Ino Hidefumi "Satisfaction"

Ino Hidefumi "Satisfaction" (2006)
download link
rs / mp3 192kbps / 60.7mb

Label: Innocent Record
Producer: Ino Hidefumi
Tracks: 12 (check: Amazon)

i'm such a sucker for japan. not really, i'm lying. i'm such a sucker for japanese jazz. ok, i'm lying again. they always incorporate that fender rhodes in ways modern jazz tend to take forgranted these days. and that's the truth.

the album starts off with Ino's rendition of "spartacus" - a taste of what can be expected for the rest of the journey on the record. now, this can go either its extreme ways; you may like it and book the next flight to Ebisu, Tokyo and have a latte at mr. Hidefumi's Cafe Tenement, or you may not. again, i'm just here for the Rhodes Suitcase 88 used throughout the joint, so this record got me at 'hello'.

obvious influences are here. which i'm thankful about - since i myself have been over-exposed to the works of makoto, kyoto jazz massive, united future organization, and mondo grosso. you can call me japanese-jazz ignorant, but i'm putting this motherfucker in this pigeonhole. but that's a good thing.

i won't diss mr hidefumi's arrangements and performing skills but production-wise, it's lacking that dynamics depth that most of us are probably used to in some tracks (think: drums, rhodes, bass all in mono wtf?!) and i cant help thinking during mixing, he went a tad trigger-happy with some kind of limiter. it definitely sounds nice on the rhodes, giving it that sorta vintage almost-accidentally-charming drive, but on everything?! and for fucks sake, please cut those damn fucking samples properly godmutherfuckendammit

...though i cant stay mad at this record for long. with classics like "spartacus", "what are you doing the rest of your life", "bille jean" etc he can do whatever the fuck he wants. and with all this crazy rhode works, i'm only pleasantly angry. now where did i put that local travel agent's contact number again...