Music

Toronto's Bwana crafts electronic bangers based on anime classic 'Akira'

by Kathryn Kyte

Bwana, the Berlin-by-way-of-Toronto producer has gifted audiences with an enigmatic LP, Capsule’s Pride, which pays homage to the 1988 Japanese sci-fi anime film, Akira.

For over 42 minutes Bwana (Nathan Micay) enthralls with a compounding dosage of techno and snippets from the film, showcasing his fine attention to detail and his pensive ability in creating an engrossing soundtrack that winds through a tight psyche. After all, the producer’s synergies are anything but one dimensional, and he explains that he often incorporates “5-15 melodic elements” into the mix.

This isn’t the first time a film has inspired Bwana’s work: take his 2014 EP, Flute Dreams, which was titled after watching the basketball documentary, Hoop Dreams.

Bwana’s inventive ear and EQing knack also helped him achieve another feat: landing the LP on Scottish DIY collective, Lucky Me, the same label that houses acts like Bauuer, Cashmere Cat, TNIGHT and one of his respected favourites, Jacques Greene. The Fader published a fine piece on the story surrounding the innovative label, which is worth the read.

Early on, Bwana’s seductive 2011 track “Baby Let Me Finish” caught the attention of Mad Decent. Later, Sasha & Digweed showed their support for Flute Dreams, including it in their prog house sets. The four-track EP was later released through electronic purveyor Will Saul’s Aus Music label (Huxley, Midland, Timothy Blake). Since moving to Berlin, Bwana has been working on the Capsule’s Pride project, which “was two years in the making.”

Capsule’s Pride is a body of work that attaches you to the characters in the film through a sensual resonance, even if you haven’t seen Akira before. If you’re a longtime fan of the anime classic, you will perhaps appreciate the LP even more because it is imaginative yet carefully in tune with the spirit of the film.

When Bwana teased “Akira’s Light” a couple of months back, it was evident he had tapped into something that was conceptually forward-thinking and similar to the dreamlike dystopia of Akira, which embodied the same quality (remember the year was 1988). Now, with this record, you can’t help but make a full stop to digest it.

This album is best listened in full, but sure standouts include the gleaming techno tune “Capsule’s Pride (Bikes),” trap-tapped “K&K (Lovers In The Light)” and the electro daze of “Nightfall in Neo-Tokyo.” If you’re a fan of eccentric electronic music, it should tout well.

In Bwana’s words: “This is a concept album dedicated to all the sci-fi, anime and general music fans out there that love to get nerdy, party and aren’t afraid to follow their passions… and the Akira fanboys (& girls).”

Capsule’s Pride is currently available to stream via NPR and will officially drop on March 26.