Susumu Yokota

Good morning.

It’s Friday so we’re listening to something more upbeat. Today we’re listening to Susumu Yokota, a Japanese electronic music producer and DJ from Toyama. Born in 1961, he originally trained as an economist and graphic designer before making his own music starting in the early ‘90s.

¹

Yokota’s music defies categorization: he takes cues from all kinds of electronic and traditional music; he uses synths and samples to create synesthetic, unpredictable listening experiences. When he passed away in 2015, Yokota left behind a trove material under twelve different monikers, some tracks still being discovered and released by labels such as Lo Recordings.

²

We’re playing an extended version of his second LP, Acid Mt. Fuji from 1994. You might also like Sakura from 1999 which is more ambient.

Acid Mt. Fuji - Susumu Yokota (120m, no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal

Have a wonderful weekend.

1. via Lo Recordings

2. via Wax Poetics, whose 2021 feature on Yokota is worth reading in full