By now, the concept of the "parallel universe" probably rivals the theory of relativity as the best-known scientific/metaphysical concept of the 20th Century. It's spawned thousands of science fiction novels and films, countless stoned teenage conversations, and at least one awesome TV show starring Jerry O'Connell. The idea, of course, is that at any point in time, all available choices and possibilities are realized in an ever-blooming flower of multiverses. I mention it because, occasionally, I get the feeling that an album I'm listening to has arrived from one of these parallel existences-- that the artist has, at some point, departed from his or her peers to create music inspired by the same sources, but achieved through a parallel axis of logic. Unfortunately, these albums that fail to appeal to some sense of familiarity and categorization are easily overlooked, and only occasionally rescued from history's cruel used bin.
Susumu Yokota makes albums that increasingly worry the boundaries of IDM, ambient and sound collage. Yokota has come at abstract music from the origin of being a house DJ in his native Japan, meaning that his sensibilities are not always aligned with those who balk at the cheesy tropes of techno (warm synth tones playing major seventh chords, heavily reverbed female vocal samples, etc), yet too unconventional and complex for the trance crowd. Laputa is Yokota's most abstract and foreboding-sounding release yet. Almost entirely beatless, its pieces float quietly in and out of existence, operating according to their own logic and leaving the same faint, surreal impressions as dreams upon waking.
Initially, Laputa strikes as a sample-based version of Eno's Shutov Assembly or Aphex Twin's Ambient II. But this is not ambient music-- not in the sense that ambient is designed to integrate with its environment, that the musical events in an ambient piece occur randomly within defined parameters, nor in the club-oriented sense of the term. Playing this CD while you attempt to engage with the world around you will likely induce a state of unease, monotony, and (as I discovered) creep out any visitors who decide to stop by your place. It is an immensely subtle album that rewards attention, but to the half-listening ear is an aimless amalgamation of rhythmically incoherent samples.
As the record's proclamatory title suggests, Yokota attempts to create a world in itself. His aim is not to transform your external environment, but to form one in your head-- if Eno's Another Green World presents a universe not unlike our own, where they still have swimming little fishes and bouncy pop music, Laputa presents an abstract and entirely unfamiliar space.
As much as any electronic artist working today, Yokota is directly indebted to the minimalists of the 70s and 80s, even paying homage in the piece "Grey Piano", which takes as its musical cues from Arvo Part's piano work on "For Alina". He often employs the musical devices of minimalism, such as interlocking circular melodies and processes of slow transformation, and is especially adept at creating rhythms produced through the interaction of two evolving samples, as evidenced by the interlocking left and right channels of "Heart by Heart". Against various droney and spacious backdrops, Yokota presents independently floating and interacting bits of sound that suggest geometric patterns and shapes, such as the woman's voice at the beginning of "Trip Eden" that rises and reverses upon itself like a sleek symmetrical object.
Laputa does have a couple of lulls: "True Story", for example, owes a bit too much to the conventions of pastoral ambient. Which is a shame, because otherwise,Laputa is strikingly original. The album will certainly turn off those seeking instrumental music with direct emotional resonance, as Yokota's impact comes not from his manipulation of feelings, but from his musical transformation of space and time. It may also alienate fans of experimental music who equate complexity with dissonance. Laputa is the sound of Susumu Yokota letting go of any inhibitions regarding his definition as an artist. Hopefully, listeners will allow themselves the same level of freedom, as Laputa is a world that deserves tourists.
