Hunting down information on Japanese ambient electronic artist Ultrafog isn't easy. Luckily, all we really need to know is what Kouhei Fukuzumi's work sounds like when we hit play on this six-song album.
On How Those Fires Burned That Are No Longer, Fukuzumi assembles a series of abstract ambient electronic pieces that gently whir and scratch and pulse against atmospheric blankets of droning and shimmering tones. The album works best at its most lulling and unobtrusive; experimental dalliancies on "Scent" and "Swallow" feel like a less natural fit for the artist, and break up what is otherwise a thoroughly meditative listening experience. Thankfully, they are the shortest pieces on the album and the cathartic, hypnotic zen beauty of "Cependant," "Trace" and "Golden Tundra" mostly balance out those peculiar sequencing decisions.
It's not essential listening as a whole, but the highlights are more than worth a stream if you're in the market for new drones to zone out to.
(Solitude Solutions)On How Those Fires Burned That Are No Longer, Fukuzumi assembles a series of abstract ambient electronic pieces that gently whir and scratch and pulse against atmospheric blankets of droning and shimmering tones. The album works best at its most lulling and unobtrusive; experimental dalliancies on "Scent" and "Swallow" feel like a less natural fit for the artist, and break up what is otherwise a thoroughly meditative listening experience. Thankfully, they are the shortest pieces on the album and the cathartic, hypnotic zen beauty of "Cependant," "Trace" and "Golden Tundra" mostly balance out those peculiar sequencing decisions.
It's not essential listening as a whole, but the highlights are more than worth a stream if you're in the market for new drones to zone out to.