'Liquid Yellow Portraits' by Shingo Suzuki

'Liquid Yellow Portraits' marks the highly anticipated release from Shingo Suzuki now available through the revered Origami Productions.

Origami has long served as a fantastic hub of innovative music releases with projects initially embracing hip-hop, soul and jazz before slowly expanding the label's repertoire to invite more free-flowing and broader sounds.  With past releases by Kan Sano, mabanua and Michael Kaneko, the inclusion of Shingo Suzuki proves a fantastic fit.

The Tokyo-based bassist, keyboardist and producer has steadily been releasing a string of standalone singles under his own name for some time with his initial solo full-length release coming in the form of the hip-hop-centric 'The Abstract Truth' in 2008.

Suzuki's resume has literally burst to the brim since then having focused more on group projects and collaborations in his career.  Perhaps most noted for his work as a band member for the alternative R&B and synth-pop trio Ovall (also Origami Productions stallwarts), Suzuki's extensive musical credits include a litany of collaborations for Japanese-based artists including work with Hanah, Coin Banks, Laidbook and Kenichi Takemoto. 

Boundlessly versatile in his styles and abilities, Suzuki's vast musical projects have seen him tailor his style to accommodate a range of sounds and genres while still reserving just the right sprinkle of distinctive brilliance for his own releases.

In a tantalising stream of initially standalone single releases on Bandcamp over the last few years, Suzuki's jazz-meets-hip-hop inspired compositions have finally been afforded an appropriate home with the release of 'Liquid Yellow Portraits'.  

Featuring some wonderful inclusions on the album, notably from Ruri Matsumura who provides standout vocal performances on the past singles 'You Don't Know (What Life Is)' and the neo-soul gem 'Flower Dance', the album also soars with its charismatic jazz pieces like the brilliant frenetic energy of 'Backwards' and the sublime but assertive 'All in Your Palms'.  Matsumura delivers a further gem with her appearance for the dreamy and captivating 'Miss You Already' which serves as another distinctive album highlight.

'Liquid Yellow Portraits' proves such a fantastic depiction of Shingo Suzuki's incredible talents - personality-filled productions bursting with imagination and charisma that are demonstrative of a phenomenally well-rounded artist in his own right.