Out of the colossal shadow Nujabes cast both in life and posthumously with his legendary stable hydeout productions and all of his art comes something of a reincarnation, one that is familiar in spirit yet stands alone from its previous form. A label called Visioneternal burst onto the scene in 2010 and with it, a super talented music producer/beat maker known to the world as Nitsua, who just so happens to be a member of hydeout productions and Visioneternal’s founder. Fitting then, as the beat maestro’s sound is unmistakeably influenced by Jun Seba’s unmistakable hallmarks.
After dropping tracks like Always Remember, Still Remember, & Visa (featuring popular emcee and long-time Nujabes collaborator Shing02), Nitsua released his very first album last month called Dayscape – an album that took him eight years to complete. I’m sure the album is absolutely fantastic but I haven’t yet been able to listen to it in its entirety by way of the fact that the premier single – Lost In Translation – is, for my money, the most gorgeous song of 2015. The opening cords from the wistful piano sets the mood and then gives way to the honey-saturated acoustic guitar riff. By the time the minimalist yet substantial drum loop comes in, a smooth and simple bass enriches the sonic scape. As if that wasn’t enough, along comes the aural crown jewel of Nitsua’s serene yet stirring number: the emotive blaring of a sensational saxophone in the foreground with a fleeting clarinet and subtle but playful flute in the back. Simply put, this track is a marvellous escape; an aural journey one pines for but ultimately never ends up taking until the right ticket is purchased. Nitsua’s Lost In Translation is the ticket in question and the journey is one that you should absolutely take before the year is out.
Listen to Lost In Translation below and check out the full album on Bandcamp: