Takuro Okada - Konoma (2025) [Hi-Res]

The album Konoma by Japanese guitarist and producer Takuro Okada, co-released by ISC Hi-Fi Selects and Temporal Drift, is a profound exploration of cultural influence and connection. The album is shaped by the concept of “Afro Mingei,” an idea borrowed from artist Theaster Gates that links Black aesthetics and Japanese folk craft (the Mingei movement) through their shared root in resistance—the fight against racism and the preservation of everyday beauty against industrial erasure, respectively. Okada, who has been drawn to African American music (blues, jazz, funk) since childhood, seeks to honor this legacy without merely borrowing from it. The album features six originals and two covers, showcasing a wide stylistic range. For instance, “Portrait of Yanagi” has the feel of a classic standard, while “Galaxy” combines influences from Sun Ra's late electric experiments, Flying Lotus's early beat tapes, and trip-hop. The covers, Jan Garbarek's “Nefertite” and Hiromasa Suzuki's “Love,” highlight a dialogue about identity search in jazz, showing influences from 1970s European jazz and Japanese fusion. Konoma establishes Okada as an artist who transforms borrowed forms into a unique and personal musical dialect.

Tracklist:
1. Takuro Okada - Mahidere Birhan
2. Takuro Okada - Sunrise
3. Takuro Okada - Nefertite
4. Takuro Okada - Galaxy
5. Takuro Okada - November Owens Valley
6. Takuro Okada - Portrait of Yanagi
7. Takuro Okada - Love
8. Takuro Okada - Acute Angle Black Button