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Songs We Love: Keita Sano, 'Bouzouk'

Courtesy of the artist

One of the most boring things about contemporary EDM is how monorhythmic it is. I'm not talking beats per minute (although one number does seem to rule them all), but rhythms per beat. Keita Sano, an adventurous young producer from Okayama, Japan, mixes and matches a plethora of patterns on "Bouzouk," the final track on his latest EP, Sweet Bitter Love. Vibes, percussion and handclaps slowly congregate and build up steam before two riffs jump in: a simple LCD Soundsystem-style 4/4 bass line and a syncopated cross-rhythm. The conflicting elements dance around each other until Sano introduces a bonkers bouzouki sample reminiscent of that Punjabi MCs track. One of the best tracks of 2015 so far.

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