- "Water, fire, sand," begins The Forgetting Curve, a record that conjures strange, imperceptible worlds. On "Matter," the first of three tracks sewn together on the A-side, Yoshinori Hayashi connects with nature through ritualistic speech. "Matter" bleeds into "Waterwheel," a segment with a sleepwalking snare and an acoustic guitar that would sound triumphant if it wasn't played so slowly. Impressionistic and sometimes incomprehensible, both compositions evoke a dream state.
"Waterwheel" then rolls into "Playing," which seems to have evolved from the incantations and rustic percussion of the preceding tracks. From these damaged sources, the song turns into jazzy house built like a Jenga tower. Cymbal taps and tighter drum playing give the sounds—including a saloon piano—a more upbeat mood. But Hayashi can't resist messing with the stability. At one point, tumbling snares and warped FX nearly pull "Playing" to the ground. But it rises again on a spectral synth, resurrecting the haunted atmospheres of "Matter" and "Waterwheel."
DJ Sotofett's 11-minute "Dubcurve Fix-Mix" occupies the entire B-side. Osaruxo contributes violin and Sotofett plays synths, flute and percussion, making for a song that rearranges the entire A-side while also trying to conjure its own world. Leaning on new instrumentation as much as Hayashi's music, Sotofett's version is easier to grasp. The disjointed narrative that unfolds across the rest of the record invites your imagination to fill in the gaps.
TracklistA1 Matter
A2 Waterwheel
A3 Playing
B1 Waterwheel Scenery (DJ Sotofett’s Dubcurve Fix-Mix feat. Osaruxo)