KiWi "Promise" (Zoom Lens)
The latest release from high-profile netlabel Zoom Lens, "Promise" is a collaboration between Tokyo-based Azupubschool and Coris from Osaka — two young producers who are no strangers to the netlabel scene. The two first worked together when Azu remixed "Jikuu no Tobira" from Coris' 2014 debut "Across Time & Space," and now they've begun working together under the name KiWi.
A first release on Zoom Lens for both Azu and Coris, "Promise" represents a departure for the artists and also the label. While the typical Zoom Lens release has its vocals buried deep in the mix as per shoegaze tradition — singers' voices serving as one texture of many — Coris' sugar-sweet vocals are strong and clear throughout. With the production in the background and the singer at the forefront, the conventional pop presentation is a surprise for a release by the label. However, it's a welcome departure; for an imprint as fascinating and progressive as the Los Angeles-by-way-of-Tokyo collective, staying in the same place for too long would do them little justice.
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