Ryonkt ~ Troposphere

After a blur of releases from 2007-2010, Ryo Nakata all but dropped off the radar.  Troposphere is his confident comeback.  This Japanese drone artist, computer and guitar in tow, has produced a flowing series of robe-like tones that oscillate, retreat and return.  While brass and organ do not appear, their timbres are present: an aural illusion akin to the blending of elements in a Long Island Iced Tea (plenty of ingredients, none of them tea).  When listening to the album’s finest track, “Troposphere One”, one can also imagine a string quartet.  This tonal experimentation is a hallmark of Ryonkt‘s work; on the surface, each track is one long note, but nothing could be farther from the truth.  Strange shapes are moving beneath: a chord beneath a chord, a note beneath a note.

Neither harsh nor placid, the album retains a near universal volume.  If any criticism is to be made, it is that the set suffers from a lack of dynamic contrast; the tracks are mastered clearly and loudly, but tend to launch and recede within a matter of seconds.  No sudden moves are made as the sounds travel within their respective geographies.  If some of these elements were brought to the fore – if, for example, a track were allowed to build from silence or shed its clothes for a spell, each layer could be appreciated all the more.  Yet those who prefer the sustained to the segmented are likely to bask in Troposphere‘s regal appeal.  (Richard Allen)

Available here