海外から視たジャパニーズ・アンビエント集。
最近、海外の音楽マニア達のディグの対象が”シティポップ”や”和ディスコ”から更に進化/深化し”日本のアンビエント”に熱い注目が集まっています。例えば細野晴臣のアンビエント作品や清水靖晃のアルバムなどは日本より海外で人気があるくらい。そんな流れを象徴するコンピレーションが発掘音源に定評のあるレーベル『light in the attic』から登場。Y.M.O.や細野晴臣、松武秀樹、深町純から久石譲、イノヤマ・ランド、清水靖晃、ファー・イースト・ファミリー・バンドの伊藤詳と宮下富実夫などなど、和アンビエント～ニューエイジの埋もれた諸作をCD2枚、全23曲収録した家宝級の逸品。
(C)新宿店:TANAKAMAN

タワーレコード （2019/06/06）

Uncut - "Many of the highlights of Doran's compilation demonstrate the sumptuous capacities of the era's most advanced musical tech, like the Oberheim OB-8 in Yoshio Suzuki's Satie-like 'Meet Me In The Sheep Meadow'..."

Rovi

Light in the Attic's Kankyo Ongaku compilation documents ambient, new age, and minimal music produced in Japan between 1980 and 1990, specifically focusing on "environmental music," created to soundtrack daily living, shopping, relaxation, and even the usage of specific products. The acutely detailed liner notes trace the roots of this musical phenomenon, mentioning Japanese traditions such as toki no kane (temple bells) as well as Erik Satie's furniture music and of course Brian Eno's ambient music. Taking the concept literally, the release includes pieces composed for specific environments, such as Yoshio Ojima's "Glass Chattering" (from a collection of works designed to be played inside a building in Tokyo called the Spiral) or Haruomi Hosono's "Original BGM" (commissioned by the Muji department store as background music). Additionally, Takashi Kokubo's supremely tranquil "A Dream Sails Out to Sea - Scene 3" comes from a promotional LP that was included with the purchase of a Sanyo air conditioning unit, designed to help convey a beach-like atmosphere. A few pieces utilize rushing water and other natural sounds, while others incorporate traditional Japanese instruments, particularly Toshi Tsuchitori's "Ishiura," made from the bell-like tones of sanukaito stones. Masashi Kitamura & Phonogenix's "Variation - III" mixes gently lapping waves with sporadic percussive hits and softly murmuring ambient synths. Fusion keyboard legend Jun Fukamachi's "Breathing New Life" perfectly mixes traditional percussive rhythms with contemporary electronics, producing a mood fit for a domestic environment (surprisingly, it was actually composed for a fashion show). Of the more purely electronic pieces, Inoyama Land's sparkling, joyful "Apple Star" is perhaps the most effortlessly pleasing, while Takashi Toyoda's unbelievable "Snow" is much spacier and more haunting. Yellow Magic Orchestra is represented by BGM deep cut "Loom," a surreal experimental soundscape that begins by sounding like a spaceship lifting off, then seemingly having a revelation while drifting out in space doing absolutely nothing -- all with a strange electronic dripping sound in the background. Both as a listening and reading experience, the entire collection is fascinating and eye-opening, and far more than just pleasant, unassuming musical wallpaper. It's also somewhat overwhelming in a sense, simply because there's far more music from this era to discover, and this release barely scratches the surface. ~ Paul Simpson|

Rovi

Light in the Attic's Kanky? Ongaku compilation documents ambient, new age, and minimal music produced in Japan between 1980 and 1990, specifically focusing on "environmental music," created to soundtrack daily living, shopping, relaxation, and even the usage of specific products. The acutely detailed liner notes trace the roots of this musical phenomenon, mentioning Japanese traditions such as toki no kane (temple bells) as well as Erik Satie's furniture music and of course Brian Eno's ambient music. Taking the concept literally, the release includes pieces composed for specific environments, such as Yoshio Ojima's "Glass Chattering" (from a collection of works designed to be played inside a building in Tokyo called the Spiral) or Haruomi Hosono's "Original BGM" (commissioned by the Muji department store as background music). Additionally, Takashi Kokubo's supremely tranquil "A Dream Sails Out to Sea - Scene 3" comes from a promotional LP that was included with the purchase of a Sanyo air conditioning unit, designed to help convey a beach-like atmosphere. A few pieces utilize rushing water and other natural sounds, while others incorporate traditional Japanese instruments, particularly Toshi Tsuchitori's "Ishiura," made from the bell-like tones of sanukaito stones. Masashi Kitamura & Phonogenix's "Variation - III" mixes gently lapping waves with sporadic percussive hits and softly murmuring ambient synths. Fusion keyboard legend Jun Fukamachi's "Breathing New Life" perfectly mixes traditional percussive rhythms with contemporary electronics, producing a mood fit for a domestic environment (surprisingly, it was actually composed for a fashion show). Of the more purely electronic pieces, Inoyama Land's sparkling, joyful "Apple Star" is perhaps the most effortlessly pleasing, while Takashi Toyoda's unbelievable "Snow" is much spacier and more haunting. Yellow Magic Orchestra is represented by BGM deep cut "Loom," a surreal experimental soundscape that begins by sounding like a spaceship lifting off, then seemingly having a revelation while drifting out in space doing absolutely nothing -- all with a strange electronic dripping sound in the background. Both as a listening and reading experience, the entire collection is fascinating and eye-opening, and far more than just pleasant, unassuming musical wallpaper. It's also somewhat overwhelming in a sense, simply because there's far more music from this era to discover, and this release barely scratches the surface. ~ Paul Simpson

Rovi