SOSHI TAKEDA Vinyl & CDs

Review: Soshi Takeda's Secret Communication marks a stunning return for the Tokyo-based deep house producer, offering a richly textured sequel to 2021's Floating Mountains. Across six new tracks, Takeda continues to push the boundaries of his atmospheric, emotive style, blending the sonic aesthetics of 80s and 90s hardware with a fresh, contemporary vision. Recorded in his home studio throughout 2022 and 2023, the album floats through a dreamy haze of lush pads, rolling basslines, and shimmering piano touches. Inspired by both personal highs and lowsiwar breaking out and the birth of his childiTakeda channels these emotions into a deeply moving collection. Tracks like 'Can Imagination Transcend Distance?' capture wistful daydreams, while 'Rainstorm' glides effortlessly through a starlit soundscape. The title track is a bittersweet farewell, soaked in melody and lingering resonance. What makes Secret Communication so compelling is its ability to evoke a sense of placeian invitation to escape the grey hum of city life and get lost in Takeda's intricate, otherworldly landscapes. His music doesn't just move your feet; it transports you to inner worlds, evoking vivid, nostalgic moments that seem just out of reach. It's music for the dreamers.

Review: Renowned for the immersive nature of his sunset-ready blends of ambient, Balearic, deep house and new age sounds, Soshi Takeda is best-known for Floating Mountains, his cassette-and-digital only 2021 album on 100% Silk. Soon, it may be this mini-album - his first outing on Studio Mule - that people cite as the Japense producer's best work. Rich in colourful 1980s new-age synths and sparse drum machine sounds, twinkling piano solos, and oodles of enveloping ambient textures, the six tracks on show draw some inspiration from Japanese ambient pioneers (Midori Takada especially) and contemporary crews (Coastlines in particular) while delivering a distinctive musical voice. Inspired stuff all told.