albums of the decade - 92. Susumu Yokota - Symbol

92. Susumu Yokota - Symbol (2005)
In which the Japanese producer combines classical music with an electronic backdrop. The composers he has chosen are many: Saint Saëns, Addinsell, Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Mahler, Offenbach, Beethoven, Mussorgsky, Chopin, Bizet, Brahms, Prokofiev, Bach, Schumann, and Rachmaninoff. One reviewer from (the now defunct) Stylus Magazine questioned Yokota's reason for doing this and concluded that the tracks seemingly only exist for their own beauty. I would prefer to suggest that there are other intricacies at work here aside from the obvious "Oh I recognise this!"consciousness, and that it stands up against anything else he's done. Yokota positively steers away from commercial gain for this already visited territory, unlike say William Orbit and also dodges 'easy-listening' accusations, keeping his reputation just classic.