keita sano: nothing for nothing

Prolific doesn’t begin to describe Japan’s Keita Sano, who has come seemingly out of nowhere to become one of the most unique new voices in electronic music thanks to a wildly eclectic clutch of releases for much-hyped labels like 1080p, Joakim’s Crowdspacer, Mister Saturday Night, Spring Theory, Discos Capablanca and more. Building on that buzz, Sano is unleashing still more head-twisting takes on house and techno via New York’s Most Excellent Unlimited. Label boss Paul Raffaele has found a kindred spirit in Sano. Their shared love of classic dance music and refusal to let genre or convention define their work makes MXU a natural home for the “Sunset EP,” coming as it does on the heels of the category-smashing “Oyama Edit” 12” and a 7” of drum track edits by disco king Danny Krivit. Diverse and unafraid to upend expectation, its hard to imagine a party where at least one of these jams wouldn’t set things off. The title track mixes discoid guitars with lush pads and a echoing handclaps, anchored by a deep, chugging bass line. It’s the kind of track that’s begging for a dance floor building towards hands-in- the-air release. “Chango” shows off Sano’s rhythmic proficiency and fondness for killer samples, tweaking the raved-out formula of “Onion Slice” for deeper dance floors. The drum attack continues on “Nothing For Nothing” which pairs a massive batucada groove with ecstatic synths, whistles and afro-inflected strings carrying the melodic weight. Sano closes out the proceedings with a deft rendition of the sort of fuzzed out techno that’s coming in waves on labels like Lobster Theremin. Changing the mood dramatically, “Daze” substitutes a storming distorted kick for the sampled drums that came before, layering fuzzed out claps, martial snare patters, spaced- out cymbals, and miasmic synths that strobe like a rescue beacon on a dance floor flooded with smoke.