Following the much-lauded debut single ‘Dansu’, a hymn to dancing the night away that gained support from Soulwax, Bill Brewster and dEUS front man Tom Barman, Belgian-Japanese artist Aili joins forces again with one of Belgium’s most exciting new electronica acts Transistorcake.
Anyone who’s heard Transistorcake’s previous releases will know his love of a 303 and ‘Oki’ sees the pair up the tempo and twist a sinuous acid bass line over Aili’s chopped up vocals and mantra like chant of “Oki ku natara” (“when I grow up”) to create a propulsive club track.
Sticking with the squelchy bass line, ‘Pari Pari’ drops the tempo and ups the funk, Aili’s vocals perfectly blending in with the ethereal synths to create an other-worldly vibe. Curious minds should know the track takes its title from Aili’s dad’s name for tonkatsu, a kind of Japanese schnitzel, that crackle (Japanese - Pari) as you eat them, there you go you’ve learned something new today.
Gleefully eclectic and joyful in nature, ‘Pari Pari’ and 'Oki' are a perfect introduction to Aili and her musical world, a playful place where anything goes. With the pair currently working together on a new live show it’s to be hoped it won’t be too long before we can all dance together again.
“I left Tokyo for Belgium when I was 7 years old and in many ways my Japanese stayed at that level. When I sing in Japanese it puts me into this naive, almost childlike mindset that allows me to express what I feel right away. You don’t need to understand the words just the feeling that they convey.” Aili
Picture by Tina Herbots. Artwork by Emma Verhulst.