CD, Electr-Ohm Records, 2006
www.cavestudio.com
Live albums. They either work, or they don’t. When they work they can be just the most amazing experience close to seeing it in person, at its worse it just doesn’t come across as well as the recorded music. With “Used up and Empty”, this is as good, if not better than Sunao Inami’s recorded material.
Recorded early 2006 in Belgium and Switzerland, this release shows amazing depth and style. At first it starts off rather slowly, almost unassumingly so with some glitch and ambient sounds, then as soon as tracks “Marker 3” and “Marker 4” kick in, a noise and a rhythm just come from out of nowhere, to disappear just as suddenly again. Sunao Inami really does take experimental music somewhere else.
Glitch, Electronica, IDM, Noise, he’s got it all covered. “Marker 10” is actually bordering on dance with a great, uncomplicated rhythm – and I defy anyone not to dance to it! The way he uses noise is rather special. It’s not constant but when it does come along it really does surprise the listener and grabs the attention 100%. Perhaps the only way one can classify this is as being ‘Intelligent Noise’ – maybe that’s what Sunao Inami really is?
An added bonus to this release is the inclusion of a data track with a 45 minute MP3 file, recorded by a fan at one of Sunao’s performances in Belgium. An ‘official bootleg’ (after a fashion) which makes this release even more worth the acquisition.
All in all this is a great release from an artist who really should be a lot bigger than he presently is. A live CD that actually makes me want to go and see this live in person. Excellent work.
[8/10]
— Kate Turgoose