Lo.Sai’s path toward MAITAKE is marked by apprenticeship and reinvention. His background extends across multiple traditions of performance and composition, beginning with classical training in piano, double bass and orchestral music. He later contributed to psychedelic and indie bands, contemporary classical ensembles and early music groups. He also worked in performance art, sound design for installations and live scoring for silent cinema. His practice integrates structure and improvisation, research and expression. MAITAKE crystallises these strands into a project that operates with immediacy and resists clear categorisation.
The conceptual framework of the release is significant. Named after the Japanese “dancing mushroom,” MAITAKE draws upon the logic of mycelial networks, which link organisms, circulate energy, and sustain ecosystems.
Lo.Sai treats rhythm as connective tissue across memory, body and ecology. Rhythm functions as a medium of cultural knowledge and shapes collective presence. The collaborative dimension of the project is evident in the opening track, Voi Siete Qui, where choreographer Mari Combi recites fragments from Jirí Killian’s Far Too Close. Roxy Ceron’s video extends the track into a visual study of organic textures and abstract forms, emphasising the multi-sensory scope of the release.
Musically, the record unfolds as a sequence of distinct but interconnected explorations. Lesssgooo uses djembes and layered percussion to establish momentum. Look! A Selimbašić pairs a persistent bassline with processed synthesizers, producing sustained propulsion. Tout Les Choses C’est Le Rythme integrates voices from Central Africa and elements of flamenco folklore into a 127 BPM structure designed for collective intensity. Vertigo Effect layers metallic textures, Middle Eastern melodic figures, palmas and drones into fluctuating patterns that resolve into cohesion. The tracks demonstrate hybridisation, where local traditions and contemporary electronics coexist without subsumption into a single dominant style.
