kazuo uehara “experimental music of japan vol.8 • assemblage - acousmatic electronic works” compact disc

• music collage re-mix version (1989-2010) (8:22)
  
• pont de l’alma de paris (1998) (4:40)
  
• oto mandala 2 (2009) (2:58)
  
• sound work 1 (1983) (10:25)
  
• forest of gombe (2005) (4:00)
  
• assemblage 2004 (2004) (6:54)
  
• meteora version 1.0 (2007) (8:23)

edition omega point experimental music of japan press release...

experimental music of japan vol.8 kazuo uehara "assemblage - acousmatic electronic works" edition omega point opx-008 assemblage is a word from domain of modern art. this is the one of the technique of expression of art. the word means mixture originally. i decide the assemblage as a concept of this cd. the collage by picasso is similar example. dadaism is also similar example. i try to express new direction of music by using assemblage technique. profile of artist kazuo uehara was born in osaka in 1949. he studied composition in tokyo and in new york. he is an professor of music at the osaka university of arts. he gives courses on composition, experimental music and also multi-media performance at the university. his music has been performed in france, germany, u.s.a., and other countries. he also performed his interactive live music and multi-media pieces at major festivals in sweden, bulgalia, russia, france, poland, brasil, china, korea and other countries. he is the prize winner of bourge international electro-acoustic music competition. in 1990, he was awarded the grant from the new york state council on the arts. he had been producing the international festival for contemporary music in japan from 1980s. limited of 400 copies.

atsuhiro ito “experimental music of japan vol.6 • r.g.b. / pre optron 1999” compact disc

• flicker-1 (7:19)
  
• fluorescent (7:46)
  
• flicker-2 (3:36)
  
• turn on & out (3:14)
  
• voitage (3:06)
  
• altervision (6:13)

edition omega point experimental music of japan press release...

experimental music of japan vol.6 atsuhiro ito "r.g.b./ pre optron 1999" edition omega point opx-006 this cd is remastered reissue of very limited cdr released by omega point in 1999. my homemade instrument 'optron' - it outputs flicker-noise of fluorescent lamps as sound directly - is little-known recently now, but in that early years, the primitive object was no named yet (who called 'pre optron'). it was not only uncontrollable and unstable, but also the sound was so barbaric. however, i had no intention that i controll the system and 'perform' as 'music'. i recorded the electric 'phenomenon' by flicker of fluorescent lamp innocently. i named 'optron sound system' first for equipments when i performed a live show after release of the cdr. this sound materials of this cd (=cdr) were not recorded as a noise-performance, but rather, they would be called records of phenomenon as effect from experimental works - it's on extention of my installation works - in a secret room. this 'fluorescent performance' had not gotten good reputation from my acquaintances in those days. however, i was interested in the lights and sounds simply, and it is not too much to say that it's only a feeling "wow, it's so exciting!". i think no meaning and reason for the work since the first time and now. profile of artist: born in 1965. he launched his career as a visual artist in the late 80s, and in 98 began presenting sound performances at art exhibitions and so on. ito made use of fluorescent lighting (which is also an element of his art installations) in the creation of an original musical device called the optron. in addition, ito is active in a number of musical units. one of these is optrum, the explosively loud "extreme optical noise core band" consisting of ito and drummer yoichiro shin. and another one is free jazz trio "kazuo imai trio" with kazuo imai (guitar, a member of marginal consort) and manabu suzuki (electronics). he published his own label "gotobai recordings" in 2009. limited of 400 copies.

kazuya ishigami “experimental music of japan vol.5 • hossin no kizashi - acousmatic electronic works” compact disc

• bon'noh: ton-jin-chi-man-gi-akken (8:21)
  
• isyohteiyohshin no genwaku (11:54)
  
• gudohjisaishin eno kikyu (9:36)
  
• hohga (5:11)
  
• otokamui no sasayaki (8:51)

edition omega point experimental music of japan press release...

experimental music of japan vol.5 kazuya ishigami "hossin no kizashi - acousmatic electronic works" edition omega point opx-005 however sound performer kazuya ishigami studied at academy of music in japan and france, he also acts as noise / improvisation unit 'billy' and 'daruin' since 1997. this cd consists of recent 2 works of 'acousmatic electronic music. i think many works of this style are bored for electronic music fan because they are so academic and confines in the style. but ishigami's sound brought from his wide activities and imaginations are so exiting and cool. "hosshin no kizashi" is a work composed based on the theme "pray" that the priest of buddhist temple senkoji (in osaka) presented. hosshin: meaning of "departure bodhi mind". "hosshin no kizashi" is a meaning of this side of "departure bodhi mind" one step. that is, it means there is still a hesitation. otokamui no sasayaki (whisper of sound god); "oto" means "sound" in japanese. "kamui" means "god" in ainu. profile of artist: kazuya ishigami | born in 1972, in osaka. sound performer, composer and sound engineer. he was graduated from osaka university of arts in 1994. he composed his pieces in ina-grm in august 1997. his radiophonic work "sonic escapism","2nd 49" and "whisper of sound god" were broadcasted from deutschlandradio in 2005-2008.

agencement “experimental music of japan vol.4 • early works 1983-1986” compact disc

• cylindre 2 (1984) (5:48)
  
• rout 83 (1985) (6:30)
  
• pico-01a (1985) (23:58)
  
• pico-01b (1985) (24:42)
  
• untitled (1983) (2:47)

edition omega point experimental music of japan press release...

experimental music of japan vol.4 agencement vol.1 - early works 1983-1986 edition omega point opx-004 at first, agencement was started as an anonymous tape music project in 1985. it started from among indies movement that had occurred like being in inverse proportion to the calm situation of mid-eighties domestic improvised music scene. as for activity of violin performances that i started from the influence of european improvised music after it is related to the edit of underground music magazine named avant-garde that kanazawa university students issued from 1976 until 1979, several years have passed from beginning. i played the violin in various places at that time, for instance, have participation at "the 2nd ten minutes solo improvisation festival" (1982) at kyoto seika university, and i sometimes performed violin + live electronics by solo at the cafe named merzbau, etc. i was gradually editing them with multi-track though the magnetic tapes that recorded live performances became a huge amount. such a work style originates from the drawing works which i am starting producing from teens. the work of 1st lp (side b) was made by using cheap analog multi-track tape recorder and was spent one year. the flow of such time has not basically changed in the studio work of me digitalized now too. a lot of time has passed any more. at the time of 1986, i was able to come in contact with artists such as merzbow, toukaseibunshi, 10t and others through compilation cassette releases etc. masami akita who had contact for several years recommended it though i did not think that i make lp of myself at first.

tomomi adachi “experimental music of japan vol.3 • early works & live 1994-1996” compact disc

• voice and electronics improvisations (17:50)
  
• hide kinoshita “voice sound poetry form begun with -x-” (2:36)
  
• news paper singing (1:37)
  
• violin and electronics improvisations (10:45)
  
• piano improvisation (3:29)
  
• expanded violin improvisation (3:18)
  
• hoses and pipes improvisation (3:21)
  
• piano improvisation (3:08)

edition omega point experimental music of japan press release...

experimental music of japan vol.3 tomomi adachi - early works & live 1994-1996 publisher: omega point (opx-003) tomomi adachi is a performer/composer. known for his versatile style, he has performed solo improvisations with voice, computer, sensor system and self-made instruments, also is active in the field of theater music, installation and video. in collaboraton work with toshi ichiyanagi "ommage for space" (please see section of opx-001 below), he performed live electronics. “this is a collection of my early recordings, just after i started my professional activity in 1994. almost tracks were performed as improvisations without any overdubings and edits. 1-7 are recording of a performance i did in a private venue in akagi mountain. track 6 is the first published japanese sound poetry on japanese dadaist magazine "mavo" in 1924. track 7 is a reading of newspaper on that date. 8-11 are tracks from my first released tape in 1994, 12-15 are from my second released tape in 1995. i think i will not present these kinds of music anymore.” - tomomi adachi limited edition of 300 copies

haruyuki suzuki “experimental music of japan vol.2 • electronic works vol.1” compact disc

• concret ii (9:21) 1985
  
• go and back (a) (4:01) 1996
  
• go and back (b) (4:02) 1996
  
• go and back (c) (4:02) 1996
  
• circuit ii (20:42) 2006
  
• bustling for luc (6:17) 2007

edition omega point experimental music of japan press release...

experimental music of japan vol.2 haruyuki suzuki - "electronic works vol.1" publisher: omega point (opx-002) haruyuki suzuki is a composer. born in 1962, in tokyo. he studied composition almost by himself. he established tempus novum in 1991. so far he has been interested in the collaboration with many artists outside music, mainly films and art. and also he organized lectures and concerts of james tenney (2001), luc ferrari (2002, 2003) and so on. “this cd includes four of my electronic works. the oldest piece "concret ii" composed in 1985 points toward noise sound. the triptych, "go and back" series composed in 1996, "circuit ii" (2006) used 2 cd-j players, "bustling for luc" (2007) and dedicated for my souvenir with luc ferrari. the material is only the environmental sound of busy quarters in tokyo.” - haruyuki suzuki limited edition of 300 copies

toshi ichiyanagi / akiko samukawa / tomomi adachi “experimental music of japan vol.1 special edition • live document ‘hommage for space’” compact disc and three inch compact disc-recordable set

• morton feldman - 2 pianos (6:20)
  
• toshi ichiyanagi - time sequence (9:05)
  
• michal kleofas oginsky / toshi ichiyanagi - polonaise in a minor “ojczyzny” (4:42)
  
• toshi ichiyanagi / akiko samukawa / tomomi adachi - improvisation hommage for space (37:23)
  
  
• astor piazzola - libertango (excerpt from rehearsal) (2:45)
  
• toshi ichiyanagi / akiko samukawa / tomomi adachi - improvisation hommage for space (excerpt from performance of pre-opening party) (11:40)

edition omega point experimental music of japan press release...

experimental music of japan vol.1 toshi ichiyanagi + akiko samukawa + tomomi adachi - live document "hommage for space" edition omega point opx-001 this is the live recording of the music performance held at the installation exhibition of chiharu shiota in the gallery of kanagawa kenmin hall in yokohama japan last october. the performance was defined as art complex by toshi ichiyanagi from the music stand point of view. the content of music consists of live computer improvisation as well as some acoustic programed pieces by piano performance by akiko samukawa, toshi ichiyanagi and computer electronics by tomomi adachi to create the interpenetration of temporal and spacial situation in the gallery space. - toshi ichiyanagi note: art-complex also included symposium, string quartet concert, piano recital, contemporary dance and so on. track 4 includes electric organ drone by samukawa, some metronomes click by ichiyanagi and homemade instrument named "tomoring" by adachi. special edition with minicdr is also available. it's recorded rehearsal take and performance of pre-opening party. limited to 100 copies profile of performer : tomomi adachi born in kanazawa, japan in 1972, he is performer, composer, sound poet, installation artist, occasional theater director. he studied philosophy and aesthetics at waseda university in tokyo. he has played improvised music with voice, live electronics and self-made instruments. he also has organized many concerts which picks up experimental music, sound art, collaboration work and inter-disciplinary performance in japan and germany, include concerts for chris mann, trevor wishart, nicolas collins and steim in japan. akiko samukawa born in kyoto. she studied piano at music department of ferris women's university and under some pianists. she do not play only contemporary music mainly, but also interests improvisation and other field of sound works. she wants to perform extraordinary works, and organized piano recital includes mixed-media or computer assisted works recently.

toshi ichiyanagi / akiko samukawa / tomomi adachi “experimental music of japan vol.1 • live document ‘hommage for space’” compact disc

• morton feldman - 2 pianos (6:20)
  
• toshi ichiyanagi - time sequence (9:05)
  
• michal kleofas oginsky / toshi ichiyanagi - polonaise in a minor “ojczyzny” (4:42)
  
• toshi ichiyanagi / akiko samukawa / tomomi adachi - improvisation hommage for space (37:23)

edition omega point experimental music of japan press release...

experimental music of japan vol.1 toshi ichiyanagi + akiko samukawa + tomomi adachi - live document "hommage for space" edition omega point opx-001 this is the live recording of the music performance held at the installation exhibition of chiharu shiota in the gallery of kanagawa kenmin hall in yokohama japan last october. the performance was defined as art complex by toshi ichiyanagi from the music stand point of view. the content of music consists of live computer improvisation as well as some acoustic programed pieces by piano performance by akiko samukawa, toshi ichiyanagi and computer electronics by tomomi adachi to create the interpenetration of temporal and spacial situation in the gallery space. - toshi ichiyanagi note: art-complex also included symposium, string quartet concert, piano recital, contemporary dance and so on. track 4 includes electric organ drone by samukawa, some metronomes click by ichiyanagi and homemade instrument named "tomoring" by adachi. profile of performer : tomomi adachi born in kanazawa, japan in 1972, he is performer, composer, sound poet, installation artist, occasional theater director. he studied philosophy and aesthetics at waseda university in tokyo. he has played improvised music with voice, live electronics and self-made instruments. he also has organized many concerts which picks up experimental music, sound art, collaboration work and inter-disciplinary performance in japan and germany, include concerts for chris mann, trevor wishart, nicolas collins and steim in japan. akiko samukawa born in kyoto. she studied piano at music department of ferris women's university and under some pianists. she do not play only contemporary music mainly, but also interests improvisation and other field of sound works. she wants to perform extraordinary works, and organized piano recital includes mixed-media or computer assisted works recently.

toshi ichiyanagi “music for tinguely” compact disc

• music for tinguely (10:07)
  
• sound materials of 'music for tinguely' (1) (5:28)
  
• sound materials of 'music for tinguely' (2) (5:42)
  
• sound materials of 'music for tinguely' (3) (4:46)

edition omega point archive series press release...

obscure tape music of japan - special issue toshi ichiyanagi "music for tinguely" edition omega point archive series opa-gq a quarterly magazine for graphic work 'gq' had issued in 1970's. the magazine was re-produced in 2008, and newest issue as edition of sculptor jean tinguely was completed in 2009. omega point made a cd for the edition. this simple cd version was made as related item of the magazine. especially, rare sound materials of 'music for tinguely' (on track 2-4) is the first appearance in this time.

joji yuasa “obscure tape music of japan vol.14 • background sound in textile pavillion of expo '70” compact disc

• music for pattern-slide “mon yoh” (6:10)
  
• music for colourful world (8:13)
  
• music for white world (8:44)
  
• voices of dolls (mixed version of japanese and english and portuguese) (13:36)
  
• voice of raven objects (3:43)
  
• background sound of central dome (7:32)

edition omega point archive series press release...

obscure tape music of japan vol.14 joji yuasa “background sound in textile pavillion of expo '70” edition omega point archive series opa-014 in the expo '70 in osaka, many avant-garde artists were participated in architectures, space design and environmental design and sound works. espacially in textile pavillion ('sen-i kan' in japanese) and most remarkable experimental event “space projection 'ako'” for multi-channel tape music by joji yuasa and image projection by filmmaker toshio matsumoto was carried out. and also in the pavillion and background sound for several space and objects were composed by joji yuasa. electronic sound on track 3, modulated sound made from marimba on track 6 and indetarminate composition for three electric guitars on track 2 … are these music for 'background' really??

makoto moroi “obscure tape music of japan vol.13 • kusabira” compact disc

• kusabira (1964) (21:14)
  
• sinfonia-shin-for s.m (1972) (30:28)

edition omega point archive series press release...

obscure tape music of japan vol.13 makoto moroi “kusabira” edition omega point archive series opa-013 one of pioneers of japanese electronic music makoto moroi composed “kusabira” for kyogen (traditional comical theater) with electronic sound in 1964. 'kusabira' means mushroom. a strolling buddhist monk 'yamabushi' tried to exterminate many mushrooms grew out in garden of a man's home. however and his magic did not take effect for them but also the mushrooms began to increase. the man and yamabushi were driven out of home by large mushroom finally. in this work and moroi modulated kyogen lines into concrete sound. it's so noisy and strange! this cd also includes moroi's important work used japanese traditional instruments. the thought of this work was based on alvin toffler's “future shock” and was composed as spacephonic music by 4-channel recording system for great player susumu miyashita. he played various kinds of koto, gongs and percussions and indian flute bansuries. sharpness of the performance is so wouderful and also some human voices transformed noise sound are inserted on middle part of this work. both works are most avant-garde of moroi's works!! sound source of "kusabira" was offered by mr. gregor meyer.

mamoru fujieda “obscure tape music of japan vol.11 • radiated falling” compact disc

• radiated falling : version i (6:47)
  
• the art of the fugue : high speed version i (2:52)
  
• the art of the fugue : high speed version ii (3:18)
  
• radiated falling : version ii (7:40)
  
• the art of the fugue : version i (4:28)
  
• the art of the fugue : version ii (5:00)
  
• the art of the fugue : version iii (5:38)
  
• the art of the fugue : version iv (6:26)
  
• the art of the fugue : version v (6:23)

edition omega point archive series press release...

obscure tape music of japan vol.11 mamoru fujieda "radiated falling" edition omega point archive series opa-011 both radiated falling (1980) and the art of fugue (1981) are tape compositions in which sound materials of a prepared piano are electronically processed and modulated in various ways. radiated falling is based on falling scale no.2 for piano (1975). the sound materials were then transformed to layered sonic textures through the ring modulator, the phase shifter, the harmonizer, and various delay processes. the art of fugue is based on a simple fugue in four voices from the first piece in the art of fugue by j. s. bach. the four voices were randomly cut into fragments, which were then reassembled to form four new voices. each of the voices played by a differently prepared piano was recorded in a multi-track recorder to produce sound materials for the piece. the sound materials of the prepared piano was then electronically modulated and spatially processed.

toshi ichiyanagi / yoji kuri “obscure tape music of japan vol.9 special edition • drip music” book and compact disc set

• drip music (24:18) 1974-2008

edition omega point archive series press release...

obscure tape music of japan vol.9 toshi ichiyanagi (sound) + yoji kuri (manga) "drip music"(book+cd) edition omega point archive series opa-009 yoji kuri is an experimental animation artist in japan has acted since early 60's. his name is well-known not only by many works full of 'black humour' in 60's-70's, but also the sound materials were made by avant-garde composers (toru takemitsu, yoko ono, and others). this new edition is combined ichiyanagi's unpublished tape work (it was sleeping at kuri's studio 30 years) with kuri's written off fantastic manga work inspired by the sound. in 1966, "yabunirami no concert" (manga book with 7" single) was published by kuri privately. this "drip music" is similar style issue since then. artist edition signed by both artists is available. limited to 100 copies and different cover.

toshi ichiyanagi / yoji kuri “obscure tape music of japan vol.9 • drip music” compact disc

• drip music (24:18) 1974-2008

edition omega point archive series press release...

obscure tape music of japan vol.9 toshi ichiyanagi (sound) + yoji kuri (manga) "drip music"(book+cd) edition omega point archive series opa-009 yoji kuri is an experimental animation artist in japan has acted since early 60's. his name is well-known not only by many works full of 'black humour' in 60's-70's, but also the sound materials were made by avant-garde composers (toru takemitsu, yoko ono, and others). this new edition is combined ichiyanagi's unpublished tape work (it was sleeping at kuri's studio 30 years) with kuri's written off fantastic manga work inspired by the sound. in 1966, "yabunirami no concert" (manga book with 7" single) was published by kuri privately. this "drip music" is similar style issue since then.

toshi ichiyanagi “obscure tape music of japan vol.8 • electronic field” compact disc

• electronic field (45:40) 1997

edition omega point archive series press release...

obscure tape music of japan vol.8 toshi ichiyanagi "live performance - electronic field" (cd) edition omega point archive series (opa-008) this performance is a part of concert series "japanese experimental music 1960's" carried out at art tower mito in ibaraki. toshi ichiyanagi played improvisation on prepared piano and the sound was modulated by live-electronics. however he is a 'maestro' of contemporary music now, his quite non-declined experimentalism is appeared by this great and deep sound. also painter sadamasa motonaga (b.1922, a member of gutai) projected abstruct figures to walls of the space. ... about the work this performance is a part of concert series "japanese experimental music 1960's" carried out at art tower mito in ibaraki. toshi ichiyanagi played improvisation on prepared piano and the sound was modulated by live-electronics. also painter sadamasa motonaga (b.1922, a member of gutai) projected abstract figures to walls of the space. note: this source was recorded at non-shut off gallery space and by general video camera. so please excuse some sound problems and background noise are in this recording. photography: jun tazawa

joji yuasa “obscure tape music of japan vol.7 • music for experimental films” compact disc

• andy warhol : re-reproduction (19:41) 1974
  
• autonomy (11:38) 1972
  
• document of the long white line (12:54) 1960

edition omega point archive series press release...

obscure tape music of japan vol.7 joji yuasa "music for experimental films" (cd) publisher: omega point archive series (opa-007) many avant-garde composer had made sound tracks for experimental film maker toshio matsumoto. this cd consists of joji yuasa's three musique concrete works for his 60-70's short films - broken meaningless words of "andy warhol : re-reproduction", electronic sound and collage with chamber orchestra for obscure an earliest work "document of the long white line" and strange concrete sound of "autonomy". ... about the works joji yuasa all the music here was composed for the film, yet for the experimental films, directed by toshio matsumoto. i have been convinced that the roll of music for film must be accompanished always displaying with images. consequently the music here is a sort of incomplete one as independent music. however, none th e less i think that this cd shows a document how and what i had tried co explore in the field of film music in 60's and 70's andy warhol: re-reproduction 1 as the title shows, music also is made through the technique of "re-reproduction". materials are meaningless words such as interjections and conjunctions and the like, in english. begins with modulated and disrorted words through electronic means and gradually it becomes ro clear words which still are not making sense. autonomy images are surging white sea waves and sky with impossible colors. for example, blue sky is dark red, white roaring heads of waves are green, blue water is yellow and so on. the gradations of monochrome film are distributed one by one to different colors. music is totally composed as music concrete, with metamorphosed sound from inside playing piano, voice, bird's voice, sound of steel spring, etc.. document of the long white line 2 this film was made as pr film of kansai electric company with no naration at all but with only images and sound: music. music consists of both music concrete sound and the instrumental composition played by chamber orchestra. the portion of music concrete was made at the recording studio of the nichiei shinsha for almost 20 days, in which all possible technique of tape manipulation at that time are used with metamorphosed sound of concret sounds, 'collage' of the readymade music, sound of sonor, the steam whistle at the queen mary and some electronic sound, etc .. the portion of chamber orchestra is composed through twelve-cone technique which is rare among my compositions. 1: this work is on toshio matsumoto's "experimental film works 1961-1987" (3dvdbox, uplink factory uld242). 2: this long-missing work was found recently and is possesed by kawasaki city museum.

toshi ichiyanagi “obscure tape music of japan vol.5 • music for tinguely” long playing record

• toshi ichiyanagi - music for tinguely / 1963_10’01”
  
• toshi ichiyanagi - appearance / 1967_20’36”
  
• toshi ichiyanagi - music for living space / 1969_8’52”

makoto moroi / koubou abe “obscure tape music of japan vol.3 • music drama “akai mayu” (a red cocoon)” compact disc

• makoto moroi (music) / koubou abe (text) - akai mayu / 1960_25’56”
  
• kuniharu akiyama - arcana 19 / 1960_15’21”

joji yuasa / kuniharu akiyama “obscure tape music of japan vol.2 • music for puppet theatre of hitomi-za” compact disc

• joji yuasa - moment grand-guignolesques / 1962_5’21”
  
• kuniharu akiyama - noh-miso / 1962_23’54”

joji yuasa “obscure tape music of japan vol.1 • aoi no ue” compact disc

• joji yuasa - aoi no ue / 1961_29’59”
  
• joji yuasa - my blue sky (no.1) / 1975_15’57”

yukio fujimoto “ears of the rooftop” book and three inch compact disc set

• ears of the rooftop (12:10)

edition omega point sound art series press release...

yukio fujimoto "ears of the rooftop" (minicd in special bellows booklet) edition o.p-0002 yukio fujimoto is a japanese sound-artist lives in osaka. he studied under hiroshi shiotani at osaka art collage. he carries 1 day exhibition series at otani memoriam museum every year since 1997 in nishinomiya city (between osaka and kobe). this cd made for the exhibition and is his first release as sound issue. the sound is made from field sound through 2 vinyl pipes. their pipes transforms sounds drone, and sometime real sound mixes in it. duration: 12 minutes. special bellows package, signed and numbered limited edition of 300 copies.

yoshi wada “earth horns with electronic drone” compact disc

• earth horns with electronic drone (77:00)

march 2009 release ; at long last - the fourth and final installment in this joint edition omega point / em records series, covering the sound-art work of fluxus-lineage sound-artist yoshi wada ... and what a long, strange trip it’s been !!! this whole series has instilled so much collective joy in amongst the leagues of past-looking experimental & drone-music followers that i’m sad to see it come to an end, but all things must ... and what better way than with this 77-minute excerpt of a 2 hour, 25 minute performance by yoshi, garrett list, barbara stewart, jim burton, and liz phillips recorded on february 24th, 1974 at the everson museum of art, syracuse, new york ... the piece opens (listen to the sound-sample) with a dry, slightly overtone-riddled sine-wave drone, over which the ensemble begin to intone on their “earth horns” - extended didgeridoo-lineage pipes (some up to 20 feet long !!!) - in unison over the tonal root ... as the piece gets underway, you really begin to feel the fabric of time slip away ; several consecutive listens-through consumed an entire afternoon, after which i had little memory of any events taking place ... this cd edition happens to be my preferred format-of-choice here as it offers the longest continuous stretch of music (plus, as the piece itself is something of a static, almost sculptural event you’ll probably want to keep this on automatic repeat for a few days - something very easy to achieve with cd players these days) ; comes with a fold-out booklet with english program notes on one side, and a george maciunas flyer for a performance by wada’s lip vibrators (see just below) on the flip. highly recommended !!!

em press release...

yoshi wada "earth horns with electronic drone" (cd) publisher: omega point / em records (op-0007 / em1081cd) a world premiere from yoshi wada and em records / omega point: the first-ever release of "earth horns with electronic drone", recorded live in 1974. combining four of wada's self-made "pipehorns" (made from plumbing materials, over three meters in length), with an electronic drone tuned to the electrical current of the performance space, this is a lost masterpiece of early minimalism, placing wada rightfully in the pantheon with la monte young, phill niblock, maryanne amacher and alvin lucier. recorded live in syracuse, new york, this recording captures the room-filling complex overtones generated by the ever-shifting interplay of the breathing horns and the constant electronic drone. this is a music of ritual hypnotic power, its heavy low end mass and sense of change within constancy engendering a meditative transcendency. "earth horns with electronic drone" is the fourth and ultimate release in our yoshi wada series, a must for all fans of minimalism, heavy drones, ritual, mystery and world-shaking transcendence. from an original performance of almost three hours, the cd features a 77 minute excerpt; we are especially honored to also offer the full performance as a triple lp set. from earth horns to beyond the firmament: prepare to be elevated!

yoshi wada “off the wall” compact disc

• off the wall i (20:27)
  
• off the wall ii (20:02)
  
• die konsonanten pfeifen (27:23)

em press release...

yoshi wada "off the wall" em records + omega point / em1078cd + op-0006 the long-awaited reissue of wada's 1985 lp off the wall, recorded in berlin and originally released on the esteemed fmp label. a minimalist yet majestic monsterpiece ("massive", as tom johnson declares in his perceptive liner notes), off the wall features wada and wayne hankin on bagpipes, marilyn bogerd on adapted organ, and percussionist andreas schmidt-neri. the original album consisted of two side-long pieces recorded on successive days by jost geber, who captured the power and dynamics of the quartet without losing the meditative delicacy of the bagpipes and the intricacy of their interplay with the homemade organ (constructed by wada), resulting in a slowly evolving mosaic of combination tones and overtones. simultaneously static yet changing, rooted and ethereal, homespun and alien, ancient and very modern, the music is created entirely with acoustic instruments but has "electronic" textures at times, yet is very warm and human, always pulsing, shifting and mutating. omega point is pleased indeed to release off the wall for the first time ever on cd, with the bonus track "die konsonanten pfeifen (the consonant pipes)", a slightly earlier recording with wada and hankin on bagpipes and kevin newhoff on percussion, originally released as a cassette.

yoshi wada “the appointed cloud” compact disc

• the appointed cloud (60:07)

em press release...

yoshi wada "the appointed cloud" (cd) em records + omega point / em1076cd + op-0005 this cd is the first-ever release of an extraordinary 1987 new york city performance. recorded at the great hall of the new york hall of science, this majestic recording captures the 60-minute opening performance of yoshi wada's interactive sound installation "the appointed cloud", which consisted of a self-made 80-pipe organ, a pipe gong, sirens and a massive suspended metal sheet, all triggered by a computer program designed by david rayna. the cd also features wada, bob drombowski and wayne hankin on bagpipes, plus michael pugliese (percussion, he has performed in tour of merce cunningham dance company with david tudor and kosugi). dramatically structured, shifting and intense, "the appointed cloud" features massive low frequencies and regal percussion vying with the ululations of bagpipes, all resounding in the huge reverberant space of the great hall with its 24-meter ceiling. this cd, the second yoshi wada release on em records (the first being the 2007 reissue of the 1982 "the lament for the rise and fall of the elephantine crocodile"), is sure to delight all who enjoy drones, dynamics and drama.

yoshi wada “lament for the rise and fall of the elephantine crocodile” compact disc

• singing (31:07)
  
• bagpipe (33:17)

em press release...

yoshi wada lament for rise and fall of the elephantine crocodile * 96khz/24bit digital remastered * complete full length version (original lp edition was edited) * new 2007 liner notes by yoshi wada * english & japanese texts * scarce photos inside first issue of joint production of em records & omega point !!! ************************************ if you have heard the music of yoshi wada, you have no doubt been impressed by his amazing sound-worlds. born in kyoto, he moved to new york in the late 1960s. he is well-known as a fluxus artist with links to la monte young, and has been involved in many performances and sound installations. however, he has released only 2 recordings (as his solo albums) , both hard to find. finally, a cd reissue of his most important and rarest lp, "lament for rise and fall of the elephantine crocodile" (recorded in 1981, issued on india navigation in 1982). this cd contains 2 pieces: track 1 - solo overtone voice (he studied with legendary indian vocalist pandit pran nath) recorded at performance space 'dry pool', with a deep underground echo feeling; track 2 - dense psychedelic drones using bagpipe-like self-made instrument. these wondrous sounds will take you to another, better world!! ************************************ "lament for the rise and fall of the elephantine crocodile is a vocal and instrumental work, on which i started working in 1979. this recording is meant to be one continuous piece; side a: solo singing & side b: the instrumental music of the bagpipe with singing. the piece itself is an experiment with reed & improvisational singing within the modal structure. the instrument could be played solo or as a drone accompaniment for voice. i originally built the bagpipe instrument out of plumbing fittings & pipes pumped by a large air compressor. i called it "an adapted bagpipe with sympathy". since that time, the original instrument has been altered and improved for the stability of the air source and accuracy of the tuning". "the photograph above shows the instruments used for this recording (note; see the cd back cover). the elephantine crocodile (right) & the alligator (left) are both reed instruments pumped by the air. the alligator instrument plays precise pitch and enables me to tune the elephantine crocodile drone pipe pitch. when i began to work with these cane reed pipes, i realized that they could be tuned to produce the intervals of extremely fine tolerance. one of the strong characteristics of these bagpipe drones is the clarity of harmonics & partials in the higher octaves. when these pipes are perfectly in tune, in unison, or in different intervals, one can hear the high microtonal partials very clearly." "in 1979, i came to the "dry pool" (an empty swimming pool in the basement of media study, buffalo, n.y.) with "an adapted bagpipe with sympathy" to do a concert. although i normally do not like long reverberation added to my music, when i entered the pool i immediately liked the acoustics of the space, which had very long delay time. the pool gave rich resonance to the voice & bagpipe sound. since that time, i became much more aware of the psychological effect of the acoustics of the room." "last november, i had a chance to come to the "dry pool" to do the recording. i stayed in the pool for preparation and slept there as well. it was very quiet. it gave me the feeling as though i were in an anechoic chamber. i started to hear all kinds of droning sound and almost could not tell as if i were hallucinating or not. when i began singing, it was with a very simple overtone series, then i gradually developed a series of intervals which i felt strong. my concern is with the timbre and tuning of the multiple chords which enable me to evolve my improvisational singing and the mode in progression." (taken from original lp liner notes on "lament for the rise and fall of the elephantine crocodile" in 1982) ************************************ (left photo) yoshi wada and "an adapted bagpipe with sympathy ii". at phil niblock's studio (this concert was sponsored by experimental intermedia foundation), 1979. photo by phil niblock. (right photo) "the lament for the rise and fall of the elephantine crocodile" by yoshi wada. at his loft in soho, ny, 1981. photo by marilyn bogerd.