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***Hip-hop, breakbeats, reggae, drum'n'bass, electronica...the sounds packed into this first full-length studio album shouldn't surprise those who know what to expect from DJ Kentaro but even when looking at the broad spectrum of dance music in current you'd be pressed to find an album more balanced in all directions, crossing over musical boundaries without sounding forced. It is exactly the message expressed at the 2002 DMC finals of 'No Walls Between The Music' all concentrated and materialised into one album, and the collaborations on the record add to the expanse of Enter. All the artists featured on the album are artists Kentaro has played with in the numerous events, live shows and tours he has performed at over the years and the hand-picked lineup is bound to bring a grin to many faces. One of the acts responsible for the new school movement in hip-hop in the 90s and still going strong today, Pharcyde. The Baltimore bred group on everyone's lips after releasing their debut album YoYoYoYoYo from Ninja sub-label Big Dada in 2006, Spank Rock. Veterans in the UK hip-hop scene after releasing 3 albums also on Big Dada, New Flesh. Leader of the Cincinatti hip-hop crew Five Deez and receiving just as much, if not more, praise for his solo works, producer/MC, Fat Jon. Having such respected and skilled artists from around the world on one record is in itself a delight but the way all 4 artists ride and harmoniously fit DJ Kentaro's sound is a ride in itself. On the Japanese side are 3 sets of artists all with strong ties to Kentaro - while always laying their roots in the reggae/dub scene a band that continues to expand its horizons musically, Little Tempo. Creating a genre themselves by doing what they do with an MPC and a turntable before anyone else in the world, now on their way to becoming world renown, Hifana. The MC with the most original and absorbing style Japan has to offer, Hunger from the hip-hop group Gagle. While all 3 tracks are of a totally different nature, Kentaro manages to give them all a certain touch that makes them distinctively a similar colour. As a fellow japanese, I can't help but be happy that their sound will now be known to the world through Ninja Tune. But it's not only the tracks with guest vocalists that make up the album-- the instrumental tracks on the album are just as, if not more, expressive of Kentaro's musically liberated nature and they can be said to be the driving force of Enter. Each track was carefully crafted to stir the imagination, and the length to which they show the richness of Kentaro's expression will without a doubt leave a lasting impression on everyone that comes across it. Most of the tracks were also mixed by DJ Kentaro himself (half were done together with Alan Mawdsley, a mix engineer that mixes many of Ninja Tune artists) and his acute sound sensibility is also an aspect to check on the album. How much influence will Enter have on the dance music scene the world over? And how will that influence reflect back to DJ Kentaro Questions I ask myself like this only make me restless waiting for the release date..2007, the year that will always be remembered as the year DJ Kentaro entered your world. |
