MKWAJU Ensemble (Midori Takada) – MKWAJU LP

Description

LP version. 140 gram vinyl; 350 gram sleeve, with sticker. WRWTFWW Records announces the highly anticipated official reissue of holy grail albumMKWAJUby acclaimed Japanese percussionistMidori Takada‘sMKWAJU Ensemble, sourced from the original masters and available in two versions: a vinyl LP cut at Emil Berliner Studios (formerly the in-house recording department of Deutsche Grammophon) and a digipack CD. Originally recorded in February and March 1981 and released by fabled Japanese avant-garde label Better Days (home ofRyuichi Sakamato‘s debut album,Yasuaki Shimizu‘s Kakashi (1982),Colored Music‘s self-titled LP (WRWTFWW 024CD/LP, 2018) and many more)MKWAJUis the fruit of the collaboration between Takada’s crew and world-famous composer/musical directorJoe Hisaishi, the man behind most ofHayao Miyazaki‘s Studio Ghibli anime soundtracks and over 100 other films scores, includingTakeshi Kitano‘sSonatine(1993),Hana-Bi(1997), andKikujiro(1999). The ensemble’s transcendental wonder is, in fact, the first-ever Midori Takada album and the first-ever Joe Hisaishi-produced album: historic. Led by Midori Takada on marimba, gong, vibraphone, and tom tom,MKWAJUis an inventive and riveting take on Eastern and Western minimalist traditions, African rhythms, and early electronica. Drawing from its jazz-rooted polyrhythmic improvisations in the most inventive ways, the album covers a wide spectrum of sounds, from colorful dance floor-ready percussion pieces that stand somewhere between proto-techno and experimental synth-pop, to cinematic ambient landscapes and ethereal drone delicacies. The feverishly sought-after full-length is a stepping-stone in Midori Takada’s career and an all-around pioneering album. Alongside Takada and Hisaishi (who not only produced the album but also played synthesizers), personnel on MKWAJU includes famed Japanese musiciansYoji SadanariandHideki MatsutakeofKI-Motion(WRWTFWW 026CD/LP, 2018) fame,Junko Arase(heard onSatoshi Ashikawa‘s legendaryStill Way – Wave Notation 2(1982)), andPecker(whose stacked resume boasts collaborations with Ryuichi Sakamoto andJun Fukamachi).