can you as composer keep your compositions away from that woolly denominator? Susumu Yokota has been finding the answer in changing his style of music with virtually every album- from technobeats at the Grinning Cat to this album where he merges his ambient stylings up with less techno-like contemporary beats and classical samples which dominate the atmosphere- there's string parts looped up galore, mixed up with synths and the voice of Meredith Monk. But this is just more than an electronic artist pilfering the coffers of classical music and using classical tunes for easy listening purposes. For one- the samples aren't solely being used as source material but sometimes as rhythmic counterpoints to other melodies, And this ain't easy listening- it's quite absorbing at times but through the streams of loops, Yokota's piano, vocals and beats there's a warm, graceful attractive record that sounds esthetically ambient but admirably challenges at the same time.