Akio Nagase

𝙀𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙚𝙡’𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙊𝙨𝙖𝙠𝙖’𝙨 𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙙 𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧, 𝘼𝙠𝙞𝙤 𝙉𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙨𝙚. 𝙁𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙗𝙪𝙩, 𝙂𝙡𝙤𝙗𝙖𝙡 𝘼𝙘𝙞𝙙 𝙀𝙋 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙪𝙥 𝘼𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝘼𝙘𝙞𝙙 𝙀𝙋 𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙡𝙪𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨, 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙮 𝙙𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙍𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙏𝙍-𝟯𝟬𝟯, 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙀𝙋𝙨, 𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙙𝙪𝙗 𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙜𝙖𝙚.

Having made reggae influenced dance music under the Makedub alias for decades, here he takes it a step further, utilising a knack for catchy hooks and acid lines, while fusing reggae and live desk-dub mixing. I Love Smoke, a chant, the stand-out, those classic vocals flowing in and out with a 3AM (Eternal) bump. Riotously expounding the virtues of smoking ’Mari Jane’, the hypnotic stoner vibes are wrapped around Nagase’s meditative and dancefloor heartbeat. Night Time High Acid swings, the low-end rumble and kick build before the TR-303 and harmonica lead interweave, samples and sirens encase in an ethnic, tribal slo-mo dub flow. Things shift with the 4/4 bump of Creation Dub. A call to rise wrapped in the warmth of Dub House beats. Melody and dub flow, no need for 303. Vox are space echo’d to the limit.

Keys stab, horns call, slip side away. To finish, Harmonica Dub is just that. Heavy mouth organ solo, the blues calling atop a dub-techno stepper beat. Rimshot, stabs, echo. All encompass that psychedelic flavour of Akio. Dub, Love and Respect.