To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the death of Japanese artist Susumu Yokota and the 30th anniversary of Lo Recordings, the label has embarked on an ambitious and extensive reissue campaign of 14 of Yokota’s albums released between 1998 and 2012. Magic Thread, originally released on CD way back in 1998, is the first installment in the series, with four further albums coming this year, and another nine next year, all freshly remastered and pressed onto vinyl.
Yokota produced music that spanned multiple overlapping genres, including ambient, electronica and house, and Magic Thread is Yokota at his most stark and minimal. Each of the 11 tracks is built from just a handful of ingredients — sparse snatches of piano melody, vinyl crackle, a kick-drum pulse — that’s allowed to unfurl gradually in the vein of other artists such as Pole, Gas or The Sight Below. Listening to this music feels akin to peering into a pot of stock on the hob, Yokota gradually seasoning the mix as it simmers away. Most of the tracks stretch out to five or six minutes, giving Yokota ample time and space to wring the most out of his minimal ingredients before he moves on to the next idea.
The themes of circularity and connectivity run throughout the tracks, with titles including “Weave,” “Unravel,” “Circular,” and “Spool.” As the elements in each track loop round and round, the imagery that immediately springs to mind is of watching a reel-to-reel tape recording spinning, or a record on a turntable. Yokota had an uncanny knack of knowing when to allow tracks to evolve, and there’s a lot of weight placed on the importance of the juxtaposition between ominous, melancholy tones, and fleet-flooted, hopeful refrains.
Even though the next instalment in the series, Image 1983-1998, takes us back to the era immediately preceding this release, Magic Thread is a natural starting point to explore Yokota’s wondrous catalog. It feels foundational to a lot of what comes after, but is also a satisfying and hypnotic experience in its own right.
Magic Thread The last person who had tried to sneak into the Garden was buried alive by an Earthmage. Rumor has it one of his decaying fingers still reaches over the surface, desperately trying to claw his way to freedom. With that thought on my mind, why was I attempting to do the same? I didn’t have anything to lose, I suppose. There weren’t any guards in the Garden, which should have been odd.…
