Chris DeLine

Time is a remarkable thing. Let’s say that you’re one of the many many millions of people who choose to tie their shoes each day, how long does that take? And to get to work? And how long does it take you to complete any number of other tasks throughout the day? Let’s say, continuing with the hypotheticals here, that you are a musician and you choose to record an albums worth of material. How long would that take? For some it may take a week, some years, but in general it takes a lot of preparation and a whole lot of time. The question that follows is, how long does it take people to pay attention to your music and how much of their time are they then willing to spend? In the case of the Japanese group Cacoy it has taken quite a bit of time for their music to be heard in the American market (outside of a very small, very knowledgeable audience). Human is Music was recorded and released some three years ago, not long after Cacoy had formed, coming as a union of celebrated Japanese musicians DJ Klock, Saya and Takashi Ueno.

Space and distance, too, are remarkable things. Many wonder what life is like half way around the world. Would daily life be better? What would you do? Who would surround you? Though in some ways there are likenesses and genuine attractions of the same regard between people on both sides of the earth life is strange and it takes time for people and places to adjust to one another. Human is Music is odd in that it doesn’t redefine the barriers to entry of any particular genre, but rather mirrors a global influence and in doing so hits its mark. Tracks such as “Mural Music” confront American urban jazz with a reflection of Tokyo modernism, suggesting that it isn’t necessarily best to be the first performing a style but rather that grace can come from adaptation and manipulation of the norm. Such is the beauty of the album; it reflects what was happening on the verge of music in Japan in 2003, but finds relevance with its mainstream release in 2006. What was true about its songs then is true now. The same goes for what was beautiful and entertaining about the songs. Time is a remarkable thing; it is precious and is worth more than any of us can afford. Sometimes time is wasted and sometimes time wastes us, but for Human is Machine, time has simply proven its worth.

[This post was first published by Culture Bully.]