Cassette Review: Takahiro Mukai "normcore" (Bicephalic Records)

The name Takahiro Mukai should be better known than it is.     People might recognize the name as Mukai has released a number of cassettes through various labels and a quick Bandcamp search will provide all the proof you need that this is a cassette you should have in your collection (along with the others)    Typically, I stumble upon cassettes by Takahiro Mukai only after they are sold out so I've been able to stream the music but I don't always get the cassette experience (Though this would be my second cassette review for Takahiro Mukai)

The music of Takahiro Mukai is not easily described and that is for good reason.   You simply don't build the type of cassette collection that Mukai has by sounding like everyone else.   Electronic loops bring forth songs and patterns, the likes of which you may have never heard before.   I imagine there was a time when the drum machine was first invented and people would hear it thinking "That sounds like drums but different... it's not drums, but it is"   A lot of what you can hear within "normcore" can make you think similarly: This is but it isn't; it's more advanced.

Do you hear that rhythm which starts on Side B?   It grows and has this sort of ticking feel to it.   I feel like it resembles some sort of advanced version of a grandfather clock, such as what the Apple Watch is to an old time pocket watch.    It is the ticking of time running out on what people think of as electronic looping music.    The sounds you've heard before are about to be replaced by something completely new as every time Takahiro Mukai creates a track it's like taking a sneak peak into what the future will be like.

Whether this would be your first time or your tenth time (or more) listening to Takahiro Mukai, there is no better time to start than the present and there is no better place than right now.    Though the music can be described as instrumental, electronic and looping it still stands out among other music with similar labels and for that you do not have to be a fan of those tags to enjoy this-- the music simply defies all preconceived notions and should be enjoyed by all ears.  

"normcore" is currently sold out on cassette but can be streamed/downloaded by going to the Bicephalic Bandcamp page here: https://bicephalicrecords.bandcamp.com/album/normcore