Madegg: “Sugar Spot”

The relationship between minimalism and Japanese culture is interwoven to the point where the former nearly defines the latter. Take ikebana, tea ceremonies, kabuki theater, or kaiseki  dinners, and you find art forms stripped of excess – practices are refined, sharpened, and boiled-down to their most necessary pieces. So, while we don’t want to rely on generalizations, to learn that nineteen-year-old beatmaker Madegg (aka Kazumichi Komatsu) is based in Kyoto – Japan’s traditional and spiritual heart – should come as no surprise. “Sugar Spot,” taken from the Madegg’s new release Bluu Form, is crafted by an artist who deliberately values a limited palette. Fans of Tim Hecker will find echoes of dystopian atmospherics, while the influence of Four Tet and the Brainfeeder roster is present and unmistakable. Yet, while inspirations are easy to draw out, Madegg lives in his own world, where wabi-sabi can be expressed as rickety 2-step.

“Sugar Spot” is available now on Madegg’s new release Bluu Form on Tokyo-based label flau. Madegg will release his debut full-length LP, Tempera, on July 30th.

Written by Nathan Reese