ryuichi sakamoto
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For such a short solo career Gianni Nocenzi’s work is quite mercurial. In the span of two albums, recorded five years apart, this giant of Italian prog released music that sounded like little else he’d ever do. Most importantly, here, in 1993’s Soft Songs he tries to cross a bridge few would actually venture to…
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Some of my favorite artists are those that fluctuate along the same wavelength as yours truly. One of these is the incomparable Ayuo Takahashi. Never moored by any specific idea, his vision is expansive — all is fair game in his musical world. From English folk to mystic Persian devotionals, to electro and mutant funk,…
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That intersection between organic and inorganic has been something I’ve been chewing on lately. What makes something one or the other? I’d argue that something as simple as the introduction of sampler instruments revolutionized the way we can make that argument immaterial.
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Who can argue that an apple falls far from its tree after listening to Demo Tape 1? Demo Tape 1 was a compilation of music curated by Ryuichi Sakamoto and Akito Yano for their Midi Inc. label. The premise was simple: ask anyone who tuned in to Ryuichi’s ongoing NHK radio program “Sound Street” to send a…
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Koharu, Koharu, wherefore are thou Koharu? That’s the big question rolling around in my head. Koharu Kisaragi’s 都会の生活 Tokai No Seikatsu (which translates to: Urban Life) isn’t just an impressive, largely, unheard of album, it’s also impressive for being largely unknown in details both in what went into its creation and what happened to its creator. This true one-off by Japanese playwright, theater…
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Sometimes it’s wise not to outpace the group. An album, or at least a collection of tracks, I love to recommend (whenever I can) is the debut from Mari Iijima, Mari Iijima’s Rose. There is a problem inherent in this recommendation. The problem lies in me forgetting that what I know, or have access to, isn’t…
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Nothing’s worse than someone recommending a half-great album. I hate doing so, and I’d imagine you’d half-hate downloading an album only to find out that you have to skip half the tracks. Be that as it may, I have to break my own rules, and whole-heartedly recommend this: take some time, download, and listen to Seri…
ambient art pop art rock balearic brazilian electro-acoustic england environmental music experimental fourth world Funk fusion japan jazz minimalist mpb neo-folk neoclassical new age walearic