Kenneth Takanami
About
Kenneth Takanami is a New York City based producer whose project started in Tokyo at his grandmother’s house, where he began amassing samples from his family’s record collection. Formerly known as Exitpost, in 2020 he began releasing music under his given name.
“Two Dreamers,” the debut album by Kenneth Takanmi, was inspired by recurring dreams throughout his childhood where he’d wake up in Tokyo panicked, unable to return back to New York. Upon recent visits to Japan, he began experiencing the reverse - recurring dreams where he’d wake up in New York, unable to return to Japan. The dreams, manifestations of lifelong questions of identity and what “home” means to a mixed Asian-American artist, was the catalyst for the 9 tracks on “Two Dreamers.”
Recorded in both Tokyo and New York from 2017 to 2019, the balancing act of cultural identities comes to the fold throughout the record, with songs that navigate English and Japanese lyrics, sound design paying homage to the regional sounds of the LA beat scene or Japanese folk music, and field recordings taken in both cities. Equal parts lush and atmospheric with bouts of chaotic sound design and aggressive percussion, the duality of identity, home, sleep and being awake comes to life in the tapestry of sounds he weaves.
The LP includes collaborations with several other Asian-American artists, including LA-based lo-fi vocalist ESAE, New York producer-singer Hanaé, and Japanese vocalist Unmo.
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DISCOGRAPHY
Two Dreamers
(2019)
Exitpost takes their “Two Dreamers” LP to LA and NY this January