Album Notes

QUICK FACTS:

* 7 piece Montreal underground trip hop cinematic jazz vibe

* Produced by Kevin Komoda (Rational Youth, Brave New Waves)


FULL FACTS:

Originally conceived as the jazzman's surrender to the hip-hop beat, Kobayashi's sounds have developed into an amalgamation of electronica, jazz, trip-hop and orchestral undertones. Formed at the crack of the new millennium, this seven-headed monster wasted little time infiltrating Montreal's musical underground, and then setting its sights on the rest of the country. With a musical style set to satisfy the energetic hot-stepper, the head- bopping groove aficionado and the cerebral shadow-lurking jazz musician alike, it is fitting that Kobayashi has been blessed with a loyal and growing fan base

THE RELEASE:

Strange Lights and Resolutions marks the first full-length studio effort from Montreal electro jazz merchants Kobayashi. Recorded on 24-track tape in just under a week, the album infuses mature arrangements with the energy of spontaneity and improvisation. The analog process adds the desired roundness to Kobayashi's sound - a dark blend of jazz, funk, dub and trip-hop. From gripping opener "Never Was", to the intriguing grooves of "Narn't" and the haunting pronouncements in "Shadows", the album strikes a balance between simple and sophisticated, cerebral and soulful, experimental and tasteful.

Special guest on the album is Rosina Kazi, vocalist from Toronto group LAL (voted #1 Soul album in Exclaim 2004 Year in Review).


PRESS

"Premier album en vue pour le groupe qui fait danser les intellos et qui fait réfléchir les danseurs." (Benoît Brière - ICI Montréal)

"It shouldn't be long before Kobayashi rocks larger stages with more epic results." (Noel Dix - Exclaim!)

"Kobayashi: un secret à révéler!" (Alexandre Vigneault- La Presse)

"If there's any justice, Kobayashi will be huge."
(Bernard Pérusse - Montreal Gazette)

www.kobayashimusic.com