- Issuing the odd 12-inch every few years, Takuya Matsumoto has come off as something of a hobbyist in the past. Recently that's changed: EKR's Galactic Dance is his third release since 2013, following an EP for R&S sub-label Meda Fury. But while the volume of releases has increased, the qualities that distinguish Matsumoto's music, particularly his wonderfully developed melodic sense, remain unchanged.
These qualities are evident on the EP's title track: there are several times as many chords as you'd expect in a house tune, assembled into a neat arc and lovingly picked out on a range of synth patches. The effect—particularly as the drums fall away and steadily rebuild in "Part 2"—is practically symphonic. Elsewhere Matsumoto loses some of his focus. Pretty but aimless, "The Sun On The Refugees" swaps tunefulness for interlocking piano loops à la Philip Glass. Rounding off the EP, "Satellite Orbit Funk"'s juicy keys and loose-limbed shuffle recall "Vacuum Boogie"-era Floating Points. The connection isn't a new one, and it cuts both ways—Floating Points has long championed Matsumoto's career-crowning "Jump Rope Music." The Japanese producer may not reach the same giddy heights here, but he's not too far off.
TracklistA1 EKR's Galactic Dance Part 1
A2 EKR's Galactic Dance Part 2
B1 The Sun On The Refugees
B2 Satellite Orbit Funk