Prolific Japanese composer/producer Susumu Yokata passed away earlier in the year, his family have announced. Yokota, who also released albums under aliases such as Ebi and Prism as well as his own name, came to prominence with releases on Germany’s Harthouse label, before moving onto the likes of Lo Recordings and Leaf, where his path through acid, trance and (in particular) downtempo and ambient was documented.
His family released a short statement that reads “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Susumu Yokota who passed away on 27th March, 2015 at the age of 54 after a long period of medical treatment. We are deeply thankful to the people who listened to and supported Susumu’s music during his lifetime. Please accept our sincere apologies for the delay in this announcement, as we were until recently unacquainted with Susumu’s music industry contacts.”
Jon Tye and Gavin O’Shea, from Lo Recordings, commented “Yokota’s music was always completely individual, always esoteric yet never wilfully indulgent. His touch was that of a master craftsman, creating intricate musical jewels that sparkled like no others. There’s no doubt that if he had been in a position to play live concerts his reputation would far exceed many of his contemporaries. He will be sorely missed by those who value quality and originality in music.” They’ve also teamed up with Leaf to make a 4 track EP of Yokota’s best loved recordings available, as a tribute.
Fans can leave their own tributes to one of the defining forces in electronic music by mailing to yokota4ever@gmail.com
