{"title":"Hiroshi Yoshimura","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHiroshi Yoshimura (Japanese: 吉村弘; 22 October 1940 – 23 October 2003) was a Japanese musician and composer. He is considered a pioneer of ambient music in Japan.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAfter graduating from Waseda University, Hiroshi became a faculty member there. In 1972, he formed the computer music group \"Anonyme\". Alongside his solo performances and improvisational music, he also created music for galleries, museums, building spaces, and train stations. His innovative approach to environmental music placed him at the forefront of this genre.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHiroshi Yoshimura passed away on October 23rd, 2003 at the age of 63.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"green-2","title":"Green","description":"\u003cp\u003eFirst ever reissue of this groundbreaking ambient work. Barely known outside of his home country during his lifetime, the late Japanese ambient music pioneer Hiroshi Yoshimura has seen his global stature rise steadily in the past few years. The 2017 reissue of his lauded debut, \u003ci\u003eMusic For Nine Post Cards\u003c\/i\u003e, along with a slow building cult internet following has helped ignite a renaissance in his acclaimed body of work, much of which has never been released outside of Japan. Known for his sound design and environmental music, Yoshimura worked on a number of commissions following the 1982 release of \u003ci\u003eMusic For Nine Post Cards\u003c\/i\u003e, including works for museums, galleries, public spaces, TV shows, video art, fashion shows, and even a cosmetics company.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOriginally released in 1986, \u003ci\u003eGreen\u003c\/i\u003e is one of Hiroshi Yoshimura’s most well-loved recordings and a favourite of the artist himself. Recorded over the winter of 1985-86 at Yoshimura’s home studio, the compositions unfold at an unhurried pace, a stark contrast to the busy city life of Tokyo. As Yoshimura explained in the original liner notes, the album title in the context of this body of work is not meant to be seen as a colour, but is rather used to convey “the comfortable scenery of the natural cycle known as Green”—which perfectly encapsulates the soothing and warm sounds contained on the album, although it was created utilizing Yamaha FM synthesizers, known for their crisp digital tones.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis edition marks the first reissue of the highly sought-after and impossible to find album. It features the original mix preferred by Yoshimura himself, previously available only on the initial Japanese vinyl release (a limited edition remixed version of the album, with added sound effects, was released on CD in the US). Additionally, this release is the first in our ongoing series, Water Copy, focusing on the works of Hiroshi Yoshimura.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Light in the Attic","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50383112667467,"sku":"1092008","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Clear LP","offer_id":50383112962379,"sku":"1092009","price":42.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Tape","offer_id":50383111913803,"sku":"1092010","price":21.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50383111553355,"sku":"1092007","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50383112798539,"sku":"1167122","price":44.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/4146ae29-f5c6-4e00-ba83-dc29140fc639_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726263454"},{"product_id":"surround","title":"Surround","description":"\u003cp\u003eTemporal Drift proudly presents the long-awaited, first-ever reissue of \u003cem\u003eSurround\u003c\/em\u003e, Hiroshi Yoshimura’s sought-after ambient classic. Originally released as an album in January 1986, \u003cem\u003eSurround\u003c\/em\u003e was recorded by Yoshimura as a commission from home builder Misawa Homes, intended to function as an “amenity” designed to enhance the company’s newly built living spaces.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA pioneer in the field of environmental music, Yoshimura’s previous works included \u003cem\u003eMusic For Nine Post Cards\u003c\/em\u003e (1982), originally produced to be played back inside a museum space, and designing sound environments for public spaces and subway systems. \u003cem\u003eSurround\u003c\/em\u003e was recorded almost concurrently with the acclaimed and popular \u003cem\u003eGreen\u003c\/em\u003e (1986); the two albums are described by Hiroyoshi Shiokawa in his liner notes as being Yoshimura’s yin and yang.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn his original notes for the album, Yoshimura recommends that \u003cem\u003eSurround\u003c\/em\u003e be placed in the same family of sounds “as the vibration of footsteps, the hum of an air conditioner, or the clanging of a spoon inside a coffee cup.” And, as he suggests, “with the addition of city noise from outside the window,” you may hear \u003cem\u003eSurround\u003c\/em\u003e in a completely new way.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNew liner notes by original album producer Hiroyoshi Shiokawa. Includes Yoshimura’s original notes in Japanese and English.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Temporal Drift","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":50394432438603,"sku":"2054605","price":42.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP - Blue","offer_id":50394432569675,"sku":"2054606","price":44.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50394431947083,"sku":"2054604","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/DRFT-09CD_1e2da71b_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726439262"},{"product_id":"music-for-nine-postcards","title":"Music For Nine Postcards","description":"\u003cp\u003eDespite his status as a key figure in the history of Japanese ambient music, Hiroshi Yoshimura remains tragically under-known outside of his home country. Empire of Signs – a new imprint co-helmed by Maxwell August Croy and Spencer Doran – is proud to reissue Yoshimura’s debut \u003ci\u003eMusic for Nine Post Cards\u003c\/i\u003e for the first time outside Japan in collaboration with Hiroshi’s widow Yoko Yoshimura, with more reissues of Hiroshi’s works to follow in the future. Working initially as a conceptual artist, the musical side of Yoshimura’s artistic practice came to prominence in the post-Fluxus scene of late 1970s Tokyo alongside Akio Suzuki and Takehisa Kosugi, taking many subsequent turns within Japan’s bubble economy afterward. His sound works took on many forms – commissioned fashion runway scores, soundtracking perfume, soundscapes for pre-fab houses, train station sound design – all existing not as side work but as logical extensions of his philosophy of sound. His work strived for serenity as an ideal, and this approach can be felt strongly on \u003ci\u003eMusic for Nine Post Cards\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHome recorded on a minimal setup of keyboard and Fender Rhodes, \u003ci\u003eMusic for Nine Post Cards\u003c\/i\u003e was Yoshimura’s first concrete collection of music, initially a demo recording given to the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art to be played within the building’s architecture. This was not background music in the prior Japanese “BGM” sense of the word, but “environmental music”, the literal translation of the Japanese term kankyō ongaku [環境音楽] given to Brian Eno’s “ambient” music when it arrived in late 70’s Japan. Yoshimura, along with his musical co-traveler Satoshi Ashikawa, searched for a new dialog between sound and space: music not as an external absolute, but as something that interlocks with a physical environment and shifts the listener’s experience within it. Erik Satie’s furniture music, R. Murray Schafer’s concept of the soundscape and Eno’s ambience all greatly informed their work, but the specific form of tranquil stasis presented on releases like Nine Post Cards is still difficult to place within a specific tradition, remaining elusive and idiosyncratic despite the economy of its construction. This record offers the perfect introduction to Hiroshi’s unique and beautiful worldview: it’s one that can be listened to – and lived in – endlessly.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Empire Of Sign","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP","offer_id":50451232522571,"sku":"1015771","price":32.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Clear LP","offer_id":50451232850251,"sku":"2204123","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50451232293195,"sku":"1015770","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/f1544468-a69b-40c7-9bb4-cdad30575210_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727120153"},{"product_id":"flora-1","title":"Flora","description":"\u003cp\u003eFollowing their 2024 reissue of Hiroshi Yoshimura’s classic album, \u003ci\u003eSurround\u003c\/i\u003e, Temporal Drift proudly presents the first-ever reissue of \u003ci\u003eFlora\u003c\/i\u003e, Yoshimura’s under appreciated ambient classic. \u003ci\u003eFlora\u003c\/i\u003e was originally recorded and completed in 1987, and remained unreleased until 2006, nearly three years after Yoshimura’s passing in 2003. The album is chronologically and stylistically a follow-up to his acclaimed 1986 works \u003ci\u003eGreen\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eSurround\u003c\/i\u003e, wherein Yoshimura continues to play with the ambience of sound and the sound of ambience, underscoring his mastery in the field of environmental music. Yoshimura’s other recorded works include \u003ci\u003eMusic For Nine Post Cards\u003c\/i\u003e (1982), originally produced to be played back inside a museum space, and Pier and Loft (1983), commissioned as accompaniment to a contemporary fashion show.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Temporal Drift","offers":[{"title":"2LP - Black","offer_id":51118322188619,"sku":"2240070","price":49.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"2LP - Blue","offer_id":51118322254155,"sku":"2240072","price":54.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":51118322123083,"sku":"2240069","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/DRFT14FLAT_053486fb_thumbnail_4096_7661d4a5-7f32-4100-a593-9cd67a170a9e.jpg?v=1737144063"},{"product_id":"pier-and-loft","title":"Pier and Loft","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSelf-released on cassette in 1983, Hiroshi Yoshimura’s\u003cem\u003e Pier and Loft\u003c\/em\u003e is a contemporary ambient holy grail, gaining a cult status decade after decade. On this album he brought his environmental music in different areas. Yoshimura had a class on its own, far removed from standard new age or electronic music being released at the time.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Victory","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":51434746609995,"sku":"R9364-4172","price":21.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/V25AH003.jpg?v=1741813758"},{"product_id":"air-in-resort","title":"Air In Resort","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHiroshi Yoshimura\u003c\/strong\u003e was commissioned in 1984 by Japanese multi-national personal care company Shiseido to create something that might be entirely out of his own wheelhouse: music that could complement a fragrance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMixing bird song and sea sound with environmental field recordings, plus the usual electronics paraphernalia, he just released something truly inspiring. A record still ahead of its time!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Victory","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":51434759029067,"sku":"R7633-3279","price":21.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/V25AH206_8aa7f46d-1eab-41f9-b6ce-56fb6361b9a3.jpg?v=1752240408"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/collections\/test_1c91d93b_thumbnail_4096_6bcf1ca2-77d2-4c3c-bd57-822e55483d10.jpg?v=1726223469","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/de\/collections\/hiroshi-yoshimura.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}