Ta-ku is the stage name of Regan Matthews, an Australian musician, producer and photographer. He is of half-Filipino and half-Maori heritage, his stage name is a nod to the latter. He has released music on Sunday Records, Future Classic, and Fool’s Gold.  Nujabes (Jun Seba) was a pioneer in the trip-hop genre, blending the sounds of jazz, hip hop, and electronic music into one succinct composition. 25 Beats For Nujabes was originally released in 2013, and was constructed as a eulogy for the “Dilla of Japan”.Ta-ku describes this album as “A beat a night for 25 nights in dedication to Seba Jun.”, and barring a trio of bonus tracks, that is exactly what we have here. “Night 1” starts with simple piano that corrals sword-fight snares, throbbing sub-bass, and stereo panned synths. “Night 7” is thick breaks and hazy woodwind, “Night 8” is reverberating piano and woody claps. “Night 20” is piano bubbling up from vinyl surface texture, “Night 23” is peppy piano chords and shuffling percussion. The last three tracks are exclusive to this physical format and feature Toronto producer Matt McWaters. This is the first official vinyl release of this album, and includes a 12x24 poster with an image representing each track.

• double black vinyl pressing
• includes 12x24 insert
• digital download included
• limited edition
• music label: Jakarta Records 2019

reviewed by CHILLED COW 07/2019