(Berlin, DE) - Akiko Kiyama may not be a name on everyone’s lips yet, but it soon will be. That’s because the classically-trained underground music maker’s just about to release her debut album, 7 Years, which is so-called because it documents everything she’s learnt during her seven years making music…

Music is such an immediate thing, that we as consumers hardly ever take the time to consider what the artists we love so much went through, emotionally speaking, while they were making the music we enjoy so much. And while it might seem like one long line of parties, planes and more parties (with the odd bit of studio time thrown in), there’s no guarantees of success in modern music for the up-and-coming artist, as Akiko Kiyama would no doubt attest.

Kiyama’s been making music since 2002, to combat the depression she found herself in the year before. ‘I was totally empty. Everyday I was crying,’ she recalls, but from these woes came music that found its way onto underground labels like Sud Electronic, Contexterrrior, Revolver and even onto Richie Hawtin’s DE9 Transition compilation - check out Like Ancient taking pride of place around track 8.

Kiyama splits her time between Berlin and Tokyo, a cultural diversity that manifests itself in the mix of influences on her debut album. There are underground club tracks like Ant and I Was Weak At The Knees, the wonderfully percussion-fuelled acidic Isotope and then the softness of Bite A Plumb. Combine these with the sheer energy of Kebko In The Picture or Sirsana, and there’s certainly enough for any forward-thinking music fan to chew on.

Track-listing:

1. Hakobi
2. Ant
3. I Was Weak in the Knees
4. Isotope
5. Scattered
6. Bite a Plum
7. Let Me Burn Your Book
8. Kebko in the Picture
9. Sirsana
10. You Won’t Speak to Me
11. The Innocent