DiN prides itself on its experimental nature, and so
Tetsu Inoue handed the label
Yolo, his ninth solo album and his debut for DiN, and his most radical to date. It's a set awash in subtle nuances and incredibly precise details, a pastiche of sonic fragments that the artist swiftly coalesces into intense aural vistas. It's also a complex album, with only the faintest wisps of occasional melody for listeners to grab hold of, and no rhythms to really speak of, which make the set challenging for the more mainstream ambient fan. However, there's certainly an ebb and flow to the set, and a serenity that encourages one to lose oneself in the textures and atmospheres within. But
Inoue doesn't want the listener's mind to wander away, and thus there are disorientating sounds within as well. "Remote" rumbles with a fuzzy drone, and "Particular Moments" has a deliberate fuzziness as well, as well as fizzing and crackles. "Spirit of Data" is so fuzzy in spots one is tempted to check one's CD and player for dust, at times the sound even skipped too, like a well-loved vinyl record. Even more experimental is the album opener, "Tane," created almost exclusively from fragments of sounds and effects that
Inoue miraculously pulls together into a coherent piece. Harmonics seem to be the focus of "S Equation," which reaches a dramatic apotheosis on "Sour Cloud," while "Super Nature" slithers into foreboding. From myriad small threads,
Inoue weaves together an aural tapestry of great beauty, the patterns may be difficult to initially perceive, but his weave is tight, and the feel of the album a web of interconnecting effects, sounds, and moods. ~ Jo-Ann Greene