Make sure you don’t miss our recent interview with Katagi about his new album 66X.

A Japanese-Canadian emcee, Katagi hangs out on the alternative, experimental end of the Hip Hop spectrum. This is always refreshing.

66X is not Katagi’s first release so if this satisfies your aural tastes buds dig into his catalog.

In the true spirit of DIY music production, Katagi used Garageband on an iPhones 5s to record and mix this album. As cool and awesome as that is, my ears desire to hear what Katagi could create in a real studio with a little more equipment.

However, none of that detracts from the passion and artistry of this bilingual emcee. Katagi’s music is deep, using his words to paint moving images in the foreground of enchanting soundscapes.

My personal favorite song, “stars and beyond”, is a great illustration of how Katagi uses lyrics to take you on a journey through his creative mind.

Also worth noting are track 3 – “fumes” – which is a bilingual song and track 7 – “sucker’s ball” – which Katagi raps in Japanese.

Telling stories and sharing experiences over ambient and sometimes trippy grooves summarizes the sounds on 66X. Katagi is in a lane of his own stylistically.

The only criticisms I have are that sometimes the vocals and the instruments become crowded in the mix which can make it hard to catch the lyrics. Also, at times, I feel Katagi loses energy when some extra “oomph” would really drive his visual words home.

Regardless, if you are looking for a different type of bilingual Hip Hop, 66X is calling your name.

You can grab your copy from Katagi’s Bandcamp. Then connect with him on his website.