While this blog may seem like it looks backward, it is actually in service of looking forward. I firmly believe that exploring new territory sometimes requires circling back to forgotten places. Right now, I’m exploring where Japanese ambient music left off after its early, pioneering “environmental and healing” period with artists like Hiroshi Yoshimura, Toshifumi Hinata, and others. This is why my ears and words are focused on one of those ‘90s Japanese groups, Master Mind, as they point the way forward.
Master Mind was the brainchild of Tokyo-based duo Hiroshi Ogawa and Hisaki Kurosawa. Skilled in sound design and music production, Master Mind began with an early focus on onsite sound aesthetics and built a career exploring the diverse aspects of music. In the early ‘90s, their work with Japan’s major TV broadcasting station, NHK, introduced a wide audience to their modus operandi.
Using early forms of “spatial audio” techniques, Master Mind created ambient-influenced soundtracks for significant Japanese documentaries, such as their 1994 Sony debut: 法隆寺 (Hōryūji-Temple), background music for NHK’s Hōryūji-Temple series. In songs like “涅槃釈迦像 (Nirvana Buddha)” and “飛鳥建築 (Asuka Style Architecture),” they combined field recordings from Nara with synth and acoustic instruments, creating music that blends traditional and techno elements.
Elsewhere, more experimental ambient sounds coalesce on tracks like “大講堂 (Lecture Hall)” and the main theme, “法隆寺主題 (変奏) (Hōryūji-Temple Main Theme (Master Mind Remix)).” These tracks evoke a less club-oriented and more spiritually inclined atmosphere. Master Mind’s unique blend of environmental music and dance influences carved out a distinct niche in a Japanese dance scene that was becoming increasingly external-focused.
When Master Mind released their official debut, マスターマインド (Mastermind), later that year, it was not a soundtrack but an imaginative deep house recreation of another form of “spiritual” communion: sex. On their self-titled record, tracks like “Sinful Creatures,” “Dawn Sweet,” and “Prayin’ and Dancin’” show their less overt “proggy” influences, nodding to groups like the Art Of Noise and the KLF. They reimagined age-old sensibilities, blending indigenous, shamanistic elements with contemporary ambient house.
While that record is a masterpiece of dark and moody Japanese ambient music, 1995’s Odyssey (オデッセイ) (which you can also hear in its entirety on YouTube) resonates differently with me. Verdant and stately, this album tugs at the heartstrings with its nostalgic and enharmonic notes. Over the course of an hour, Master Mind takes us on a journey through the four seasons with their music.
Odyssey (オデッセイ) marks a shift in sonic direction, favoring more acoustic instrumentation and universally recognizable field recordings over synthetic sounds. The opening track brings to mind Ryuichi Sakamoto, as Master Mind focuses intently on the music’s motif to set the atmosphere, tapping into the “interior music” of earlier Japanese ambient pioneers.
In the “Spring” section, songs like “春1・春のおとずれ (Afternoon Rendezvous)” offer a sublime, almost folkloric take on pastoral environmental music. Similarly, Joe Hisaishi’s orchestral experiences are echoed in enchanting tracks like “春2・桜 (Cherry Blossom).” Listening to Odyssey (オデッセイ), it’s clear that Master Mind understood their influences and sought to express them further.
In the “Summer” section, tracks like “夏2・燦々と (Brilliantly)” introduce shoegaze elements into their ambient mix, creating a new kind of atmospheric music. “夏3・海辺の記憶 (Seaside Of Silence)” reinterprets the ambient rock of artists like Shinsuke Honda, hinting at the future Balearic sounds they’d create as H. Garden.
Autumnal moods in “秋1・秋刀魚日和 (Indian Summer)” shift the album into a gentler, more meditative direction. Songs like “秋2・月の雫 (Morning Dew)” delve deeper into Impressionistic ideas, telling profound stories with simple melodies.
As the album winds down with its “Winter” section, tracks like “冬1・猫と暖炉と蜜柑と (A Light In New Year’s)” crystallize a different kind of ambient scene. In their most “organic” record, I think, Master Mind captures a timeless mood and atmosphere, creating environmental sounds that transcend time.
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