Anchorsong - Ceremonial (2016)

'Ceremonial' is the second full album on Tru thoughts from much-feted electronic artist anchorsong – aka Tokyo-born, London based musician Masaaki Yoshida. The album brings a richly textured tapestry of outward-looking sounds, blending modern and retro music and treading new ground with tribal rhythms fitting in seamlessly with all the wizardry you would expect from a first class 21st century composer. The album continues the progression of 2014's incredibly well-received "Mawa" EP (BBE), on which this ever-curious musician first began to blend the minimalist, catchy melodic phrasing and attention-grabbing beats of his Tru Thoughts debut LP 'Chapters' with a newfound love for vintage African music. Influences from Orchestre Poly-Rythmo to Fela Kuti-style Afrobeat to bluesy High Life now hold sway, while Anchorsong retains the crisp production sensibility and deep, immersive arrangements that have always set his music apart and seen him gain praise and support from the likes of Huw Stephens, Gilles Peterson, Q Magazine and many others across the world. Globally recognised for his unique live shows, which many people have described as "like watching a painter drawing on a white canvas", Anchorsong was an early pioneer of the practice of creating electronic music completely live in front of the audience using a sampler (MPC2500) and a keyboard. While he mainly performs solo, he frequently augments this setup with a string quartet, for a truly spellbinding show.