Label - WRWTFWW

A TAV Essential Listening Album.

“An essential from the golden age of Japanese ambient. MKWAJU Ensemble’s 1981 album Ki-Motion has been remastered for its first ever reissue via WRWTFWW Records. Led by maestro composer and musician Midori Takada, MKWAJU Ensemble released two records that year – Ki-Motion followed by the self-titled MKWAJU LP. The new release was remastered from the original recordings and cut at Emil Berliner Studios. According to WRWTFWW, Ki-Motion “takes its conceptual inspiration from the tamarind (‘mkwaju’ in Swahili), a drought resistant tree notably used to craft some of the first mallets and marimbas but also known for its culinary and medical uses, an essential symbol of life and identity for the Central African grasslands.” – FACT

“Put out two years before Takada's acclaimed solo LP Through The Looking Glass, which was reissued in 2017, KI-Motion is said to be the starting point for the artist's "exploration of minimalism, African rhythmic tradition and ambient music." The ensemble drew inspiration from the tamarind (mkwaju in Swahili), a sturdy, drought-resistant tree known for its culinary, medical and musical uses—some of the first mallets and marimbas were made with its wood. Vinyl copies of KI-Motion's original release are extremely hard to find, but now WRWTFWW Records is set to give it a new issue on wax and CD.” – Resident Advisor

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One of the most fascinating and peculiar works from the golden era of Japanese ambient, #Notes of Forestry was initially released in 1988 by Newsic, the cult label started by Tokyo’s Wacoal Art Center (also known as Spiral), home, notably, of Yoshio Ojima who co-produced the album. Conceived by Jazz bassist turned experimentalist Motohiko Hamase, the magnum opus offers an enchanting mix of free-form pastoral electronics, otherworldly percussions by Yasunori Yamaguchi, and delightfully allusive piano played by none other than Satsuki Shibano (Sound Process’ Wave Notation 3). Vibrant, sometimes eerie, and absolutely captivating, #Forestry captures Hamase’s quest for musical freedom, he explains:

"Inside the body of a musician, music is always transcendentally resonating. More than language, music reigns. When creating music overlaps with the moment my body performs, I strive to be as close as possible to the feeling of musical freedom. I feel that this notion lies at the foundation of this album".

Musical freedom, here, provides an essential escape, extending the path uncovered by pivotal releases such as Midori Takada’s Through The Looking Glass, Satoshi Ashikawa’s Still Way, and Yutaka Hirose’s Nova. – Bandcamp | WRWTFWW

Anecdote was recorded live June 12th 1987 at Spiral Garden (Wacoal Art Center) in Aoyama (Tokyo) as part of the Eat Newsic Concert No.3. Motohiko Hamase on electric fretless bass, synthesizers and computer programming, is accompanied by frequent collaborators Toshio Kaji on acoustic piano and synthesizers, and Yasunori Yamaguchi (of #Notes of Forestry fame) on acoustic percussions. The three-man band improvises around Hamase’s unique repertoire of ambient and electronic music, reinterpreting pieces from his albums Reminiscence, Intaglio, and #Notes of Forestry.

It’s environmental and minimalist experiments with a jazz soul, three brilliant musicians flowing to blissful heights, and a beautiful testament to the 80s Japanese ambient scene that gave birth to seminal releases by Midori Takada, Satoshi Ashikawa, Yutaka Hirose and many more. Essential. – Bandcamp | WRWTFWW