2011 has taught me two lessons. 1:) Beards don't help you win Super Bowls, and 2:) Japanese people are better at music than we are.  Himuro Yoshiteru's latest full length offering seeks to not only destroy genre expectations, it takes the destroyed pieces, drops them into a blender, and liquefies them into a delectable milkshake. 7th Shapeshifting carries on Himuro's track record of glitch heavy, ultra melodic electronic music, cementing him as one of the most consistently engaging beatsmiths of our generation. 7th Shapeshifting weaves effortlessly from hip hop breaks to Nintendo style synth lines to dubstep wobble to frenetic drum 'n bass fills, often all in the same track. As busy as things get however, there's always an underlying groove at the center, keeping things firmly planted on the ground.  Unlike the inaccessible posturing of his goatee stroking peers, this music is meant to make you move. It's as if Himuro walked out of a club, annoyed and frustrated at the lack of imagination on display, then went home and had a temper tantrum akin to the final battle of Rambo, First Blood Part II, only with synths instead of exploding arrows.

"1 on 1" starts the album off with a sample cut up beyond recognition, which solidifies into a constantly evolving hip hop beat, layered with singing synth lines and funky chord stabs.  This track is textbook Himuro, and sets a groovy foundation for the excursions to follow.  "Doublethink" is as close to babymaking music as the album gets, with a slow, minimal beat underlying soulful treated vocal samples crooning over a funky synth bass line, before taking off with the bouncy dancehall stylings of "Enjoy Your Bath Time".  The album standout is the dubstep inspired "Self Construction", which was certainly in the running for my Best of 2011 picks.  Yes, I said dubstep, but the key word here is "inspired", as the track launches into that familiar downtempo womping bassline, but from there goes in unexpected directions.  This is the perfectly controlled chaos that I've come to expect from Himuro Yoshiteru.  The track kicks it up a notch with a booming four on the floor beat and what I swear is a high pitch sample from Rob Base's "It Takes Two".  The dizzying amount of melodies and beat augmentation that swirl through the song make Skrillex's attempts at Aphex style unpredictability seem quaint.

Christmas is over, and 2012 is fast approaching.  In a year that saw electronic music rise to the forefront of the American music scene for the first time in over a decade, there weren't a whole lot of truly memorable albums released.  If you are a producer, looking out on the vast array of popular subgenres that rise and fall as fast as Republican candidates, trying to find a way to make your mark, do what Himuro Yoshiteru does: say fuck the genres and bail.

Album Grade: A


[OUT NOW] "7th Shapeshifting" Album Teaser by Himuro Yoshiteru