Akatombo

Akatombo

Sometime, Never

Hand-held Recordings

Following on from his critically acclaimed False Positives and Editions Mego collaborations with E.G. Lewis of Wire / Dome, ex-pat Scotsman and long-time resident of Hiroshima Paul Thomsen Kirk delivers his fourth album—ten tracks full of atmospheric, powerful, beat-driven, electronic-based compositions.  From the persuasively percussive-led to dark ambient soundscapes to sleazy, wide-screen, full-on, bass-bin rumblings, Sometime, Never has it all… just because.  “[A] meld of post-punk toxic ambient angst (à la Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire) with contemporary rhythmic models…. Akatombo is big on alienation and … generally conveys a feeling of being close-up to events and places while at the same time feeling disconnected and uncomprehending of them…. [A] brilliantly compelling, adrenalin-soaked antidote to the tranquil hedonism into which electronica has been too apt to lapse in recent years.” —David Stubbs, Resident Advisor  “[Paul Kirk’s] beatscapes hearken back to the industrial pioneers of the mid-’80s, but his sound is decidedly contemporary, a mix of drums, bass, bleached tones and samples that veer from dub to club…. The best tracks display more than mood; they reverberate with sass.” —Richard Allen, A Closer Listen  “A killer collection of programmed beats, layered samples, dark atmospheres, thick guitars, and droney-ambience, sounding at times like Muslimgauze, or like a more chill Necro Deathmort, or one of those bands who might have shared a compilation with Techno Animal or Sidewinder back in the day. The vibe is definitely on the isolationist tip, murky and claustrophobic, the beats are crunchy and caustic,...

Akatombo

False Positives

Hand-held Recordings

***Dark and brooding or mellifluously uplifting (take your pick), the third full-length album from Hiroshima-based, ex-pat Scotsman PAUL THOMSEN KIRK carries on from Unconfirmed Reports the recurrent, underlying theme of urban and cultural alienation in a media-saturated Japanese metropolitan environment. Whether skimming the surface or trawling the dank underbelly, Kirk examines the daily minutiae of life in a large, concrete-and-glass-and-steel Japanese city, in all its garish hues and faded glories. Accessing all areas, and dispelling some Japanese urban myths along the way, False Positives is a thoroughly enticing, mesmeric, 360-degree adventure. Limited edition DVDr contains six videos.