Bleep

Japanese Telecom was a short-lived project from Gerald Donald which was active for a couple of years around the turn of the millennium. One of many pseudonyms he’s worked under, Donald is perhaps best known for his work as part of Drexciya and Dopplereffekt. Initially released in December 1999 on Intuit-Solar, Clone’s Aqualung series brings this long out of press record back into circulation with a fresh lick of paint on the mastering front.

The Japanese Telecom EP is the sound of original Detroit electro gazing east. Across its eight tracks, there’s a kinetic and spritely energy which lays bare Donald’s connection to the aforementioned artists (he was often keen to distance himself or refute his involvement in a lot of his output). ‘Japanese Animation’ is a melodic electro roller with sonic roots in three different continents - there’s clear links to the Detroit sound and the synth wizardry of Kraftwerk, plus a jaunty, futurist distillation of Japanese influences such as the effervescent motifs of someone like Soichi Terada.

There’s more monochrome, squelchy electro in the form of ‘Asian Amazon’ and ‘Character Maps’ and a spritely tribute to the arcade on ‘Game Player’. It builds up towards the more punchy dancefloor moments of ‘Nipponese Robots’ and ‘Kubi’, with the former being particularly heavy with its titanium drums and ominous lead.

It makes for an essential addition to any Detroit electrohead's collection, as a boundary-pushing EP from one of the scene's most crucial forces.