Valentina Magaletti and YPY

“Kansai Bruises” takes shape as a joint venture between instrumental improvisation and Intelligent Dance Music. On one side is Valentina Magaletti, the Bari-born percussionist and producer based in London, whose increasingly well-established path runs through projects such as Tomaga, Moin and Vanishing Twin. On the other is Koshihiro Hino, Japanese musician best known for his role in radical math-rock outfit Goat, here operating as YPY, his electronic project rooted in abstract techno.

Released on London label AD93, the album is, at heart, a percussion record. It could almost be read as a single, extended thirty-six-minute solo — if that image didn’t risk conjuring seventies nightmares for the more allergy-prone listener. The outcome of the collaboration is, in fact, quite far removed from that scenario. What lies at the core of the record is the ability to keep a firm, recognisable rhythmic centre while everything around it shifts. The dialogue between the two musicians generates a constantly reshuffled fabric, where acoustic and electronic elements chase one another, overlap, and push back in subtle competition.

The title track places Magaletti in the foreground, building a nearly melodic motion across the toms through micro-variations and accents that seem to sing as much as they articulate pulse. “Lantern Lit Run” tilts the balance towards Hino, whose dense and compelling glitch scatter eventually locks into snare patterns with a faintly martial gait, neatly upsetting any sense of equilibrium. From the outset, “Her Own Reflection” feels more evenly matched: driven by continuous back-and-forth exchanges between the two, it succeeds through a lively, propulsive momentum that pulls the listener into its unbroken development.

What emerges is a surprisingly engaging listen. The album’s eight tracks can easily sit in the background without demanding attention, yet they also reward closer, more analytical listening — especially for those willing to focus on the minute shifts within the rhythmic discourse. A record that doesn’t demand focus — but quietly earns it.

(English version created with AI-assisted translation)

01/01/2026