Yosi Horikawa^JP

Japanese musician, sound designer and producer Yosi Horikawa finds rhythm in seemingly everything, from kitchen utensils to random birdsong, weaving in more DIY sound concoctions to create music that compels while confounding, ultimately absorbing listeners in its eclectic, maximalist joy.

Horikawa began making music on home tape decks at the age of 12, went on to study architecture and acoustics in university, and continues to build his own instruments and speakers. In 2009, he released his first EP, Touch, on French label Eklektik Records, going on to release a track on Ubeat’s Maverick Sessions EP series, and contribute a now-widely-popular track (“Passion”) to the Nihon Kizuna compilation for tsunami relief in 2011. His latest LP, on First Word Records, comes alongside three EPs on the same label, brimming with stunning oddities – dull squeaking, a soft static glitch, footsteps, ethereal vocals – and invigorating beats. Horikawa recently collaborated with Dorian Concept, Anenon and Jesse Boykins III at the Red Bull Music Academy in Madrid, played an impressively diverse live Boiler Room set with fellow First Word artists Souleance, Comfort Fit and Gilla, and, among other international appearances, performed at Barcelona’s Sonar festival and TodaysArt Festival in The Hague.