Domo Arigato

Always be / always be there for me / there’s no reason why / reason why I’m here / rise and fall / rise and fall, ponders Michiyuki Kawashima with searing nasal inflection amidst a flurry of hi-hat mutated breakbeats. Stark power chords blast while a backing gospel chorus jumps in to repeat the refrain “rise and fall” and the drums shift into a meticulous thunderous rain. This type of precision production is employed through the entirety of Boom Boom Satellites’ fourth album Full of Elevating Pleasures.

Hailing from Japan, Kawashimi and partner Masayuki Nakano over the course of several tours have crafted a unique hybrid, mixing four-to-the-floor electronica, rock and gospel that rivals late 90s innovators The Prodigy in their prime. “Moment I Count” features heavy delay on Kawashima’s vocals (“every moment I count down”) much akin to Miss Kittin or Peretz’s tactics live, as the thumping beats build tension into a snarling drum roll more exhilarating than the majority used by trance DJs. The dancehall leanings continue on “Ride On” and “Spine” until BBS lowers the BPM enough to allow their synth programming to take center stage along with Nakano’s thick basslines.

The divergent genres meld best on “Back in the Night” where the sequencing, percussive guitar scrapes and the catchy hook “dance the night away” all act in concert; it’s methodical without being too rigid, and enthusiastic without being frantic. Moments like that in addition to the bounding “Dive For You” seem ready for rocking giant festival crowds. Konnichwa Boom Boom Satellites. We hope to hear more from you soon.