Ebi – Zen

I must confess that I did not know this album, but I'm so glad i stumbled upon it, its wonderful on so many levels.

Its ambient nature permeates throughout this stunning LP. Each track is wonderfully produced, sounding very well spaced out, with incredible layering, and a psychedelic hypnotic vibe.

The acid lines used throughout the album are truly amazing, taking you on an incredible journey through techno worlds. The whole concept is so simple, yet so complex all at the same time, whilst also feeling very cohesive, yet different.

Its also quite a decent chunk of vinyl and the sound is lovely and warm with good volume and dynamics too.

Top notch and well ahead of its time.

One of my favorite albums!

This 2x12 from Ebi Zen is a total package! It has a very soothing echoed out psychedelic sound that really warms the heart. It is filled with bubbling resonant 303 synth lines and creative use of the basic TR 606. A very mystical release that is pure magic and sparks the inner realms of the mind to imagine. These records sound excellent sped up or slowed down, which is the mark of great ambient/acid compositions. So, close your eyes and let Ebi Zen take you away to place where the 303's cry for a world that can't be as sad as it seems.

There is one major problem plaguing techno afficianados, and that is sheer volume of releases. Sometimes one artist's release overshadows all other artists' releases, and the other artists' releases never get heard because everybody was listening to say - Plastikman when they should have been hearing Susumo Yokota's Ebi-Zen record. That's not to take anything away from Richie Hawtin or the Drop Bass Network (which was very popular in the Midwest in 1994), but somehow - very unfortunately - I was never exposed in any way, shape or form the sheer artistry of this release. So I'll cut to it now. This is one of the best acid techno semi-ambient relaxation releases ever! And I bought it sort of on a whim off of eBay, but not before hearing his Ebi-Hi EP first, which if you combine Ebi-Hi and Ebi-Zen, you get the CD release of Ebi-Zen. But for those of you looking for something nice, relaxing yet danceable, smart and delicious, CHECK OUT THIS RELEASE! I used to think 3 Phase was IT, but now I feel that S.Y. is also IT. This is an excellent release! I can't even find good words to describe just exactly what I feel about it, but it is that good. There's variations in the formula from track to track, yet all have that quality you look for in good acid techno. Smart and enjoyable, this ranks at the top of my list. But not everybody is going to feel that way, you should still check it out and see what you think. It IS that good. Susumo, where are you now?