When Brit Keith Gordon met American Jon Taylor, they established, with two laptops and a small keyboard, "Ryukyu Underground;" named after the Japanese Ryukyu Islands, where Okinawa is located. Obsessed with the sound of Okinawa, they blend subsonic bass, ambient sounds and beats with traditional Japanese vocals. This third release is a neatly packaged two-hour, two-CD florilegium of their best; remixed and rearranged by some of the best talent on the planet – Kid Loco, Junkie XL, Bill Laswell, Dub Farm, to name but a few – in studios around the world.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
July 2005 issue