Tomoki Kanda – Landscape of Smaller’s Music

A hyper limited release on Crue-L, the legendary Japanese dance music label run by Kenji Takimi, Landscape of Smaller’s Music is the debut album by Tomoki Kanda, an immensely talented producer who worked closely with Kahimi Karie and other Shibuya-kei pop artists in the late 1990’s – early 2000’s. A mishmash of Kanda’s inspirations, the album at times reminds us of Penguin Café Orchestra’s delicate beauty, UK chillout room downtempo, early ’00s indie pop, and video game music. It’s no surprise that Kanda also composed at least a few video game soundtracks. Be sure to check out Okonkole y Trompa’s amazing in-depth writeup on this album here. “Just like [Eden Ahbez] Nature Boy’s infamous masterpiece, Landscape of Smaller’s Music is a secret garden that we’re only invited to explore with the greatest discretion.”

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