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Album Review: Resonance
Takashi Suzuki
Cover image of the album Resonance by Takashi Suzuki
Resonance
Takashi Suzuki
2011 / Calm Radio
58 minutes
Review by Kathy Parsons
Resonance is the debut recording by Takashi Suzuki, an artist working in a variety of art forms. Suzuki began his career as an architect when a chance meeting turned him in the direction of fine arts. He studied sculpture in London and continued on at the Chelsea School of Art and Design as a teacher. He continued working in the visual arts, with exhibitions of his work shown throughout Europe and in his native Japan where he now resides.

A few years ago, Suzuki revisited some of the music he had composed in his youth and decided to re-record it in order to preserve it. The process re-ignited his interest in making music, but this time he wanted to use the latest technologies in electronic music. Late last year, Suzuki sent a demo track to Eric Harry at Calm Radio, who received it enthusiastically and put it into rotation on his radio programs. This gave Suzuki the encouragement he needed to create a full album. The results are the ten-track Resonance, with Suzuki’s painting, “Resonance in Blue,” serving as the album’s artwork. “Resonance in Blue” is also the title of each track plus a number (1-10) to keep the music in chronological order. While the music was being composed, each new track was started only after the previous one was completed, creating the continuity of a single major work. The music itself is dreamy, ambient, and incredibly relaxing. Some of it is reminiscent of early space music, but with updated musical tools and sensibilities. The depth and quality of the sound are amazing for a debut, and the music is perfect for massage and healing arts as well as for unwinding and letting go of the cares of the day.

Since the overall effect of the album is of one long piece, describing each track is rather pointless. The music was created with sampled orchestrations and synth washes to create the feeling of vast open space and of floating. Ethereal voices enhance the peaceful mood as do occasional subtle rhythms and bits of melody. Suzuki’s music is often compared to Chuck Wild’s Liquid Mind series, and I would also favorably compare it to Frederic Delarue’s angelic reveries. I would warn you to not try to wake up to Resonance, however - I tried it and slept through the whole CD without even stirring! It is available from Amazon, iTunes, and CD Baby. Check it out!
July 18, 2011
This review has been tagged as:
Debut Albums
More reviews of Takashi Suzuki albums
Cover image of the album Cycle by Takashi Suzuki
2012
Cover image of the album Voyage by Takashi Suzuki
2013
Cover image of the album Resonance by Takashi Suzuki
2011
Review by Michael Debbage
Debut Albums