Wata Igarashi will release his debut album, Agartha, on Kompakt.
Named after a mythical secret kingdom, understood as a complex maze of underground tunnels, Agartha is a “similarly mystical, perhaps even cosmic trip,” we’re told. “Beautifully detailed and bustling with rich incident,” it takes Igarashi’s music “to new places,” while retaining his “unique sonic imprimatur.”
Each of the album’s 10 tracks visualises specific scenes from an imaginary film, and Igarashi created soundtracks for those scenes. He produced them during the pandemic in his studio, using his background in creating music for television and advertisements.
He also drew on a rich palette of musical influences: techno is in there, of course, but you can also hear the smoky, improvised jazz of the likes of Miles Davis (to whom the album’s title is an indirect nod), and the minimalism and systems music of Steve Reich.
Igarashi, from Japan, has been releasing techno for 11 years now, appearing on such imprints as The Bunker NY, Delsin, Midgar, and Time To Express, plus he has also self-released his productions via his WIP label. You can read more about him in his XLR8R podcast here.
Tracklisting
01. Abyss I
02. Searching
03. Subterranean Life
04. Ceremony of the Dead
05. Floating Against Time
06. Abyss II
07. Burning
08. Agartha
09. Darkness
10. Eternally
Agartha LP is scheduled for May 25 release. Meanwhile, you can stream clips over at Kompakt, where you can also pre-order.
