osaka

ANMA – Osaka // Zenevloed.nl

15 outstanding releases of June and July

Austria based Syncopathic Recordings released Osaka past June, produced by the label founder ANMA (Andreas Mangweth) inspired by travels to the Japanese city. Consisting out of six noisy escapades, the tape brings forth a pleasurable minimalism for true audiophiles. Spotty, grainy, dusty with a soulful piano leading the way.

ANMA – Osaka // Toneshift.net Review

“Minimalist big”

Here is another cassette orgasm! Andreas Mangweth, aka ANMA, is a composer, electronic music producer and double bass player, hailing from Austria.

Well this generally drips minimalism. Straightforward minimalism with attached details, many of them, contradicting in various atmospheres. A solid looped base of sound, upon which, everything revolves. IDM elements are traceable too. Electronic augmentation, inflated minute by minute. Add to the mixture all these predominant and gentle piano passages and you will get a glimpse of how Osaka actually sounds: minimalistic but big, in the vain of Alva Noto/Ryuichi Sakamoto.

There is this transcendent feeling of a moving sensation apparent in the album, variations in movement alters the aesthetic altogether. When percussive elements kick in, things have already gone in haste. Premonition in Osakaworks wonders, an album created as if something is about to happen and indeed happens! That sweet anxiety of waiting in motion. Osaka evolves in time, but premonition is a steady component of the whole conception. It is the second part in a series, inspired by events that took place in Osaka, Japan, in 2017. Six pieces, clocking to 26 minutes. Released by Andreas Mangweth on his own label, Syncopathic.Recordings as a limited edition cassette, something I urge you to seek out!

ANMA – Osaka // Alien Pimp Review

When it comes to arts and aesthetics, any noob knows the main issue with minimalism: it’s a narrow path and it’s too easy to slip from simple to simplistic / meaninglessness. That’s precisely one of the main reasons I love Austrian artist An Ma and all of his releases so far: he’s an acrobatics master, he seems to have no problem walking the thin line almost without hesitation and so far he has never fallen on the wrong side.
His latest EP whispers to me something like “I got this!”. This is why today, unlike usually, I review an EP, not just a track.

In artist’s words:
<<„Osaka“, after „Kitahama Ghosts“ is the second part in a series of releases inspired by events that took place in Osaka 2017.
Whereas on „Kitahama Ghosts“ the focus was lying on the experimentation with electronic live improvisation, ambient and repetition, „Osaka“ sounds more structured and composed with a strong focus on the piano as harmonic leadvoice.>>

Bleeps, glitches and warm pianos have rarely sat together so nicely, creating such a rich evocative ambient. That spells “success” in this niche.
Some of the tracks are not just movie soundtracks, they are audio-cinematography, if you catch my drift. I picked one to create a visual for it and offer it to you in exclusivity for Youtube, with the kind agreement from the artist and the label, Syncopathic Records, thank you!
Others bits sound as if Aphex Twin has updated his setup and has just discovered DMT.
While some other parts are just like fine tickles testing if you haven’t become an insensitive bot.
It’s just simply great minimal experimental cinematic mostly electronic ambient music.
You need to listen to this stuff from time to time to reset your sensors and scales.

Out now on Cassette & Digital, available from Bandcamp and all other major digital outlets.