Episode 111
Before and After Ambient, Part 2
Playlist
Midori Takada, “Mr. Henri Rousseau's Dream” from Through The Looking Glass (1983 RCA Red Seal). 高田みどり (Midori Takada) is a Japanese composer and percussionist. She was a key figure in the Japanese ambient movement of the 1980s. Composed, performed, produced, Marimba, Gong, Cowbell, Recorder, Wood Bell, Ocarina, Tam-tam, Midori Takada. She performed all of the instruments on this album. The album was not immediately popular but seeded the nascent ambient movement that was growing in Japan at the time.
Midori Takada, “Trompe-l’œil” from Through The Looking Glass (1983 RCA Red Seal). 高田みどり (Midori Takada) is a Japanese composer and percussionist. She was a key figure in the Japanese ambient movement of the 1980s. Composed, performed, produced, Marimba, Gong, Cowbell, Recorder, Wood and clay Bells, Ocarina, Tam-tam, Cola Bottle, Reed Organ, Midori Takada. She performed all of the instruments on this album.
Brian Eno and Harold Budd, “Their Memories” from The Pearl (1984 Editions EG). Composed by Brian Eno, Harold Budd; produced by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois.
David Behrman, “Interspecies Smalltalk Scene 2” (1984) from Leapday Night (1987 Lovely Music). Composed, produced, and computers by David Behrman; violin, Takehisa Kosugi. "Interspecies Smalltalk" (1984) is an interactive piece originally commissioned by the Cunningham Dance Company.
Yutaka Hirose, “Light Which Shakes Quietly” from Nova+4 (2019 WRWTFWW Records). Bonus track on this reissued album that dates from 1986. Composed , Arranged and Computer by, Yutaka Hirose; Synthesizer, Jun Tohyama.
Takashi Kokubo, “A Dream Sails Out To Sea - Scene 3” (2019 Light In The Attic). Originally released in 1987, this track was part of the new wave of Japanese ambient music. By that time, Kokubo was already reknown for his synthesizer skills on a part with Isao Tomita. He turned to sound design and ambient music and has been instrumental in addition to creating such sounds as the nationally-used mobile phone earthquake alert and credit card payment jingles.
Yoichiro Yoshikawa, “Nube” from Cyprus (1988 Eastworld). Original sound track of Japanese TV program. Yoshikawa was already a reliable session musician when he acquired one of the first Phophet-5 synthesizers in Japan. He quickly became a go-to composer for television and other purposes, such as soundscapes for museum exhibitions.
Tetsu Inoue, “Low of Vibration” from Ambiant Otaku (1994 Fax +49-69/450464). Before I met Tetsu around the year 2000, I was fascinated by music such as this which had all of the elements of ambient music—slow and forming harmonies, spatial rhythms rather than beats, and a sustained energy throughout—without sounding at all like something out of an Eno production. Produced and performed by Tetsu Inoue.
Kenji Kawai, “Ghostdive” from Ghost in the Shell (Original Soundtrack) (1995 RCA). An ambient work from the popular movie soundtrack.Composed, Performed, Produced, Arranged, Keyboards, Instruments, Kenji Kawai; synthesizer, Hironori Houki.
Waveform Transmission, “V 1.3” from V 1.0-1.9 (1996 Silent). Analog Tone Engineering and Realization, Recordings Of The Dead, Shortwave, Field Recordings Made During Periods Of Highly-charged Paranormal Activity, Korg MS 10, Korg MS 20, Korg MS 50, Roland System 100 Synthesizers, Home Built Analog Synthesizers, Tape, Loops, Chris Troy; Digital Audio Graphs, Granular Synthesis, Microwave Communications, Psycho-acoustics, Tape, Loops Otari MX 5050 loops, Rod Modell.
Experimental Audio Research, “Automatic Music (For Oscillator, Ring Modulator & Filter Clusters)” from Pestrepeller (1999 Ochre Records). UK release, limited to 1000 copies. Engineer, Serge Modular Music System, Sonic Boom (Pete Kember). Some interesting modular synthesizer ambience.
John Foxx and Harold Budd, “Raindust” from Translucence + Drift Music (2003 Edsel Records). Composed, produced, and performed by Harold Budd, John Foxx.
John Foxx and Harold Budd, “S