Carefully selected artists from both Japan and Europe were given audio footage from the five weeks of filming that took place in Japan ranging from the haunting tones of the sho, an instrument said to imitate the cry of the mythical phoenix, to the intoxicating mantras of ceremonial Buddhist chanting and the chorus, flutes and percussion of Noh theatre. The footage given also included all of the passing sonic curiousities of Japan. The result is a unique collection of tracks that transports the mystique of centuries’ old religious sounds into modern musical styles. Inspired by works such as DJ Krush’s album Jaku, KanZeOn ReIndications invites you to immerse yourself into a transformatory world.
The first remix is by woob (Em:t records, Ninja Tune) who provides a lush soundscape rippling with crunchy beats made from the sound of chopping a cucumber. This new track will be eagerly received by his dedicated worldwide fanbase as part of the continued resurrection of this moniker of ambient legend.
He is followed by KidKanevil (First Word Records, !K7, Ninja Tune, RBMA) who builds an irresistible hip hop beat around a particularly melancholic public announcement melody. The track is also punctuated with flutes and the arresting rhythmical shouts of Noh theatre. This production follows perfectly from his strongly Japanese-flavoured album Basho Basho.
The beats continue with tatsuki* (Blue Foundation, Original Cultures) who after a dramatic introduction releases a deep groove and a similar audio intensity as displayed in his collaboration with DJ Krush. Tatsuki subscribes to the view that modern Japanese DJs treat their musicianship as something akin to martial arts training and on this track it certainly sounds like it.
An entirely different mood is then established by ta2mi, the hip-hop priest at the heart of the film. Mind-bending flute melodies from the ancient court music of Gagaku are elevated as part of a relentless driving dub, leaving the listener suspended in a strange but overwhelmingly affecting sonic universe.
This uncommon ambience is continued in the twisted treatment given by London’s ManOne (now residing in Hong Kong) to the arch pronunciations of Kyogen theatre. Following from his sound design work for the film itself, this is a piece of intriguing - if unsettling - intricately woven texture.
The final track by Shi-ne-ko-sei gently returns the listener from imagined other worlds to urban reality, as an ethereal female voice floats through a landscape of oppressive bass and drifting synths like sirens.
