SFR003 – Misound – Stanze di te
Misound – Stanze di te
Track List:
1. Sonno
2. Stanze di te
3. So easy
4. Giorni vuoti
5. Se non lo sai
6. The gates
7. Creta
8. Quando e’ sera
9. Sotto la pioggia
Recorded in London and Tokyo between 2006-2008.
Produced by Marco Iavarone aka Misound
Mastered at Misound Studio (London-UK)
Marco Iavarone: Electronics, Piano, Vocals.
Melanie Gaebel Violin on Track 4
“Four Fragments” reviewed by Tanner Menard
About a year ago I met Ryo Nakata aka ‘ryonkt’ through Myspace and immediately fell in love with his masterful use of harmonics, melodic simplicity and sonic interference patterns. His recent release on the esteemed label smallfish is no exception. ‘Four Fragments’, the title of this shining diamond of an EP are four perfectly designed audio haiku. Unlike many of his other releases which combine drone like manipulation of overtones with minimalist folk-centric melodies, four fragments have been stripped down to pure manipulation of what I call ‘barely audible’ sonic phenomenon. These tracks, stunningly mastered by Taylor Dupree, are sure to repeat on your ipod for hours at a time.
A few months ago Ryo and I decided to start work on our own collaboration. I sent him six pianoteq works, having no clue what he would do with them or where he would take them. For months there was a silent gap between us. One day, as if a phoenix had appeared from the sky, I received an email from Ryo with the six tracks. His manipulations and additions to my pianoteq tracks contained some of the most subtle and delicate work that I had ever heard, and I truly felt humbled that this rare talent had agreed to work with me.
For whatever reason, I think there is a tendency to avoid the personal in much ambient and experiental music. In the music of ‘ryonkt’ this is not the case. Even in this instance, with an album named after its structure, four fragments, there is the sense that you KNOW who Ryo Nakata is. I can very deeply feel HIS presence in the audio. But like much Japanese art, one can only detect this if one allows oneself to drop all pretense and to merely be. So when you play this album, take a minute, allow your mind to empty and let it be filled with the myriad psycho-accoustic meanderings that are Ryo Nakata. Like the third track of this album, if you allow his music in, suddely you will be filled with a sparkling radiance.
It seems unfitting to write a long review about the work of ‘ryonkt’ because he may be the only master of short form currently working in the ambient genre. In a genre filled with hour long drones and twenty minute meandering tracks, Ryo Nakata says more in these four four minute tracks than most artists say in three days. Pick up a copy of Four Fragments from smallfish. This 3 inch crd is strictly limited to 100 copies so act quick. They are likely to remain on your play list for weeks on end.
Four Fragments
RYONKT – FOUR FRAGMENTS (3″ CDr) on Smallfish
Ryo Nakata, aka Ryonkt runs Slow Flow from his base in Sapporo, Japan. I’ve heard a number of his works in the last couple of years and finally we nailed this 4 track EP for Smallfish. I’m absolutely thrilled with it and I know you’re going to love it too as it falls neatly into the ambient / drone territory that I love and adore. The four fragments that combine to make up this gorgeous release are based around guitar manipulations using the gentlest of electronic processes to bring them to life. Lush, sculptural and incredibly refined, there’s a calming feel to the tracks that allows you to drift away into an all-enveloping drift of texture. To describe them individually would take away from the overall feeling so I’ll simply allow you to enjoy the snippets and say that if you’re a fan of Celer, Adam Pacione or 12k this is definitely going to be up your street. A beautiful work, mastered with finesse by Taylor Deupree and strictly limited to 100 copies. Big thanks to Ryo-san for this one!
text by Smallfish Records
Sounds of Slow Flow vol.1
NEW RELEASE
Various – Sounds of Slow Flow vol.1 – CDr – SFR001 – 2008
01 through the square – pawn
02 Stilettos At Sunrise – Celer
03 salt -cloudburst
04 window – ryonkt
05 seated on an arm chair of orange colored wood – elian
06 a view of the frozen lake – segue
07 The Last Day Before You Go – porzellan
08 herfstkleuren – Glenn Ryszko
09 socially defeated – entia non
10 Arctic – Ian Hawgood
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