Gueixa by Akira Umeda

LAt-001
Cassette is sold out at source.

Akira Umeda continues the creative journey he embarked on with last year’s double LP Akira Umeda (1988-2018) in Gueixa, his latest release.

Gueixa is a meticulously crafted patchwork that reflects Umeda’s wide-ranging interests across a panoply of artistic and academic fields. Despite its intricate complexity, the mixtape unfolds like a series of post-contemporary haikus, never overreaching for grandeur. The sound evolves with such subtlety that it feels almost accidental, though every element is carefully arranged. Akira's distinct queer sensibility shines through, conjuring a surreal and contemplative atmosphere while retaining a measure of pop – reminiscent, in many ways, of Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s movies. His approach fully embraces imperfection and fluidity, encouraging open-ended explorations without offering clear-cut resolutions.

Umeda effortlessly transitions between mediums without confining himself to any single form, and nowhere is this versatility more evident than in Gueixa. The tape is a 202-track sonic collage, stitching together fragmented moments – ranging from homemade field recordings and zen drones to alien vocal experiments and reworked samples from his extensive sound library. This work highlights his mastery in layering radically different sound textures, creating unique auditory dioramas.

The artwork for Gueixa, drawn from Umeda’s vast archives, adds a seamless visual layer to this incredible sonic adventure.

Akira Umeda was a historian and visual/sound artist. Currently, he is a regular joe.