{"title":"Yutaka Hirose","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"nova-4","title":"Nova + 4","description":"\u003cp\u003eInitially released in 1986 as part of the Soundscape series commissioned by Misawa Home Corporation for use in their prefabricated houses, Yutaka Hirose’s \u003ci\u003eNova \u003c\/i\u003ehas grown to become a mythical piece of theJapanese minimalist \/ ambient \/ environmental scene of the eighties. Initiated around the enchanting landscapes of the two first tracks recorded for the project, \u003ci\u003eNova\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eEpilogue\u003c\/i\u003e, Yutaka Hirose’s magnumopus serenely blends vintage synth with nature sounds, exploring soothing palettes and organic backdrops. For \u003ci\u003eSlow Sky\u003c\/i\u003e, Hirose explains he \"went for a pointillism-like sound, and tried to express a scenery of awakening, where the portal of a heart is opening up\", while on Humming The Sea, he \"tried to compose a kind of music that expresses the daily, lazy life of child-like innocence in a summer vacation in some small town.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe bonus LP gathers four long unreleased pieces created around the same period of time for installations, described by Yutaka Hirose as \"not music per se but rather sound sculptures\", and including the haunting \u003ci\u003eShadow Of A Water Droplet\u003c\/i\u003e which was recorded for an Ikebana exhibition.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll in all, \u003ci\u003eNova + 4\u003c\/i\u003e is a transcendent experience of nature in the urban context, an oeuvre which, much like Midori Takada’s \u003ci\u003eThrough The Looking Glass\u003c\/i\u003e or Satoshi Ashikawa’s \u003ci\u003eStill Way\u003c\/i\u003e, holds the power to appeasethe soul in turbulent times. The Soundscape series also includes Hiroshi Yoshimura's \u003ci\u003eSurround\u003c\/i\u003e album.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"We Release Whatever The Fuck We Want Records","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP | x2.","offer_id":50389220393291,"sku":"1065740","price":37.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/e39700ef-740f-4676-97b2-88b9883d6639_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726355679"},{"product_id":"trace-sound-design-works-1986-1989","title":"Trace: Sound Design Works 1986-1989","description":"\u003cp\u003eWRWTFWW Records release Yutaka Hirose’s never-heard before 11-track collection \u003ci\u003eTrace: Sound Design Works 1986-1989\u003c\/i\u003e, available on double LP and double CD, with liner notes from the artist.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eTrace\u003c\/i\u003e is a collection of 11 unreleased tracks produced by Yutaka Hirose between 1986 and 1989, during the Sound Process Design sessions, right after the release of his classic Soundscape series album Nova. Sound Process Design was Satoshi Ashikawa's label, home of the Wave Notation trilogy (Hiroshi Yoshimura’s Music For Nine Postcards, Satsuki Shibano's Erik Satie 1866-1925 and Satoshi Ashikawa's Still Way). Following Wave Notation, Sound Process Design worked with museums, cafes and bars to create site-specific soundscapes, starting with the sound design of the Kushiro Museum. Yutaka Hirose was called to work on these projects.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRather than simply providing pre-recorded compositions, Hirose sought to create a \"sound scenery\". To achieve this, he participated in the conception of the space and paid particular attention to the accidental combination of sounds by placing the speakers, using a multi-sound source, and following the concept of \"sculpturing time through sound\".\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eTrace: Sound Design Works 1986-1989\u003c\/i\u003e is divided into two parts. The Reflection segment is based on an ambient soundscape. It narrates \"a sleep that starts with the sound of water droplets at dawn and slowly disappears into darkness\" and feels like a natural and soothing progression of Nova. It was played in entrance halls, at events, in cafes and bars. The Voice from Past Technology segment expresses the dream world born out of that sleep and is based on what Yukata Hirose calls hardcore ambient, environmental music with a noise approach. It was played in museums and science centers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll in all, \u003ci\u003eTrace\u003c\/i\u003e is a crucial addition to every Japanese environmental music fan’s collection, alongside Midori Takada’s \u003ci\u003eThrough The Looking Glass\u003c\/i\u003e, Hiroshi Yoshimura’s \u003ci\u003eGreen\u003c\/i\u003e, Satoshi Ashikawa’s \u003ci\u003eStill Way\u003c\/i\u003e, Motohiko Hamase’s \u003ci\u003eNotes of Forestry\u003c\/i\u003e, Inoyamaland’s \u003ci\u003eDanzindan-Pojidon,\u003c\/i\u003e and Yutaka Hirose’s very own \u003ci\u003eNova\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"We Release Whatever The Fuck We Want Records","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP | x2","offer_id":50476811256139,"sku":"1161499","price":39.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD | x2","offer_id":50476811845963,"sku":"1161498","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/ce3fd7b5-7085-49bb-86a3-e5c0392b6ed6_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727464175"},{"product_id":"voices-1","title":"Voices","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe third release from visionary Japanese ambient\/experimental\/environmental composer\/producer Yutaka Hirose, this time with brand new album \u003cem\u003eVoices.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eVoices\u003c\/em\u003e finds Yutaka Hirose expanding his signature spatial layering into a three-dimensional videography of sound, blending field recordings, electronic manipulations, and abstract narratives. The 12-track album is a journey through a crumbling library where books whisper, history collides, and sonic textures weave new realities. Chaos, memory, and transformation – Hirose’s voices echo throughout the space, creating a fully immersive sonic experience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe pioneering experimental and abstract electronic piece with deep hints of ambient and IDM is beautifully represented by the original artwork by Koji Shiroshita and Mifuku gracing the double LP and double digipack CD sleeves.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"We Release Whatever The Fuck We Want Records","offers":[{"title":"2LP - Black","offer_id":52303302000971,"sku":"R5288-5469","price":37.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"2CD","offer_id":52303302033739,"sku":"R5288-7320","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/a1029080166_16.jpg?v=1750243386"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/de\/collections\/yutaka-hirose.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}