[Description]
A cult ambient work that has been a hot topic among some music enthusiasts in Japan for many years is now available on vinyl in limited quantities. Experience the ethereal sound.
This album is a performance of the single-note percussion instrument "choir chime'' by 12 people of "Yamato Kogen Sun House'', a support facility for people with disabilities in Yamazoe Village, Nara Prefecture.
Tones played randomly and arbitrarily, one note at a time, are eventually formed into beautiful music as they continue.
Has there ever been any other music that is so pure and innocent? This work is the ultimately improvisational ambient piece that penetrates deeply into the listener's subconscious.
Text by Chee Shimizu
This work was created as a memorial to those who lost their lives in the Great East Japan Earthquake, an unprecedented disaster that occurred on March 11, 2011. An idea of whether something could be done to help somehow people in the world with its many problems made Yohei Yamaura, a percussionist and art director of the facility "Yamato Kogen Sun House'' start a project.
He tried to make music by using choir chimes that were available at the facility, which can produce a beautiful tone just by only swinging it down, this way is based on the idea that musical expression is suitable to take advantage of the characteristics of the facility users.
He practiced improvisation using an extremely simple method of playing a chime that each person chooses with a scale that makes them feel comfortable at their time. "You don't have to adapt to the surroundings, you can play at any time, and enjoy the sounds of yourself and the members at each moment.'' He thought by sharing these points with the performers, they could feel a sense of free and joy, and safety, and such feelings would make music unique and comfortable.
After several months of rehearsals to familiarize themselves with the instruments, the recording was made in the facility's hall on October 8th of the same year, with 12 performers selecting chimes as their mood had taken them. Their sounds were minimal, but each note had played carefully. Silence and strong notes and weak notes, long and short pauses, all of them had emitted created melodies one after another without intention and resonated deep within the audience, and the place completely changed into a sacred atmosphere. It was a miraculous take that could only be realized by these members.
The work was originally sold independently at the facility as a CD-R, but now, about 10 years after its production, and seeing the situation in the world that is facing more problems including the coronavirus, He thought that I would like to once again share my work with the world.
The project restarted.
It has now been released as a CD and a 2-LP vinyl edition.
He has teamed up with TUFF VINYL, which has recently established its own record production line in Japan and is a triple name release with JUZU a.k.a. MOOCHY's CROSSPOINT and Chee Shimizu's 17853 Records to make this work particular about high-quality and domestic pressing. This is the second installment.
Wa No Wa / Wa No Wa[2LP]KOKO-106 / RF2LP006 / TBV-0028
[2LP]
Catalog number: TBV-0028
Released by CROSSPOINT / 17853 Records / TUFF VINYL
Release date: Wednesday, March 22, 2023