Article: Introducing… Ackky

Article: Introducing… Ackky

If you’re into Moodymann or Theo Parrish, then you definitely should check out Ackky. Also if you aren’t into dance music you’ll find something appealing in his music. Ackky was kind enough to provide us with an exclusive live mix he did some months ago at a party in Tokyo. We’ll post that later this week, so be sure to check that out! But first, read this article to get familiar with this Japanese producer/dj.

If you think we at The Find Magazine only listen to hip hop, then you’re wrong. We appreciate all sorts of music. From jazz and funk to dubstep and beats à la Flying Lotus. You probably also know we have a special connection with Japan.

In my opinion there isn’t one country in the world that brings so much high quality releases almost every month of the year.

Labels like Jazzy Sport, Oil Works and Hydeout productions keep pushing the boundaries of music and keep releasing high quality music that is hard to label.

It’s a pity that most of the music released on Japanese labels never reach the American or European market.

Jazzy Sport releases are an exception; you can buy those online for very fair prices. In all the other cases, import is the only (and expensive) solution. Because of this, a lot of gems remain unknown for the general public.

One of those gems is ‘Composition by a Japanese house producer called Ackky. The name probably doesn’t ring a bell to most people, but he’s around since the early 90’s! After being involved with different bands (he played saxophone in the Japanese hardcore band Nukey Pikes), he started DJing at various underground parties all over Japan. Shortly after he also started producing his own tracks, but none of them got released ‘till 2006 when two of his tracks appeared on differentcheap Windows 10 Professional Key compilation albums.

His track ‘Limoncello’ got picked for the Turbosonic Vol.1 compilation released by the well known vintage audio shop Turbo Sonic (Shibuya, Tokyo). They’re best known for their vintage boomboxes. His second song ‘Riverside’ was featured in the soundtrack of Far East Skate Network’s movie ‘Underground Broadcasting’. It also appeared on a 12’’ release in 2007. After those two releases Ackky faded into the background as a producer, but he continued his activity as a dj. In that time he also released various high quality mix CDs. Luna Llena & ‘Chill Out 2006 are my personal favorites.&l

Last year was a turning point in Ackky’s career. His debut album Compositionfinally sees daylight. To classify ‘Composition’ as a House album wouldn’t do justice to the music. Ackky is influenced by a lot of different genres. You can clearly hear that on ‘Composition’. Tracks like ‘Inside’ and ‘P.P.G’ are dancefloor orientated deep house bangers, while ‘Relove’ is a funky trip-hop song that takes you back to trip-hop’s golden age. The opening track ‘Mantaray’ starts slow, but evolves into a chill house song. The song is build up around a guitar part played by Kensuke Saito from 9dw. Definitely check out their self titled album. Essential stuff from 2008 re-released on vinyl by Wax Poetics Records.

‘Snowman’ is another song that will get people moving, but it’s not as dark as aforementioned ‘Inside’ or ‘P.P.G.’. On ‘Ex’, ‘Cut up’ and ‘Untitle Acid’ Ackky takes us on a flight through beautiful ambient soundscapes. Perfect music to chill out to after a hard night of partying. My favorite track on the album is ‘Back To Tail’, which is a laid back track with some jazzy saxophone sounds. The percussion on that track is done by Izpon who collaborated with Cro-Magnon on their albums ‘III’ and 4U.

If you’re into Moodymann or Theo Parrish, then you definitely should check out Ackky. Also if you aren’t into dance music you’ll find something appealing in his music. Ackky was kind enough to provide us with an exclusive live mix he did some months ago at a party in Tokyo. We’ll post that later this week, so be sure to check that out!

More info: Ackky

Do you like Japan? Then check out our new printed magazine with a Nujabes Memorial (words by Shin-Ski, Verbal, Substantial, Pase Rock, Emancipator and Blazo)

Harry is The Find's unrivaled audio expert. He knows everything about the best possible record player, audio set-up or portable gear. Talking to him makes you ALMOST want to switch from vinyl records to digital files–because for Harry it's all about a 'Glorious Sound.'