How does one communicate without words? What happens when you meet a stranger who speaks a different language from yours, but you've got something important to say to them? The Japanese duo of DJ Krush and Toshinori Kondo seem to have the definitve answer with this album. From its beginning to the end, the message weaved into the music is crystal clear: look into the future without forgetting where you came from, and, most importantly, chill out.
DJ Krush's mellow grooves intertwine beautifully with the avant-garde jazz trumpet skills of Toshinori Kondo, creating a mosaic that's both light and deep: below the surface of the tracks, there is an amazing current of ambience, whether it's the trumpet echoing through, or electronic sounds that one would hear on a Boards Of Canada track. The album name, Ki-Oku, means "Memory", and all the track names are Japanese, with the exception of Sun Is Shining, an instrumental cover of a Bob Marley song. The whole album feels almost as though it's a broadcast from another world, simply telling us all to take it easy for a change.
