Antwarps
smallfish
This really is an absolutely beliting album and it's seen an awful lot of play round at my gaff. Deep, playful and beautiful electronica sounds with some wickedly put together beats. Mellow and chilled for the most part the melodies and chords are very striking and ease you along with style. Fans of the other Aus releases will love this and if you've got a penchant for friendly listening sounds (a la Expanding, Toytronic or some of the U-Cover releases) this is a must. Really lovely stuff.

cyclic defrost
Antwarps was reared on the stage of youth (Yasuhiko Fukuzono was all of twenty-one years of age when he wove its fourteen tracks together, which originally appeared on two limited cd-r releases from U-Cover), but it’s languorous live-ember eyes betray a piquancy of maturity in mixing up broad brushstrokes with the finer details in his music. The album has a solid rhythmic foundation built from a patchwork of electronic flutter and scrunch. Fukuzono gravitates towards rhythms which are both regular and random, which are occasionally interrupted by miniscule tics and whirrs, and which remain exuberant and unpredictable throughout, like hiccups that shock upon arrival. As a thick, gurgling soup of excessive sounds is adumbrated, simple melodies flit undemonstratively in or around the spacious web of guitar, keyboard, harmonium, and synths, or else they fight against its current and have a subtly disorienting effect, without ever disrupting the grand structures.

norman records
It's excellent actually. It's somewhere between melodic electronica, neo classical, electro acoustic and some other fanciness I can't think of right now...I think folks who like the old Neo Ouija, Cactus Island, Moteer etc will greatly enjoy this. But mainly men with shaved heads and specs.

the sillent ballet
Sometimes a little bit of organization is all you need to move from good to great. A poorly-organized review is a bad review, and a mystery novel that doesn't understand at least the basics of organization is no mystery at all. Poorly organized albums are almost doomed to fail, but those that show the virtue of competent organization can overcome basic flaws and shine for the good points they hold. Aus has taken old material and given it a fresh face on Antwarps by simply re-mastering and re-organizing the material. The result is a release that has an entirely different feel from its main predecessor, Kangaroo Note, and achieves success where the older release stumbled. A mere shift in organization has created the perfect introduction to Aus's early body of work, whetting the audience's appetite for the more contemporary works of the artist.
The release opens with Kangaroo Note's closer, “Sora,” setting a more up-beat tone for the release from the first few seconds. A rising synth progression create an uplifting feel, and when the break-beat vocals come in, you're bound to fall in love. Though the track is one of the most fast-paced of the release, it still serves as a powerful tone-setter, allowing the rest of the tracks to be perceived through a more optimistic pair of glasses. It's always nice to see everything just a little bit more brightly, if only for a change of pace. The tracks removed from Kangaroo Note were the weakest tracks of the album, and are replaced by “Fukuso,” “Idle Talk,” and “Ausspiel” from Aus's second release, Crowding. These tracks do well to supplement the more optimistic feel of the release, and are prime examples of the artist's skill behind the monitor. The album as a whole ends up coming off as pleasantly as some of the most notable electronic releases of recent memory, like a Japanese Kiln who decided to drop a few layers of ambiance – always pleasant company to find yourself in.
...As a whole, Antwarps works as a fine way to re-introduce Aus's older, limited material to the general public, as well as shed even more light on the brilliant Japanese electronic scene. No self-proclaimed fan of instrumental and electronic music would be hard-pressed to find something to love here, and there's everything to gain from giving it a shot. The man can transform a release by merely shifting the organization − how can you ignore a release with this much potential?   

Lang Remixed
smallfish
This album includes remixes by Isan, State River Widening, Epic45, Manual, Dosh, Ulrich Schnauss, Sons Of Magdalene (aka Joshua Eustis of Telefon Tel Aviv), Kettel, Bracken and the Remote Viewer and that alone should give you an idea of the quality here. I must say that Ulrich Schnauss's mix is one of his best productions for a long, long time in my opinion and, similarly, the Sons Of Magdalene version just oozes depth and beauty. I could pick out other tracks, but essentially this is a really well thought out and put together selection of interpretations. The originals were great as well, of course. Super album with lots of lush drifting excellence going on.

cyclic defrost
The remix of Lang is also a notable effort. Ulrich Schnauss, Kettel, The Remote Viewer, Manual, and Epic 45, amongst others, make for a well-chosen clan. They sufficiently vary the pace of the music - in fact, more so than does Fukuzono on his lonesome - and break up and charge its sometimes leaden plod with dramatic eruptions and nebulous interludes. In their elastic take on the theme material, the players manage a sonic evocation of place that is oftentimes thoroughly convincing. The beau geste of the album belongs to Schnauss. Structurally simple, elemental yet contemporary, his superimposed layers of synthesizer tones and distant chiming percussion shift in and out of focus, as spangling guitar and some silvery treble chirruping lift it up into an infinite sky that is warm, meditative, and enveloping. At the same time, it’s only one instance in work dotted with potent, measured performances of this intricately structured yet compelling music.

textura
Though it's new to these ears, Yasuhiko Fukuzono's aus release Lang was actually released two years ago but its exquisite brand of melodic electronica is as fresh as bread straight from the oven. Being newly introduced to the album isn't such a bad thing when it coincides with release of the related remix version whose A-list of contributors includes Ulrich Schnauss, Joshua Eustis (Telefon Tel Aviv), Manual, Kettel, ISAN, and The Remote Viewer among others.
Of course one can approach the remix set in two ways: listening to it on its own terms or playing a comparison game with its precursor—my preference being the former. The remixers don't merely remix but re-imagine the originals and the range of styles and moods is pleasingly broad. Eustis appears under the Sons of Magdalene moniker to give “Clocks” a thorough ambient makeover filled with hypnotic lattices of piano, guitar, and synths, and ISAN's dreamy “Aslope” offers a prototypical example of the group's refined style. With its clouds of glistening guitars and keyboards, “Halo” exudes the panoramic sweep that's so much associated with Ulrich Schnauss's work. Kettlel retains aus's beat emphasis by grounding the angelic vocalizations and synth atmospheres in “Double Talk” with driving breakbeats. Manual's “New Look” overhaul hews to Jonas Munk's epic guitarscaping style while State River Widening transports “Headphone Girl” to the center of a spring forest where flutes and acoustic guitars warm it with sunshine. The heavy beat crunch Dosh (“Beyond the Curve”) and bass-heavy wobble Bracken (“Moraine”) bring to the project provide a bold contrast to some of the more restrained interpretations. A more comprehensive overview of tasteful electronica would be hard to imagine.

de:bug
2006 erschien das Album "Lang", jetzt legt das Label Remixe nach. Kettel, Ulrich Schnauss, The Remote Viewer, Isan, Manual, Bracken, State River Widening, Epic45, Sons Of Magdalene, Dosh sind alle sehr nah dran an den Originalen, mischen ihre eigenen Visionen mit denen der Band und erschaffen hier ein ganz wundervolles Elektronika-Album, dass in seiner Oldschooligkeit fast schon erschütternd ist und doch funktioniert, als hätten wir gerade die Jahrtausendwende hinter uns gebracht. Weich und verknurschpelt, freundlich und sanft wuseln die Tracks durch den Kosmos. Hier gibt es keine Ecken und keine Kanten, hier sitzt einfach ein wohliger Sound auf dem anderen. Gute Zeiten werden einfach nicht schlecht.

the sillent ballet
It’s always been very weird critiquing remix albums, because generally speaking,  the record maintains a certain lack of substance that the original may have contained and is therefore destined only to be replaced by a re-working in the eyes of each of the remixers.  What I’m really commentating on here is that, for exceptional artists that fall under the general caliber of blokes like aus, record labels or simply a group of musicians really need to grow out of the norm that is the standard remix album.  Meaning that, instead of simply dropping tracks by a few artists and calling it a day,  the effort should be of a collaborative nature rather then that of a singular one, which basically seems to be the common practice nowadays. 
Thankfully for Lang Remixed (and us), Preco is precisely the label on which the original album was released.  As a result, aus’ work is treated in the most  respectable fashion, and Preco have generated a group of several top notch remixers -- from the well respected Ulrich Schnauss to three former members of the group Hood.  With a couple exceptions, there isn’t a track here that feels cheap or under/overproduced.  This in itself is an excellent trait that several similar projects are very much without.  To say the least, many other labels would highly benefit from taking a few notes here.  And thus, we would reap the rewards as well – the reward of an original and stellar piece of work.  Naturally though, we’ll just have to make do for now… which won’t too hard for this album...
In conclusion, while there perhaps isn’t a drastic new approach to the remix album here, the little things like having the tracklist in the same order as aus’ original work, as well as the extraordinary effort exhibited from of all of the artists, sets it apart from other works that have received far more bashful treatment.  And sometimes, that’s all it really takes. 

Curveland
lost in autin
the brilliant record label moteer recently released japanese artist yasuhiko fukuzono's curveland. operating as aus, this 23 year old gorgeously crafts his tracks out of nimble and soft blips, dusty beeps, and atmospheric synthesizers, creating panoramic, audible scenes of utter tranquility. were mu´m less pastoral in their own compositions, this album could fairly easily be compared to finally we are no one. but alas, where that album drew its beauty from homespun charm, this album attracts the listener with a more electronic allure. highly recommended, and, i'm beginning to think moteer can do no wrong.

angryape
The Moteer label make a welcome return for 2007 and their first release of the year ranks as one of their finest yet. Japanese artist Yasuhiko Fukuzono delivers a beautiful ten-tracker of sugary, vocal-coated electronics under the guise of Aus.
An ethereal, ghost-like vocal courtesy of Cokiyu remains a large part of Curveland's rustic charm - adding an otherwordly feel to the intricate layers of deep, mesmering clicks and frosty synths. While on paper this may sound like the kind of material Mum produce, only one song entitled Microhouse shares a similar feel thanks to the elf-like nature of the singing. The rest of the vocal tracks remain distinctive and devoid of comparisions.
But it's not just the vocal-led pieces where Curveland shines; take the opening number Lied for example, with it's underlying choppy percussive clicks, dusty piano notes and windswept chimes. It's the kind of warm, organic electronica we've come to love from Expanding Records. Pui Pui looks back to the deep rhythmic clicks and cuts of Dub Tractor and Opiate, yet the beat-free affair of Apt is the most striking ambient track of the year.
With Curveland, Aus has crafted an album full of rich depths and textures, while evoking vast amounts of emotion. It's also an album you'll undoubtedly find yourself looking into on repeated occasions.

onde fixe
Derrière un piano dès l'âge de 4 ans, Yasuhiko Fukuzono a très vite compris à quoi il était destiné. Aujourd'hui âgé de seulement 23 ans, ce natif de Tokyo surprend par le contenu de son CV : 6 BO de films réalisés par Takafumi Tsuchiya, la gestion d'un label fraîchement né (Flau, inauguré par la double compilation Echod) et déjà 5 albums si l'on inclut ce récent Curveland, qui n'a pas laissé indifférentes les oreilles du brillant label Moteer. L'occasion pour la maison anglaise de japoniser un peu son catalogue sans pour autant chambouler l'esthétique mise en place et jusque là entretenue par Clickits, Part-timer, Manyfingers ou The boats. Porté par la voix de sa protégée Cukiyo (dont le premier album solo devrait justement sortir chez Flau), Curveland rappelle immanquablement le doux bucolisme de Piana, et constitue une alternative de choix à son magnifique Ephemeral (les arrangements de cordes en moins). Curveland est un pays idyllique aux courbes nécessairement arrondies et douces, où se joue une musique en cristal soufflé : bleeps et glitchs agissent tels des picotements, des bulles remontant à la surface d'une eau calme où viennent choir quelques gouttes de piano électrique, des flocons de glockenspiel, au dessus de laquelle voltigent des pétales synthétiques et vacillent guitares et flutes vaporeuses. Aus s'inspire de la nature, la transforme pour la faire sienne, et la rendre plus douce encore.

smallfish
Retrospectively, this CD has lost absolutely none of its charm at all. A beautifully delicate and detailed album of gently electronic sounds that, in common with The Boats and The Sea, has a lovely organic feel. Subtle electronic rhythms play underneath the deeply melodic tunes and superbly wistful vocals. An enchanting and very airy piece of work that has that timeless quality to it. Marvellous.

boomkat
The music weaved by 23 year old Yasuhiko Fukuzono, aka Aus, is a tender balm for the ears that can readily be compared to the likes of Angelo Badalamenti and Piana without becoming overshadowed or belittled. Opening through the muted glow of 'Lied', Aus allows a rustle of glitch edits to snowfall atop the swelling soundscape and John Carpenter-referencing melody, creating a piece of music that seems almost too fragile to exist but is there in resplendent beauty nonetheless. Attracting adjectives like moths to a summer flame, tracks such as 'Mayonaka no Sukima' and 'Curve' temper their watercolour theatrics with the honey-drenched vocals of Cokiyu - wherein the aural ties to Piana are most pronounced and difficult to dispute. Yet where this could seem little more than well intentioned plagiarism, Fukuzono's talent and scope goes well beyond the call of duty - crafting bijou compositions from the most reduced palate imaginable. With a brush of clicks here and a wash of atmospherics there, 'With Rain' soon becomes a micro-symphony of quite staggering beauty, whilst elsewhere the likes of 'Apt' and 'Linier' are drenched in wavering guitar tones and enchanted electronics that soon interlock for maximum emotional impact. If Mum were a little less pastoral, then 'Curveland' could be compared to 'Finally We Are No One' - but where that record drew its charm from homespun sources, Aus seems to cocoon you in a more electronically gestated web that is breathtaking from start to finish. Gorgeous.

norman records
Producer Yasuhiko Fukuzono delivers a gentle blend of warm electronics and live instrumentation with sweet vocal accompnyment courtesy of Cokiyu. Piano is fused with glitchy twinkles and shimmering, clean pristine production. Although this is very pretty sounding it fails to seduce me with it's charms. perhaps listening to it an environment other than the hectic office that is the towers would allow me to absorb it a bit more. The pallate of sounds used are similar to Colleen in places. Like a sonic oriental Lullabye.

baked-goods
After drifting down under for last year's well received album from Aussies Minimum Chips, the Moteer family extends a little further with "Curveland", the third solo album from Japanese musician Aus. Yasuhiko Fukuzono is a mere 23 years of age, and already he has put his name to a quite substantial body of work, developing his production talents from glacial electronic experimentation to pure vocal pop. This latest cd shows a sensitive side to Fukuzono's production and slots in perfectly to the Moteer core sound. Tempered glitches and subtle melodies are draped with ethereal pads and utterly charming female vocals, and it comes as little surprise to hear that the musician moonlights as a soundtrack producer.
Indeed there is something delicately cinematic about 'Curveland', and not in the way you might think - there's none of the menace of Angelo Badalamenti or the forced grandeur of John Williams here, rather we are treated to the soundtrack to a simple film about love, say Brief Encounter or fittingly Lost in Translation. The best comparison might be made with the fabulous Piana (released on Taylor Deupree's 'Happy' label) who similarly made waves on the electronic scene with her delicate synthetic pop sounds, yet Fukuzono also has something deeply unique. Unlike his contemporaries in the Japanese scene, he seems to fit in perfectly with Moteer's pastoral and unashamedly British vision - long green grass, knitted sweaters and hot cups of tea. This bright-eyed homespun sentiment is exactly what makes 'Curveland' so hard to forget - so don't resist, let Fukuzono wrap you up with the most gorgeous audio this side of Tokyo.

musique machine
Curveland is full of inviting lulling tones, micro rhythmic pulses and the odd more up beat lush pop moments, the tracks  are often soothed by light airy and sensual Japanese/English female vocals. All weaved together to make the audio equivalent of slowly falling on to a warm feather mattress. Pure audio comfort, which you just want to seek deeply into.
Nothing every feels forced or contrived, it's all just beautiful painted like a delicate watercolour of sunlight playing on a  sea scape,with all the grace of spring blossom fall. This simply makes you feel good, you  feel warm outwards from its unfolding petals of audio grace. It aptly mixes pitter-patter of summer rain music box sounds, sunwarmed ambient electronics, fragile guitar tones, lush-  often hazy banks of piano waltz, Plus glicthy electronics with all the sharpness sanded away. Not forgetting the beautiful vocals curtsey of Cokiyu, which are left to float over the sound like silk or enchantingly electronically trapped and mixed in like audio chocolate into the creamy and smooth sound base. It does seem to become slightly downcast as the album drifts towards the end, but never really enough to make one blue.
A very pleasant and feel good slice of audio cake, that will relax and loosen up one's life tight body and spirit, Which nicely balances  melodic concerns with richly textured depth and sweetness.

piccadilly records
Tokyo's Yasuhiko Fukuzono produces this album for Moteer of delicate, gossamer-thin sonic weaves. Sometimes accompanied by the voices of Cokiyu, sometimes bare deconstructed instrumentals, the music of Aus often seems like a the product of an innocent child's imagination, if said child were weaned on the likes of Bjork, Stereolab and Mum that is.

londonmilk
Despite being just twenty three, Japanese musician and producer Yasuhiko Fukuzono already has no less than five albums under his belt, including this latest effort, collecting music that goes from atmospheric electronic experimentation to unadulterated pop. He also regularly dabbles in composing and producing soundtracks, and co-run the Tokyo-based record label Flau.
On Curveland, Fukuzono slowly peels off layers of soft electronics and discreet glitches and statics wrapped around dreamy melodies and, on many occasions, the breathy vocals provided by Cokiyu, to reveal deeply emotional moments often reminiscent of early Mum or of Fukuzono's compatriot Piana. Curveland is all half-tones and tempered ambiences, in turn shrouded in light or clouds, with treated acoustic instrumentation gleaming through cracks and tears affecting the surface calm to give each song a singular texture. Fukuzono works a very straight and narrow groove here, never veering far from his sonic template, and he does so with precision as he assembles minimal sound sources into complex and evocative soundscapes. Yet, Fukuzono manages to retain the fresh feel of his music all the way through. Beautiful melodies emerge almost unnoticed and dig their way through fragmented constructions until they evaporate, leaving just a vague after taste, helping create the overall eerie effect that lingers over the whole album.
All the way through, Fukuzono toys with lyrical atmospheres and vast narratives, yet he stops short of creating sweeping pastoral pieces, resorting instead to underwhelming ethereal themes and delicately assembled miniature pop songs. The result is simply stunning. It is difficult not to succumb to the fragile aspect of pieces such as Lied, With Rain, Curve, Tejina, Apt or Yoakemae and marvel at how they hold together with grace. Fukuzono applies gentle sonic touches to alter melodies without ever breaking their individual flow, and collates his compositions without much breathing space in between, as if the short silences separating each piece was as much part of the songs as any of his sound sources. Cokiyu's sweet and sour vocals add to the ephemeral aspect of Fukuzono's music and appear intricately woven into the sonic landscape of this album.
Although comparisons to both Mu´m and Piana are valid, Aus’s resolutely minimal outreach gives this album a singular relief and places Fukuzono’s work in a league of its own. Curveland is a truly enchanting and accomplished collection of ethereal Japanese pop with interesting scope and depth. 

dotshop
Glacial tempered glitch, subtle melodies, draped ethereal pads, utterly charming female vocals. A delicately cinematic xperience.

de-bug
Aus kommt aus Japan, heisst eigentlich Yasuhiko Fukuzono und fügt sich mit seinem neuen Album wie perfekt in das Moteer-Universum ein, dem Label der Band The Remote Viewer, das Schritt für Schritt erfolgreich vom Familien- zum tatsächlichen Künstlerlabel mutiert. Zwar klingen die Beats hier und da ein bisschen altbacken, sprich sehr technologisch und digital; all das wird aber durch die freundlich aufmunternde Naivität der Musik und der gehauchten Vocals wieder wett gemacht. Wenn The Remote Viewer in einem Tokyoter Hochhaus wohnen würden, sie würden mit Sicherheit so klingen. Es blubbert und spritzt, dann ruht es wieder, merkwürdige Noises bäumen sich auf und die Stimme von Sängerin Cokiyu deckt alles zu. Zwischendrin ein Piano-Ton, der mächtig genug ist, auch den Bullet Train anzuhalten. Sehr fein und noch viel leiser.

Lang
textura
Fukuzono's one of those rare producers whose work exemplifies technical command and compositional artistry in equal measure with the latter pointedly deployed in service to the latter. Every piece is a marvel of construction in rhythmic and melodic respects and, on the all-instrumental Lang, the Tokyo-based producer effortlessly segues between uptempo locomotion and delicate lullabies that sparkle iridescently. Sometimes beats and melodies work in tandem while at other times they work at cross-purposes, such as in “Double Talk” and “Moraine” which contrast the heft of thrusting grooves with willowy melodies that arc in slow motion. Fukuzono proves he knows his way around a funk construction too, judging by the fulminating beatsmithing parading through “Beyond the Curve,” while the beat programming skills showcased in the light-speed “Halo” and “Headphone Girl” verge on amazing.

smallfish
Having released delightfully gentle works of electronica art on U-Cover, Music Related and Moteer, Japanese artist Aus now turns to Linus Records' in-house label to deliver yet another beautiful selection of music. Chilled, crispy, engineered with love and affection, it's a collection of electronic music that sits on the melodic side of things and couples vocals to surprisingly catchy chords and sounds. Fans of the aforementioned labels will adore this, and people who enjoy the more downbeat side of the electronica scene will get a lot from it too. A luscious album that's full of feeling.

norman records
This is the work of one Yasuhiko Fukuzono, who on first listening summoned up comparisons to Kieran Hebden's Fourtet project. This is very much discernible through the use of twinkling melodies, chiming textures and glistening colours tempered by percussive beats and good use of space between sounds. Not quite as organic as my early comparisons are the pitched up synthetic beats on "Halo" which is countered by the live drums on track three "Double Talk". A fine album of blue but polished electronica if you like: Neo Oiuja, Expanding, CCO. Not at all challenging, easily digestible. I'll leave the technological guesswork to the boffins out there.

preco
Lang is an exquisite mix of IDM and beauty pop electronica album. aus makes beautiful and rhythmical sound with intricate percussive beats, bright and melancholic melodies. His before album " Sonorapid " has many vocal tracks. But this new one is instrumental album for fans of brightly sweet electronica/IDM.

my second thoughts
After a hectic period of participation in soundtrack scoring for Takafumi Tsuchiya's short films, producing remixes for Motoro Faam and Miyauchi Yuri, participation in mu-nest compilation "we are all cotton-hearted", and of course, his own album release "Sonorapid" in June, we all thought that Yasuhiko Fukuzono, a.k.a. aus, would take a short break in December. But, before the end of the year, he shocked everybody by releasing another full-length album, "Lang" (under the new Preco Records), which is his second album in 2006!!
"Lang" opens with the track "Clock", whereby it develops in a "slow-fast-slow" mode, which reflects the flows of "time" in our daily life. The passionate synth strings in the middle of the track is so powerful, and yet beautiful.
Following that, the track "Halo" allows Yasuhiko to show off his skills in beat programming. The beats written were layered with intensity and warm feeling, making it as a perfect song for a foggy morning.
"Double Talk" uses a live drum set sampling to structure the rhythm, melted with cut-up style scratching effects, with rhones and electric guitar hovering at the sides. If you like "Von Rechts Nach Links" in ausﾕs second album "Kangaroo Note", then you will definitely love this track!!
In "New Look", the breakbeat rhythm has changed into a glitch cover. The floating electronic notes at the end of the track connect the following track "Beyond The Curve" effortlessly. In the spacey ambient, the powerful drum beats kick in, accompanied by the beautiful rhones, electric guitars and clarinet, and Yasuhiko even throw in an awesome-almost-crazy drum programming at the end of this track, making it my favorite track in the album.
"Opaque" uses a dense rhones tones to mirror the impenetrable texture of "opaque". And its beats do remind me of the track "Midnight Wedding" in "Kangaroo Note".
Maybe because of the xylophone, or maybe because of the beats laid on a sea of vinyl noise, the track "Aslope" does give the breezy feel of summer beach.
One of the tracks provided in the official website for preview, is "Headphone Girl". This is a track that is easy to love. Unfortunately, the beats programming towards the end of the track became too complex and moved away from the mood of the track. Similarly in the following track "Moraine", the connection between the instruments and mood transition are somewhat too edgy and making it the least favorable track in the album.
Fortunately, we have a beautiful closing track in the form of "Stargazing". Yasuhiko portrayed a night sky with synth pad and electric guitar, and twinkle it with the starry breakbeats. Simply gorgeous!

mu-nest
The fourth full-length album from Tokyo-born Yasuhiko Fukuzono, a.k.a. aus, is a breathtaking mix of shimmering IDM and exquisite pop electronica.
Selling more than 1000 copies in Japan within a week of release,
"Lang" instills intricate percussive beats and subsonic frequencies with delectably gorgeous melodies. Highly recommended for fans of brightly sweet electronica/IDM.

Sonorapid
othermusic
We've been selling out of these in the shop for a while now with nothing but an impassioned, handwritten note letting customers know what it's like. So this review is probably long overdue. At first we were ready to brush Sonorapid off as another Japanese, Oval-esque IDM release; but we were soon drawn in and realized there is a lot more to this album than its surface elements. It does have skittery rhythms, clicks, whirrs, quietly ringing guitar notes and dreamy female vocals, but it all manages to transform within the song. Like the first Pole album, the elements that seem random or conceptual in other records reveal, upon closer inspection, a delicate arrangement that comes and goes, pushing the song forward. (All the songs have that quality, but check out track two, "Tewa Tori Aeru" and track four, "EMI.") That's the other thing about Aus, I can't imagine another artist that blends modern edginess with sweetness and effective song-y-ness in that Japanese way as well. Its kind of an update on the delicate balance reached on Nobukazu Takemura's very first Child's View album. Maybe it's the almost Nagisa Ni Te/romantic undertone that makes it special, that sweetness that's almost too sugary, but ends up being interesting enough, and having enough other qualities to offset the sweetness and lure you into it. This is definitely music for that "special" moment and that "special" place, but even if you're not necessarily in this mood, it will likely bring you there safe and sound. Excellent album.

smallfish
You'll find it's an utterly likeable blend of gentle electronic pop music with a lightly organic tone. Weaving a magical spell over the listener, Aus creates a sublime atmosphere that's relaxing and memorable... no wonder then that this album is much sought after. Do yourself a favour and check this out without any delay as it's a superb release.

music related
You've been up all night. Your ready to crash. But it's not time yet. The best part of the day is coming up. Time to sit by the window, or outside on the closest hillside. The sun breaks over the horizon, and your ready for another day. "Sonorapid" by 23 year old Tokyo-son Aus (Yasuhiko Fukuzono) ia the soundtrack to this moment. Shimmering electronics, soft vocals, and the sunrise. Intricate rhythms, subsonic frequencies, and female vocals are the plan. The sound of urban bedroom pop.

music (for robots)
In japan, find you fresh tunes.
Turns out it's an amazing little record. 9 songs, 42 minutes. All of it just wonderful, quiet beauty. The band is actually one guy - Yasuhiko Fukuzono from Tokyo. This is his third record, and I haven't yet had the opportunity to hear his others yet. His latest, Sonorapid is just wonderful. Everyone I play it for falls in love with it. I mean, what's not to like? Listen for yourselves. It's quite delicate and sparse, but never cold or informal. It's like a nice glass of lemonade, and not in some old fashioned country kinda way.

dotshop
Warm lush washes of shimmering bedroom pop in sunset.
Highly recommended.

don poe, ear/rational
Lush and delicious ambient techno - plenty of quirks and pops to keep it moving but soothing tones and chill melodies to relax. There is a vibrant woman's voice that calls through the mist of sweeps that reminds me of the lady that sings in Lynch movies, a nice soft edge. This appears to be made by folks in Japan and this music pulls some great traditions of their culture into make these tunes really unique ambient melodies. Chilled out, put on ice and ready to serve! Pleasing, light bubbly taste with hints of flowers and breezes, no heavy, dark oak flavors here!

textura
aus's Sonorapid is tailor-made for those who prefer their electronic music warm and soothing rather than abrasive and chilling. Tokyo artist Yasuhiko Fukuzono's tracks shimmer like summer haze lifting off a desert highway and glistens like sunlight sparkle reflecting off a gently rippling lake. Don't get the wrong impression, though: while the tone may be placid on the dreamy meditation “It's Tomorrow Already,” Aus's intricately programmed material is typically uptempo and bursting with activity. On“Tewa Tori Aeru,” scurrying electronics keep up a perpetual dance while a piano voices a minimal tinkling melody and Cokiyu adds soft vocals. Fukuzono often pairs a slow vocal line with a considerably more animated accompaniment, a case in point “Koeto,” where percussive treatments suggest its creator's Japanese origins. Led by Suntra's acoustic guitar picking and a gently funky rhythm treatment, “EMI” swings breezily under Yukiko Okamoto's vocal whisper while the multi-layered wonderland “Music” entrances. To Fukuzono's credit, Sonorapid manages to be delectably pretty without sounding vapid in the process.

mu-nest
I've fell greatly in love with the crafty works by an artist called aus. aus is actually an individual project by Yasuhiko Fukuzono, a very young but extremely talented musician from Tokyo. By the time he released his beautifully crafted debut album "Kangaroo Note" under the awesome Belgium label U-Cover in 2004, he was only 20 years old. The following year, he pushed up a gear and released his second album "Crowding" under the same label.
aus's pieces are mainly IDM-genred with glitch pop sensibilities. He cleverly injected charming melodic lines and fascinating glitch beats into his works, making it a real pleasant listening experience. In addition to these toe-tapping IDM-fueled tracks, he also considerately put in some ambient stuff into his albums. Besides balancing up the whole listening, these ambient compositions also reflect the calm side of aus.

In 2006, the now 23 years old Yasuhiko, proudly put the third album onto his belt. His third album, "Sonorapid" (released by New York label, Music Related, which is also home to Shugo Tokumaru and Luminous Orange), continues from where "Kangaroo Note" and "Crowding" have left off. In this more matured album, we can't help but to notice aus's programming skills and his sense towards easy-listening melody and sound texture has improved distinctively. The melodies and rhythm in "Sonorapid" were elegantly smoothened and we can hardly find any edgy joints in it, as we've bumped into quite a few in "Kangaroo Note" and "Crowding". Furthermore, the introduction of vocals has contributed to a richer sound texture and has made the album even more heart warming and soul moving. Out of these three, "Sonorapid" is definitely my favorite aus's album!

norman records
A dreamy blend of awkward rhythms and breathy female vocals that will appeal to fans of Mum. The production is shimmering.

avantfolk
aus is the project in solitary of the Japanese Yasuhiko Fukuzono. That of Tokyo publishes what is their third disk, in fact since before this premiere for Music Related, it published two cd-r of limited edition (95 copies) in the Belgian stamp Or-Cover ('Kangaroo Notices' in the 2004 and 'Crowding' one year later), besides putting music to a plentiful list of short experimental. That that here presents us it is a compact work of pop electronic digital. Pop electronic to the Japanese: gentle, silky and encircling. Yasuhiko builds a milime´trica it bases rhythmic, the redecora with glitches and textures and on her it inserts a dream-pop of reverberated guitars, keyboards oni´ricos and melancholic melodies. Everything very well produced.
Although he/she doesn't help to escape from the standard of Japanese contemporary pop music the added of invited feminine voices (those that leaving of Bjork finds Piana via Tujiko Noriko), 'Sonorapid' it is a pleasant album, of night atmosphere and he/she listens horizontal that, without ending up reaching the status and the personality of (to name some artists of their time and office) a Shugo Tokumaru or the mentioned Naoko Sasaki (Piana), it contains (inside their regularity) good moments like the beautiful pop ensonadorar of 'Tewa Tori Aeru' and 'Small Time' and the integration of certain folk-jazz in 'EMI.'

cvs musique
Aus nous propose aujourd'hui "Sonorapid", quarante-deux minutes de pur bonheur électronique, avec neuf morceaux d'une esthétique sonore séduisante, des programmations inspirées, et, cerise sur le gâteau, une douce voix féminine en filigrane des rythmiques. Il n'y a pas de doute, Aus vient de rejoindre les hautes sphères de la scène electronica japonaise !

Crowding
u-cover
aus second Cdr release from the 21 year old Yasuhiko Fukuzono from Tokyo, Japan on U-cover. Again he shows his skills and unique approch to todays IDM music. aus keeps a very natural feel to his music and these 8 tracks sounds very complimentory to his last years debut release on U-cover CDr limited.

foam
This is a Japanese artist's second album in cdrseries from u-cover.
I don't know whether he is doing the activity of the other country and other label at all. However, I feel that the quality is very high as long as this is heard. It's not sulky like electronica and an intermediate sound through the ambient that is not pure techno. However, it's easy to hear it very much because it firmly has the rhythm.

lounge label
There are nostalgic feeling in the electronic sound and the evening in summer.
I think that a trend in erectoronic music for a certain period of time has already ended,but good sound remains forever.

Kangaroo Note
u-cover
aus is the 21 year old Yasuhiko Fukuzono from Tokyo, Japan. With these 11 tracks aus shows us his fresh and open mind and gives a personal interpretation to today's IDM style and 21th century ambient music.

chill out
Kangaroo Note is 11 track that develops in his unique,nostalgic and fantastic soundscape,though he is very young.

lounge label
Why do I come to want to listen to the electronic sound in the place where no one exists.
Magnificent red heap of mountains of Doromite.
Top in infinite mountains that I saw in Whistler.
Sands in Phuket of evening.
Sound of sprayed wind.
Sound of surging wave.
The electronic sound sounds slowly between the nature that swings by 1/f.