Willets + Sakamoto: Ancient Future (CD, Ghostly International, July 2012)

I have a big soft spot of Ryuichi Sakamoto's experimental collaborations, with Christian Fennesz and in particular with Alva Noto. Here, his stately, deliberate piano playing is accompanied by droning guitar and electronic manipulation from Christopher Willets. It doesn't have the single-minded intensity of the Fennesz work, or the wonderful contrast of precision and fuzz of the Alva Noto. It is, however, an engaging piece of work — and surprisingly melodic in places, fragments of laid-back guitar picking emerging from the haze. Good lazy-day music.

I bought this from Boomkat. They call it Home Listening / Modern Classical / Ambient.