Erika Dohi with the Metropolis Ensemble - Ame Onna (Switch Hit)

Erika Dohi is a Japanese born, New York residing pianist although the simple old fashioned sounds of keys being pressed and hammers hitting strings hasn't been satisfying her creative itch for quite a while by the sounds of it. Her debut for 37d03d was a statement of avant-garde intent, the ivory tinkling consumed by improvised and experimental arrangements, far-out flourishes and invaded by alien sounds, and the early indications are that her forthcoming album won't be making it on to any classical piano playlists either.

Her sweet, unassuming vocals and some gently electric piano stabs get the ball rolling in accessible fashion, but it's not long before the sonic deviance starts. Extraterrestrial electronic lifeforms float in from all directions, mingling with percussion, flute, graceful bowing, precision plucking and a warm bass pulse provided by her tuned in and turned on orchestral companions. It's a wonderful abstract ambient pop meets orchestral soundscape, but hold tight for the beats.

Wallop, half way through an unhurried, future gazing, crunchy but not crass hip hop riddim stirs up the lower frequencies, providing a solid anchor for the lysergic atmosphere and your sense of reality to cling to. As the soundscape gets busier and denser, (wo)men and machines weave psychedelic daydreams to bridge dimensions so Dohi can sing praise to the Japanese rain spirits of her homeland and existence, embrace the climatic and existential adversity and muse on the strength required to embrace emotional vulnerability. It's a beguiling, beautiful and far out slice of cosmic dream pop and boding very well for Myth of Tomorrow, her forthcoming album. October 24th is in the diary.

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Playlist Companion

Find Dohi in the Slow Pop Playlist: