M.U. PODCAST #154: KAGAMI SMILE (APRIL 2024)
Midwest-born, Shenzhen-based producer KAGAMI Smile (Ryan Hill) is a master at crafting soft-focus cinematic scenes, an achievement using a minimal sound palette and a hypnotic pulse, with subtle manipulations you feel more than hear. Inspired by Ambient Techno with touches of shoegaze and noise, the artist has released on labels such as Opal Tapes, Vill4in, Aught/Void, and Dream Catalogue, among many others. His tracks feature long-form compositions on the brink of collapse.
"The Cycle Cannot Be Reversed" is a sonic reflection of the artist’s emotional journey, outlining ambient techno's aggressive yet melancholy side. Drawing inspiration from lost love, nostalgia, and the mystical allure of Tennyo from Japanese mythology, this album is a fusion of emotive storytelling and ethereal soundscapes. With heart-shaking ambient and noise-triggered beats, every second of the album evokes a sense of being pushed through, like riding on a subway or passing by significant moments of your life. released on Jyugam on January 29, 2024.
Constants of Breathing.
Gift of a Star.
Inhale/Exhale.
Gathered By the Forest.
Swallowed up by A River.
Dream of a Hallway.
All of this Mass.
Floating Sphere
About the mix: Recorded in one take in my kitchen before returning to Shenzhen, China after spending a few weeks with my parents. Feelings of desolation and emptiness inspired by the recent foggy weather in the Midwest and the semi-dead landscapes of decaying towns and fields. Sleepless nights in the guest room waking up at 4am, a sleep mix to ease the dread. Kagami Smile.
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