Lost Souls (Hybryds Remix)
The Rivers (Hybryds Remix)
Still Alive (Hybryds Remix)
Down Below (Hybryds Remix)

When I eventually die the footprint I leave on the sands of time of my life will be covered in a millisecond. No-one will remember me or even know I existed. Which is why I’m jealous of artists. Whether they work in film, music or the written word people in the future will be able to recall their work and their names will live on forever. Immortality is there for the taking.

Shinkro, Manabu Hiramoto, is an artist from Osaka Japan and "Deep Blue" the debut recording on the Athanor record label. If he never makes another recording in his lifetime he leaves behind a piece of work for future generations to enthral and enthuse over. "Deep Blue" is music ideally suited for use as thematic soundscapes for film or nature programmes reminding me of the pioneering sounds that the Startled Insects used to produce many years ago. Or for an easier comparison, as probably none of you have heard of the Startled Insects, think of it as Zoviet France and Biosphere teaming up with Lustmord… only better.

Using a combination of electronic ambience, minimal beats, percussion, piano, female / male voiced samples, a faint touch of early Industrial ethos and some very inventive programming results in music that moves from the light and frothy into the dark unknown. This mixture of dark and light ambience works perfectly in conjunction with each other. Here are eight tracks of the highest calibre and musicianship producing the most creative and inspired sounds that I thought I would never hear. "Deep Blue" is that thing of rarity. A recording that sucks you in from the first note and holds your attention until the last note has long faded into the background. European and Japanese influences abound but boundaries are crisscrossed and nullified. Inspirational, diverse, and absolutely beautiful "Deep Blue" enchants and hypnotises. A recording for today, tomorrow and ever more. So taken am I by this work that I’ve dedicated this Haiku to Manabu:

Intense pleasure pulsing
A thousand orgasms rolled into one
Nirvana finally reached

I hope he appreciates my effort as much as I regal in his work.

Also included as a bonus is a 4 track remix CD by Belgium’s Hybryds…whose "Soundtrack for the Aquarium" and "Dreamscapes from a Dark Side" releases are worth investigating. These remixes stay true to the visionary work of Manabu and add another dimension by expanding the ideas of the pieces without straying too far from the original template laid down.

ANM