Susumu Yokota "Cloud Hidden" (2019) ****

Prolific electronic musician Susumu Yokota left this world nearly five years ago. Having released more than twenty albums (from acid house to techno to downtempo to experimental to ambient) during his lifetime, his final full-length while alive was 2012's Dreamer. I have six of Yokota's albums, so I'm only familiar with a fraction of his work, but he's one of those artists that you feel instantly connected to and as you discover more and more albums, your appreciation only grows.

Cloud Hidden, the first posthumous release by Yokota, was conceived following the discovery of a DAT tape containing unreleased tracks. Jon Tye, founder of Lo Recordings, who've released multiple Yokota LPs, "decided to do (his) best to honour the spirit and legacy of Yokota’s work by completing the tracks in a way which (Tye) thought (Yokota) would approve." Tye did an exceptional job—Cloud Hidden fits perfectly within Yokota's discography and feels less like a tribute than a gift from beyond. It's a relaxing, soothing, and texturally pleasing slice of ambient bliss.

To borrow from the Lo Recordings webpage for this release: Susumu "is very much still here. His music always had a timeless quality and this new release is a perfect example."

For fans of Aphex Twin (particularly Selected Ambient Works Volume II (1994)), Vangelis, and Brian Eno.