説明
ギタリストAyane ShinoがRei Harakamiの楽曲をクラシックギターで再解釈した意欲作。10曲の幻想的なアレンジが、Harakamiの音楽の本質を新たな光で照らし出す。
1996年、26歳の映像作家兼音楽家Rei Harakamiが送ったデモテープをきっかけに、Sublime Recordsからデビュー作『Unrest』がリリースされた。2011年に40歳で逝去するまで、細野晴臣や坂本龍一の後継者と目された彼の遺した音楽世界を、クラシックギターの名手Ayane Shinoが静かに蘇らせる。
2021年にスイスのMental Groove RecordsからリリースしたSusumu Yokotaのカヴァーアルバム『Sakura』に続く「The Timbre of Guitar」シリーズ第2弾。Harakamiの代表曲を、伝統的な作曲技法を基盤にしつつ、斬新で親しみやすいアレンジで再構築した。
Ayane Shinoは東京藝術大学在学中にBrian EnoやAphex Twin、そしてHarakamiやSusumu Yokotaの音楽に影響を受けた経歴を持つ。クラシックギターの技術を駆使し、電子音楽のフレーズを独自の解釈で変換する手腕は、前作『Sakura』ですでに証明済みだ。
本作ではHarakamiの楽曲から「シンプルさ」「温かみ」「湿潤感」「浮遊感」を見出し、クラシックギターの音色で再現。公式音源に加え、ライヴ録音やラジオ出演時の音源まで掘り下げて研究した成果が詰まっている。
「人間的な温かみと優しさ、シンプルさを織り交ぜながら、Harakamiさんの特徴的な浮遊感をクラシックギターの音色で表現できた」とAyaneは語る。アンビエント、テクノ、エレクトロニカの愛好家にも響く、繊細で思索的な作品に仕上がった。
電子音楽とクラシックの境界を溶かすこのアルバムは、Harakamiの音楽的遺産が持つ普遍性を改めて実感させる。ヴァイナル盤で味わうギターの残響は、聴く者を深い瞑想へと誘うだろう。
A1. the backstroke
A2. first period
A3. long time
A4. joy
B1. 海1 - umi1
B2. red curb
B3. last night
B4. さようなら - sayounara
B5. 海1 - umi2
B6. river
A collection of ten hypnotic guitar renditions that dive deeply into the traditional compositional musicality that underpins Harakami’s hallucinatory beatscapes before reconsidering them under a fresh, innovative and engaging new light. River: The Timbre of Guitar #2 Rei Harakami signals a new level of awareness and understanding of both Rei Harakami’s significance and Ayane Shino’s undeniable talent.
Martyn Pepperell
Liner Notes by Martyn Pepperell
In 1996 Tokyo-based label Sublime Records received a cassette demo from Rei Harakami, a 26-year-old Japanese experimental filmmaker, and musician. Within one year Harakami’s debut LP ‘Unrest’ was released. As the 21st century dawned, Harakami was becoming a critically acclaimed figure, and there was a feeling in Japan that Harakami would be an inevitable successor to such luminaries as Haruomi Hosono and Ryuichi Sakamoto. Sadly Harakami passed away at age 40 in 2011, leaving behind a musical legacy that seemed to deserve more recognition. A fitting tribute now comes from the incredibly gifted classical guitarist Ayane Shino. Continuing her album series ‘The Timbre of Guitar’ (the inaugural release of which was ‘Sakura’ - a cover album of Susumu Yokota's seminal album, released through the Swiss label, Mental Groove Records in 2021), she now presents ‘River せせらぎ : The Timbre of Guitar #2 Rei Harakami’. Ayane has reworked some of Harakami’s standout tracks into an album of tranquil yet complex compositions helping to build a new level of awareness and understanding of Rei Harakami’s significance. A collection of ten hypnotic guitar renditions that dive deeply into the traditional compositional musicality that underpins Harakami’s hallucinatory beatscapes before reconsidering them under a fresh, innovative and engaging new light.
In the years that followed Harakami’s untimely passing, Sublime Records continued to sign and support new artists emerging from Japan’s rich and fertile electronic music scene. This eventually led to a meeting with gifted classical guitarist Ayane Shino in 2020. Although a new name within electronica, Shino’s classical resume is impeccable. She has performed with a range of prestigious orchestras in concert halls and at music festivals across Japan, Europe, and South America while playing classical guitar for numerous animations, movies and television commercials and holding various educational roles. These days, she also hosts the Tokyo Harmonics radio show, which is syndicated through Hyōgo prefecture’s Ashiya Radio and TJS Radio in Los Angeles.
During her time completing a masters at Tokyo’s University of the Arts, Shino became fascinated by Brian Eno, Aphex Twin, Oneohtrix Point Never, Steve Reich, and, closer to home, Harakami and Susumu Yokota. ”I found myself in an environment where I was surrounded by fellow students who produced computer music, live electronics, and installations,” she explains. Following her meeting with Sublime, Hideoki Amano, the producer and owner of Musicmine, the parent company of Sublime, asked Shino if she would be open to transcribing and recording an album of covers of the late, great composer, producer and DJ Susumu Yokota’s music in incorporate into then-upcoming events commemorating the 5th anniversary of his death and reissues of his past works. “Yokota made music with the Roland TB-303 bass synthesizer and samplers, not in a way like a conventional instrumentalist, so I was aware it might be more of a challenge for her,” Amano explains. Fittingly, Shino was up for his suggestion, leading to ‘Sakura: The Timbre Of Guitars #1 Susumu Yokota’. Song by song, Sakura highlighted Shino’s free-flowing playing and prowess at translating electronic music into classical guitar shapes.
After considering Harakami’s background as an instrumentalist, Amano felt revisiting his catalogue should be the next step for Shino. Well-versed in how often classical versions of electronic music tend to fall flat, he asked her to examine Harakami’s songs closely, select the musical phrases suitable for guitar and create arrangements that would sound interesting to music listeners with a deep engagement with ambient, techno and electronica. In Harakami’s discography, Shino discovered “a sense of simplicity, warmth, moisture and a floating sensation.” “I was gripped by his songs, which had an array of sounds that gave me a sense of mystery but also coexisted with a sense of familiarity,” she explained. Moving beyond his official releases, Shino began digging through YouTube to find live recordings, radio appearances and obscure outtakes. Within her mind’s eye, imagining playing his songs on guitar was effortless. On her approach to the album, Ayane explains: “For this album, I succeeded in spinning some exquisite, silk thread like delicate tones, interwoven with human warmth, gentleness and simplicity. And I was also able to rework Rei Harakami's distinctive sound with a floating feel to it and transform it into a very classical guitar sound. I hope many people will be able to receive this group of sounds that I created in this album that I played with all my heart.” A record of limitless innate beauty, ‘River せせらぎ : The Timbre of Guitar #2 Rei Harakami’ is a delicate and thoughtful body of work. A true masterclass in deconstruction and subsequent rebuilding, and an eternal lesson in how the art that we leave behind can outlive us all.
