It may be a tired and overused cliché, but there are some people whose creativity is such that the boundaries of life and art become somewhat blurred; life echoes art as art is imbued with the trials, tribulations, and wonders that life's experiences bring. And in an era where bands are manufactured and openly set in motion according to the machinations of record labels, media giants, and the world of fashion, I guess what makes these cases feel so important is that they convey something more valuable: a certain sincerity or intimacy -- a certain soul. Rarely is this feeling so clearly evident than in the case of Japanese musician and self proclaimed ‘art activist’, Takuji Aoyagi. Not only does Aoyagi seem to embrace artistic ventures on a number of counts (he is a multi-instrumentalist, and has produced soundtracks to films, fashion shows and picture books!), but his music is undeniably bound to his love of traveling. With every track he records, Aoyagi seems to be attempting to capture the essence of a particular culture which he has come to experience in his travels.

This is fitting, as the name of Aoyagi’s solo project, Kama Aina, is the Hawaiian for 'native man'. On the curiously titled Club Kama Aina, Aoyagi treats us to an abundance of native acoustic instruments and found sounds, field recordings and the like which carry with them a strong sense of culture and place. Without a doubt, the best example of this is the exquisite "Millport" which suspends slowly unraveling vocals against a backdrop of piano keys set to samples of waves on the beach, dogs barking, a motorbike driving away, cars beeping, rain falling, splashing water, and finally, birds singing. But while this might sound chaotic or gimmicky in the wrong hands, all this is executed with such care and precision that it blends into a beautifully harmonious tapestry and a real feeling of being there. The hard thing to explain about this is how Aoyagi manages to convey the same sense of place on other tracks without the use of these field recordings. This is clearly a complex and delicate operation, owing equally to the crystal-clear production style as to the choice of instruments and minimal, looping, building and interweaving song structures.

Album opener "Hotaru" perhaps best crystallizes the way Kama Aina’s subtle nuances and slightly atonal progressions combine with ostensibly simple song structures to form something almost hypnotic. Indeed, this track also indicates another aspect of Aoyagi’s work which is so important: the influence of other musicians. Within the first 30 seconds of the album there are clear nods to fellow Japanese sample wizard, Cornelius. The simple looping guitar, harmonics, and understated trademark analogue-samples-put-into-digital-beat-sequencer drums could perhaps best be described as the sound of Point as an acoustic album. Another artist who I cannot help but bring into the equation is Scotland-based Future Pilot AKA, whose influence is not only clear stylistically, but most likely the reason Aoyagi takes "Millport" and "Glasgow Sky" as places of inspiration in the first place. Another important parallel between the two artists are the familiar group of people guesting on the album. Stephen Pastel, Isobel Campbell and Bill Wells, each of which help to record (and perhaps form) Club Kama Aina can also be found on Future Pilot’s equally outstanding Tiny Waves, Mighty Sea.

But I suppose that’s the whole point of the album -- it’s about the places you visit on your travels and the people who influence you along the way. That’s the interesting contradiction of Club Kama Aina: it may well represent a preoccupation with the isolated native island-dweller’s relationship to his home land, but it simultaneously embraces and marvels at the sheer variety of cultural diversity which Aoyagi has encountered in his island-hopping. Happily, this is a comfortable contradiction, as the opposing Eastern and Western origins only serve to bring out the musical eclecticism at the heart of the album. While some tracks may appear underwhelming to begin with, the album really starts to sparkle after a few listens and becomes all the more rewarding because of the extra effort it demands. Club Kama Aina is a beautiful album and well up there with the best of Aoyagi’s work, possibly even his best yet.

-Alan Miles