Shuya Okino and Yoshihiro Okino first came to our attention way back in 1994 along with the first wave of Japanese leftfield jazz and hip hop producers (spearheaded by UFO and championed by the newly born Mo Wax).
Since then they've spent the last eight years working ponderously on four compilation albums, four single releases and 13 remixes. Which means that, amazingly, this is their debut artist album.
Thankfully, unlike with so many long awaited missives, 'Spirit of the Sun' is unlikely to disappoint fans.
As you'd expect from an outfit that was named by Gilles Peterson (he referred to the DJ duo as the "Kyoto Jazz Massive" in an interview with a magazine in the early Nineties), this draws its inspiration from the curve of jazz progression that arched across the globe since the London warehouse scene spawned rare groove and the Black Forest forged Compost.
Expect broken beats, bubbling bass lines, minor chord changes, jazz vocal lines. And if that doesn't do anything for you avoid at all costs.
The album begins with the impressionistic 'The Dawn Introduction', a cut away section that really acts as a gateway into 'The Brightness Of These Days'.
Both feature Venessa Freeman on vocals and while there is an obvious attraction in having 'The Dawn Introduction' at the beginning of the set, the following two songs - the Liston Smith alluding 'Mind Expansions (featuring Maiya James)' and the Victor Davis featuring 'Deep in Your Mind' - in fact make stronger front end pieces.
For broken beat fans of bass bleeps and percussion clicks the album really kicks in with the faultless instrumental 'Stargazer', followed closely by the equally sublime 'Eclips', which rolls in on a ride symbol hissing over the top of a kick drum pattern that practically trips over itself.
'Between The Lights' slips into something a little cooler in a Stan Getz meets Issac Hayes fashion (even if the tone is a little falsetto for Getz), while 'Shine (feat. Chris Franck and Guida De Palma)' adds stronger Latin flavours to the menu.
Recent single 'Substream' is a beautifully atmospheric bass heavy funk house track which leads the way into a more upbeat outro via 'Behind the Shadow' and the final out-take 'M.E. Outroduction'.
A long time coming, but well worth waiting for.
