Oto

Music From Memory are excited to announce a special compilation that they’ve been working on for some time now; MFM053 – VA – Heisei No Oto – Japanese Left-field Pop From The CD Age (1989-1996). Compiled by long-time friends of the label, Eiji Taniguchi and Norio Sato, Heisei No Oto delves into a world of music released almost exclusively on CD and brings together a fascinating selection of discoveries from a little known and overlooked part of Japan’s musical history.

Before the 17th century, traditional Japanese classical music was mostly sung or performed solo, in particular after the arrival of the biwa, the shakuhachi, and the koto (in versions quite different from the modern ones we know today) from China around the eighth century. The biwa accompanied singers while the two others were played solo. In the 17th century the shamisen also arrived in Japan from China and quickly became popular, taking from the biwa a place it had occupied for a long time. Chamber music in which the shakuhachi and koto joined the shamisen, with the shamisen player singing, was created at that time. Solo pieces were arranged for this trio…

Takashi Kokubo is a Japanese ambient musician. He produces healing music that gently resonates with people's hearts…