Review Text
ECHOLOCATION is all about the mood. Both live and on record, the music put forth by Massa and Tetsuroh is aimed at putting the listener in relaxation mode. At the core of each track lies the calming, visceral rhythm of Massa's bass. In the forefront, the brass voice of Tetsuroh's trumpet. And weaving them together is an ambient matrix of electronic sound, composed with a dually modern and organic touch. Massa and Tetsuroh first met in 2006 at a live event in Tokyo. They each took a liking to the other's musical style from the start, and eventually came to collaborate together in 2007, when Massa's band was hired to play at an event and was in need of a trumpet. They continued to play together in different settings, and in late 2008 the two decided to come together as Echolocation and experiment with producing electronic tracks to complement their respective instruments. From there, Echolocation evolved into the smooth, dreamy sound it is today. Gaining attention internationally from several labels in the electronic music scene, several Echolocation tracks were picked up in 2010 and used in compilations such as Peacelounge's "Early Morning Breaks Vol. 2" and Geyser Recordings' "Geyser Lounge Vol. 2." In early 2011, the duo decided to launch their first physical EP release, "Beauty in an Empty Glass." THE ARTISTS TETSUROH KONISHI (trumpet) Influenced by his father, he first began listening to jazz during elementary school, taking up the trumpet in the fifth grade and performing with the school band from elementary into senior high school. At around his junior year, he began listening to modern French music and gradually came to hold ardor for contemporary music, embarking on songwriting from there. He studied composition, jazz theory and harmonics at Tokyo Conservatoire Shobi for one year, but due to certain circumstances he quit, later attending a regular university. After that, he took to self-study, primarily using DAWs to compose music. Tetsuroh is a member of the composer group PORT (Modern/Contemporary/Classical). Notable Performances: 2008 Tronto Fringe Festival (Toronto/Tokyo); 2008 KENZO reception party music (Party produced by Laurent Ghnassia); 2007 Daegu Internatinal Colorful Dance Festival Kinya 'ZULU' Tsuruyama Solo Dance (Korea/Daegu); 2007 CanAsian International Dance Festival (Toronto) Albums: Kra 'Creatures' (King Records, Japan), 2007; Sanzo's Song Collection, from the popular anime, 'Saiyuki' (Frontier Works, Japan), 2007; Nine Dreams and Nine Mornings (Featuring Zen OIKAWA, musical producer for world-famous animator, Hayao Miyazaki), 2006 MASSA TAKEMOTO (bass, track composition) Japanese by birth, Massa Takemoto has followed a calling in music since childhood. At the age of 19, he left Japan to pursue an associate's degree in music at MiraCosta College in California. He remained in the States for five years after graduating, during which time he toured the West as a member of the band May Pole before coming back to Japan in 2003. Since his return, he has been extensively involved in a number of musical collaborations and has released several solo projects. In 2009, he climbed aboard Takui Nakajima's 'Ultra Slacker' project while developing Echolocation with Tetsuroh Konishi. TV appearances : Cox cable and Time Warner cable in Southern California (United States); Fuji TV 'Factory' (Tokyo, Japan); Minato Cable TV (Tokyo, Japan); MJTV Japan (Shibuya Duo: Tokyo, Japan) Venues/Festivals : Whisky A GO GO (Los Angeles, CA), Coconut Teaszer (Los Angeles, CA), San Diego County Fair at the Del Mar Fairgrounds (San Diego, CA), Leudrock 2 (San Diego, CA), Belly Up Tavern (San Diego, CA), Casbah (San Diego, CA), Blind Melons (San Diego, CA), Cane's (San Diego, CA), Club Asia P (Tokyo, Japan), eggman (Tokyo, Japan), among others.
