The memory of the stone The memory of the tree The memory of the air The memory of the forest The earth speaks to us The times are truly dawning now It is darkest before the dawn But the morning is coming I want to play the sound of the dawn Like the song of the bird that heralds the morning For the next seven generations of descendants With my ancestors seven generations ago I will send this music out into the world -Hiroki Okano
CREDITS Produced, Recorded and Mixed by Hiroki Okano Mastered by Hiroki Okano, Daichi Yuhara Art Direction: Yutaka Takei Photography: Kenji Sakamoto, Shinnosuke Kunitomo Additional musicians: Arico Yamashita – Piano (Fertile Voyage) Chiyo Kaiga – Piano (Pure Child) Ranna Sakimoto – Cello (Dear One’s Heart, Pure Child)
Quantum Leap Breeze: Music For Helio Compass 2020 is a 50-minute grand musical score by Hiroki Okano.
Helio Compass has collaborated with Hiroki Okano, Japan’s leading ambient music composer, to craft this unconventional series of musical pieces. Through this project, the one-year movement of the entire solar system has been rendered to a grand musical score. The 2020 version, the fourth collaboration with Okano, remarkably represents the phase of the present time and space. The entire composition features an arrangement of sounds every few seconds. Each and every sound perfectly coincides with this year’s astronomical events, such as the 24 seasonal divisions and the moon phases, as well as major seasonal points on the calendar. The process of tracing the movement of each planet and transforming it into musical expression can be described as a shamanic experience which makes the music resonate with the sense of time and space.
Okano worked on composing the entire soundtrack and performed all the instruments, including the Irish flute, the Greek string instrument, bouzouki, and multiple analogue synthesizers. These are only a small part of Okano’s extensive collection of folk instruments which occupy almost his entire studio. In addition, Okano acquired some of these old instruments in the 1970s, repaired them and has cherished ever since. These vintage instruments sounded so beautiful that they amplified the effect of the complete composition to vividly express the depth of time, which could not be fully achieved digitally. Okano captured varied ambient sounds through field recordings across the world, including the sounds of bells resounding in Florence, Italy and those of a church located in Île de la Cité, a tiny island in the Seine close to Notre-Dame, Paris.
From the beginning of the year 2020, we have been facing unprecedented challenges, such as natural disaster, the coronavirus crisis, and political and economic tensions. It is certain that these moments will be a major turning point globally. We are pleased to release this new musical piece, envisioning our new future in which humans will work in cooperation on this planet, in our universe.
Credits All songs written and arranged by Hiroki Okano Natural sound designed by Hiroki Okano Natural sound recorded by Hiroki Okano, Satoru Nakada, Miwafuku Recorded and Mixed by Hiroki Okano Mastered by Hiroki Okano, Daichi Yuhara (Studio You) Concept designed by Kaichi Sugiyama (Helio Compass) Additional Musicians: Miwafuku, TeN, Junko Okano Illustrated & Designed by Emi Sugiyama Translator by Sayako Kidokoro (Trunk)
Los Angeles, CA (April 24, 2020) — MASA TAKUMI a.k.a. Masanori Takumi — an award-winning Japanese musician, composer, songwriter, and producer — joins the Domo Music Group family with the release of his distinctive new album, HERITAGE. An impressive, self-taught multi-instrumentalist, Takumi’s lively and spirited new work blends modern music with ancient instruments such as the shamisen and the koto, a stringed instrument that is the national instrument of his native Japan. Heritage will be released by Domo Music Group on April 24, 2020.
Travel fans whose wings have been clipped may find fanciful escape in the new music by Masa Takumi, imagining the Bamboo Forests of Kyoto, or an ancient temple in Tokyo where Takumi filmed the “Heritage” music video. HERITAGE deftly balances a journey into the past with modern beats and melodies; one critic described it as reminiscent of the gorgeous work of June Kuramoto in the legendary Asian-influenced band Hiroshima. The expansive and exotic works of Keiko Matsui also come to mind upon hearing Takumi’s soaring, high energy piano and keyboard adventure, artfully blending intense, earthbound rhythms with transcendent flights of fancy and rich sonic detail.
Takumi splits his time between Los Angeles and Japan, where he is a sought-after producer and songwriter with over 40 songs on Japan’s Top 10 Charts. After six years in the U.S. music business, learning the English language and earning two GRAMMY(R) nominations with Sly & Robbie in 2014 and 2015, Takumi says he felt compelled to share more of himself with his U.S. fan base. It is with a remarkable sense of invention and adventure that Heritage gives insight into every aspect of the artist’s cultural roots and its rich artistry. Recognized as a truly remarkable, trendsetting contemporary instrumental work, that aesthetic ties in perfectly with the monumental catalog of Kitaro, the legendary pioneering electronic artist who is now Takumi’s label cohort.
In a review of Heritage on The JW Vibe, Jonathan Widran says that “Heritage gets off to a funky, rumbling and exotic start with the title track, which is dominated by a hypnotic koto melody, punchy synth chords and booming percussion. Takumi’s colorful koto-keyboard dynamic continues on Hanamachi Girl, a whimsical, mystical, easy flowing ballad with an elegant solo piano interlude that showcases the deeper dimensions of his artistry. Throughout most of the eight tracks, the artist works his magic blending piano and/or koto with lush atmospheres and rich electronic textures.”
Prior to Heritage, Takumi released a 2016 album, his solo debut “Stars Falling” a sparkling orchestral dreamscape for which he composed and performed all the instruments. He followed, in 2017, with the album “Deep Down,” winning both Akademia Music Awards and Global Music Awards, as well as a nomination at the 2018 Hollywood Music In Media Awards for the music video “Deep Down.” His artistic excellence is represented again in the music video for the Heritage title track released on April 17, 2020, which can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/mJ2IHRNPNuM
Takumi’s career is truly remarkable. He was proficient on several instruments by the time he graduated high-school, and in 2000, Takumi made his recording debut as a drummer for the rock band Siren, signed to Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) Japan. He evolved into composing soundtrack work for Japanese animation titles such as “Genshiken” (2004), Peach Girl (2005), “Witchblade” (2006), and “Claymore” (2007), while also becoming an in-demand composer, arranger and producer, earning more than 40 songs on Japan’s Top 10 charts and countless awards and accolades for his talented accomplishments with artists like Da Pump, Exil, AAA. He has produced projects with Mr. Big frontman Eric Martin and famed drummer Terry Bozzio. Takumi composed the songs “Let’s Make A Video” by YouTube star Poppy and “Reflection” for the Trey Songz album 11.
And as if that were not enough, Takumi is also a mind-blowing and dexterous magician, a member of the world-famous Magic Castle in Hollywood, CA.
Regarding Heritage, music journalist Robin James wrote that “The sounds of the island nation of Japan blossom on his palate of piano, drums, guitar, bass, koto, electronica, and awesomely cool funky beats. Your best bet is just to sit back and enjoy this hypnotic ride into history and dance to the joyful melodies.”
Track list: 01 Heritage 02 Hanamachi Girl 03 After The Nightmare 04 Bells In Summer 05 Toki 06 Bamboo Forest 07 Sakura River 08 Midwater Night’s Neo Dream
Interplanetary Garden: Music For Helio Compass is a 52-minute grand musical score by Hiroki Okano, Japan’s leading ambient music composer. The grand musical score that represents a year-long revolution of the planet Earth, features an assortment of sounds that perfectly coincides with this year’s astronomical events. These include 24 seasonal divisions, moon phases as well other major seasonal points on the calendar.
The HELIO COMPASS is a circular calendar that acts as a time-space map of the solar system. Set with the Sun as the center of the calendar, the Helio Compass represents each orbit of the nine planets on a scale of 1:1,000,000,000,000. Through the observation of the one-year revolution of Earth, we can locate our current position in the solar system. The Helio Compass is an unconventional style of calendar, starting on the day of the Vernal Equinox, which provides an innovative perspective that can be shared with all life on Earth.
Tracklist: 01. Interplanetary Garden : Music For Helio Compass Nirvana Westerly : Spring Peaked Clouds : Summer Starred Night : Autumn Divine Westerly : Winter
One could call Michel Huygen the father of cosmic music in Spain. Over 40 years after founding the groundbreaking electronic music group, Neuronium, the Belgian-born keyboardist and synthesist has released over 40 albums with the band, solo, or in collaboration with other artists including Vangelis and the group Tangerine Dream. His standing is as the world’s preeminent ambient music artist, not only remaining influential for his past work, but vibrant and progressive in his latest recordings. He is the patriarch and the vanguard of the psychotronic sound.
Recently awarded as Best New Age/Ambient Composer Of The Year in 2018 by the Hollywood Music In Media Awards, Huygen announced several exciting projects scheduled for upcoming release including an album of new material, titled Kryptyk. The album, his 44th album release, is a breathtaking sonic collection of elegant soft melodies and catchy animated rhythms.
LOS ANGELES, CA (January 30, 2019) – To relax. To disconnect from the tentacles of 24/7 technology. To truly unplug. It’s become more than a goal. It’s become a necessity. And, it’s become more difficult than ever to do, especially when we sleep. Essential to one’s complete physical, emotion and mental health, the deeper and more tranquil sleep, the better. The answer to those better nights lies with music.
Think of the baby and the lullaby; how the gentle sounds, almost instinctively, hypnotically induce a calming, soothing state ideal for sleeping. Slower rhythms with soft sonic edges, played at a consistent volume, encourage deep relaxation, blocking out distractions, and helping the body to quickly find and maintain its natural sleep rhythm. Music is the medicine.
Chronic sleep problems can be physically draining, and turn what should be hours of blissful escape into anxiety-ridden nightly recurrences. Set aside the daily grind and unwind with music designed specifically to promote soothing dream states, and provide more rejuvenation in the morning. Not to mention the proven benefits of lower heart rate and lower blood pressure, reduced insomnia, and increased energy the next day.
It’s time to fall asleep faster, wake-up less, and feel more rested in the morning. It’s time for Music For Sleep.
TRACKLIST:
01 Hiroki Okano – Topanga Canyon
02 Kitaro – Wind Invitation
03 Dave Eggar – Breathe
04 Fumio Miyashita – Back To Nature
05 Dino Malito – Great Voyage
06 Kitaro – Water Miracle
07 Benedetti & Svoboda – Sueno
08 Dave Eggar – Dream Of Ice
09 Hiroki Okano – Haruka
10 Ema & Esoh – Lullaby Of Wind
11 Steve Anderson – Suite Bergamasque, L. 75: III. Clair De Lune
CREDITS:
Executive Producer : Eiichi Naito
Artists + Repertoire, Compilation Producer : Dino Malito
Marketing + Promotions : Atsuko Mizuta, Tomoko Kakimoto
Mastered by Gavin Lurssen at Lurssen Mastering, Burbank, CA
Album Art + Design by Kio Griffith / 9rpm.com
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