Every 6 months or so for the last few years I’ve done a search on Susumu Yakota and come up with well, not much. For such a genius his wikipedia is exceptionally brief, almost comically so if he hadn’t died so young 
Does anyone happen to have some obscure deep-house-web links to share or perhaps someone who is fluent in Japanese could pass along some translations or such?
one of my favorites, can’t really share any insights about him other than he has a ton of great music under many aliases. i think he transitioned into more approachable dance music while many of his contemporaries did not
From what little I read and maybe I’m wrong; wasn’t he a successful house DJ in Europe before he made those absolute classics like Acid Mt. Fuji and Symbol?
It probably helps to spell his ‘translated’ name correctly (Yokota); too young indeed
was into this around the time he was releasing stuff. His music was always in cd shops, in sections like ‘contemporary classical’. His music is definitely unique and carries a signature with it. It’s almost a sort musique concrete approach to ambient, not the sort of wall of noise-based approach many folks seem to employ/engage these days. Yokota’s ambient almost was more cheery and wooden. I remember a Murcof (another artist worth checking out from that time - Martes is a classic) remix - or at least - I couldn’t tell where the track originated, or if it was a sample that both artists used. But yes lots to plunder and savour over with attention. A unique and prolific artist
orig-
yokota’s take-
Some of this one in there too
Sakura is sucha beautiful album!
and of course this one, which tastefully restructures a track by a certain Cornish chap whose work seems to be popular with some folk around these parts
Bloody love that Martes album. Picked it up around the same time i discovered Yokota’s Grinning Cat, and picked up the Leaf label sampler ‘lost for words’. Was totally in love with the sort of sounds on that label at the time 2003-ish. A personal golden age for electronic music
Try searching for him in katakana, it might uncover some more Japan only results…
ススム ヨコタ
I have no information to add, but I have most of his albums & they’re always unique & interesting. He often used familiar samples which makes spotting samples fun (such as Harold Budd, Steve Reich, Penguin Cafe & even Laurel & Hardy).
Here’s some personal faves:
I was listening to this collection of his Image: 1983-1998 last night which I hadn’t spent any time with before and made me wonder if he was actually a multi-instrumentalist? It has some weird janky circus type music on it but also a couple pieces that are mainly guitar, and this lovely track that I thought was actually Gigi Masin when I first heard it:
Also, Spotify has this “new release” of his from 2022 called Baroque if anyone into him hasn’t checked that out yet.