Bleep

Leaf celebrates 20 years in the business with a crucial reissue of the highly sought after Sakura LP from the late Japanese ambient / electronic artist Susumu Yokota. Whilst many ambient fans may already be aware of this landmark release, for those that aren’t, Sakura is a beautiful, emotive and delicate piece that bridges east and west, unashamedly tender in places and constructed from a dreamy tapestry of processed guitar notes and heavenly melodies. It opens with a warm, hovering glow on ‘Saku’, then slipping into the new-age Balearic, outwardly gazing ‘Tobiume’ followed by the tribal drums and murmurings of ‘Uchu Tanjyo’. The elegant string picks of ‘Hagoromo’ maintain the tender mood, whilst ‘Genshi’ throws an unexpected turn of events with its thudding motorik, ode-to-Göttsching drive before the pensive, Reichian minimalism of ‘Gekkoh’ restores order. At times, it’s overwhelmingly stirring, no more so than on ‘Azukiiro No Kaori’, which demonstrates Yokota’s unique emotional touch united with his refined minimalistic aesthetic. For some, Sakura is a true desert island disc, a work of timeless ambient artistry with fittingly beautiful artwork to match.