NHK yx Koyxen

Japanese experimental electronic musician and illustrator <a href="spotify:artist:6j6DqqWXpJqgWxwe2wFjwN">Kohei Matsunaga</a> has been producing music at an astonishing rate since the '90s, ranging from noise and experimental ambient to abstract hip-hop and glitch/IDM. He formed the duo <a href="spotify:artist:3qMBINsrJl2eXHyrIiGXpe">NHK</a> (named after Japan's public broadcasting corporation) with Toshio Munehiro in 2006, and since then he's released numerous solo recordings under several monikers, usually variations on the names <a href="spotify:artist:3qMBINsrJl2eXHyrIiGXpe">NHK</a> and/or <a href="spotify:artist:0Nh1hPDUsIkq8HEL7xqo98">Koyxen</a>. While his releases under <a href="spotify:artist:3qMBINsrJl2eXHyrIiGXpe">NHK</a> or his own name tend to be his most abstract, noisy material, and <a href="spotify:artist:0Nh1hPDUsIkq8HEL7xqo98">Koyxen</a> or <a href="spotify:artist:4PCdtdQ0A9MCNCByLs0maO">NHKyx</a> represent his ventures into mutated hip-hop, releases combining both monikers explore glitchy techno, often resulting in his most accessible material.

<a href="spotify:artist:6j6DqqWXpJqgWxwe2wFjwN">Matsunaga</a> made his international recording debut with Upside Down, released by <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Mille+Plateaux%22">Mille Plateaux</a> in 1998. He worked with several notable experimental artists over the next few years, including <a href="spotify:artist:5UezsklPScipW64XJm7qql">Merzbow</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1uSWtqACWGj2GanMpNELMh">Rudolf Eb.er</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:1J4PMA63L0AYuO3eb2Zng6">Anla Courtis</a>. A collaboration with experimental hip-hop artist <a href="spotify:artist:5tpTQATVJLKPd959d3W1hg">Sensational</a> was released by <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22WordSound%22">WordSound</a> in 2006, with a second appearing on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Skam%22">Skam</a> in 2010. <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Important+Records%22">Important Records</a> issued <a href="spotify:artist:6j6DqqWXpJqgWxwe2wFjwN">Matsunaga</a>'s CD Self VA, as well as collaborations or splits with <a href="spotify:artist:3eD1hrRRxWBwPsG92vTnht">Mika Vainio</a> (<a href="spotify:artist:7qk18OMPkaekOJt2QUva9G">Pan Sonic</a>), <a href="spotify:artist:3nu5upBa3eLiejjFnda2Tp">Sean Booth</a> (<a href="spotify:artist:6WH1V41LwGDGmlPUhSZLHO">Autechre</a>), and <a href="spotify:artist:1VR7bz3EQSo38riLKO8oJK">Asmus Tietchens</a>. In 2012, <a href="spotify:artist:0zSpXM1rKBXF9mfKh94WkN">Bill Kouligas</a>' <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Pan%22">Pan</a> label began releasing a trio of <a href="spotify:artist:5NWpLgs64x2EaZ2n5NPgVm">NHK'Koyxen</a> LPs titled Dance Classics, representing some of <a href="spotify:artist:6j6DqqWXpJqgWxwe2wFjwN">Matsunaga</a>'s most beat-heavy work. Altering his moniker to NHK yx Koyxen, <a href="spotify:artist:6j6DqqWXpJqgWxwe2wFjwN">Matsunaga</a> released EPs on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Diagonal%22">Diagonal</a> (Hallucinogenic Doom Steppy Verbs) and Episode (JP EP) in 2015. Following a 2016 EP on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22L.I.E.S.%22">L.I.E.S.</a> titled Sparrow's Gardens, the full-length Doom Steppy Reverb was issued by <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Diagonal%22">Diagonal</a>. He then moved to <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22DFA%22">DFA</a> for the 2017 album Exit Entrance. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi