Another gem from the Yen Records treasure trove (Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi production, blah blah blah). Cheeky, unhurried, fairly minimal synth pop, with a dusting of tittering bleeps, bloops, and sleigh bells for dimension. Mostly dry and Disneyland plump, but of course nothing Hosono is quite what it seems. Après-Midi is far from simplistic–there are plenty of well-executed jabs at western pop music (and culture), and then there’s the surprise “Catchball,” which is a deep, dark grinding proto-techno drum groove. Enjoy!
I love this one to bits, has been on my playlists for years now. Have you heard their tracks on the Yen Manifold compilation? Ryugu is by far their best work – definitely infused with YMO's bubbling synths, but with their own calm, watery spin to it. The whole thing sounds like floating over tropical seas. Their soundtrack for APOGEE & PERIGEE has a couple gems to it, too, even if 80% of the tracks are pretty annoying.
Agreed, Testpattern are easily one of the best Yen releases and acts from the whole Japanese 80's electro scene. I wish there was a way of getting the two tracks (one at 1:12 & 5:20) from this TV appearance released 🙁
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqBPa3mKjPs&index=9&list=FLjydknDb3i-550tdmh7hmaQ