Ryoji Ikeda — 1000 fragments

1000 fragments is Ryoji Ikeda's first solo album original released on his own label in 1995, here it’s giving a well deserved reissue on raster noton. Many albums are called classic or important but 1000 fragments rightly deservers this label, it’s a highly varied forward thinking and undated sounding electronic album, which is really a must have item for any respecting fan of electronica's wide and varied sonic church.

The album is broken three parts firstly  therea channel x which brings together 9 tracks dating from between 1985 and 1995, and this is really were the albums title comes from as the tracks are made up of rapid cut and jarring sound elements taking in: radio samples, dialogue, easy listening and choir samples, static, and all manner of sound along with tight, slick and atmospheric beat structures and electronic elements all into a heady and innovative collage. The pace of the tracks settles down somewhat towards the end of the first 9 tracks so it flows nicely in to the next section change of pace

The second part is called five zones with  the material dating from between 1994- 1995 and  is basically the  complete opposite of  much of the channel x part. As the title suggest this is broken up in to five tracks of beautiful, sometimes ominous but always lush and inviting ambient electronic scapes, hypnotic locked Morse code or pulse linked slow beat bound electronic structures and drone textures. To which cleverly and organically are weaved in field recordings and sound elements to give evocative and atmospheric morphing sound worlds that link into each other.

Lastly we have  Luxus part which  just features one track Luxus 1-3 that starts off with shimmer and echoed bright ambient tones that rather brought to mind a more lush and stretched out FSOL feel as the tracks progresses ikeda gentle and subtle adds in growing and moving textures of ambience and choral like almost string like electronics -giving the feeling like your moving in towards a beautiful life affirming light that in the end surrounds and in-riches you.

An original, varied and wholly consistent album that is one of the classic electronic albums of the 90’s, which mangers to show great emotional depth and sonic colour through out, really there’s no reason why you shouldn’t pick this up.