Satoshi Ashikawa - Still Way (Wave Notation 2) [WRWTFWW Records]

WHAT WE SAY:

Considering a reissue CD from '99 now goes for €100 (don't even ask about the vinyl!) this liberation by Wrwtfww Records for Satoshi Ashikawa's 80's Japanese minimal masterpiece is most welcome. An elegant, sensual soundtrack for life's quieter passages.

WHAT YOUR EARS SAY:

---

WHAT THE PRESS RELEASE SAYS:

WRWTFWW Records is honored to announce the much anticipated reissue of Satoshi Ashikawa’s undeniable classic of Japanese environmental/ambient/minimalism, Still Way (Wave Notation 2). The album, available on vinyl (first time since 1982) and digipack CD (with one bonus track), comes with a cover artwork by Hiroshi Yoshimura and liner notes by Midori Takada, Satoshi Ashikawa himself, and Irish producer Gareth Quinn Redmond (whose Still Way-inspired album Laistigh den Ghleo is being released simultaneously on WRWTFWW).

Initially released in 1982 as part of the Wave Notation series*, Still Way is, without a doubt, a seminal Japanese environmental/ambient/minimalism album, often mentioned alongside Midori Takada’s Through Looking Glass and Hiroshi Yoshimura’s Green as one of the genre’s most important pieces.

"Like the moment of stillness, after the wind passes through the garden, when the rain stops for a brief second…" Notably inspired by Erik Satie’s Furniture Music and Brian Eno’s ambient work, Satoshi Ashikawa aimed to compose music "intended to be listened to in a casual manner, as a musical landscape or a sound object…not something that would stimulate listeners but music that should drift like smoke and become part of the environment."

The result is simply phenomenal, subtle minimalism and emotional elegance exquisitely orchestrated by Satoshi Ishikawa and his team consisting of his wife Masami Ashikawa (on flute), Midori Takada (on vibraphone), Yuko Utsumi (on harp), Tomoko Sono (on piano), and Junko Arase (on vibraphone).

In conjunction with Still Way, WRWTFWW is releasing Laistigh den Ghleo, a companion album by Irish ambient/minimalist composer Gareth Quinn Redmond, inspired by Ashikawa’s approach.

*The Wave Notation series also includes Hiroshi Yoshimura’s Music For Nine Postcards album.

Prelude 1:46
Harp - Yuko Utsumi
Piano - Tomoko Sono
Vibraphone - Midori Takada

Landscape Of Wheels 11:52
Harp - Yuko Utsumi

Still Park - Ensemble 12:05
Harp - Yuko Utsumi
Piano - Midori Takada
Vibraphone - Junko Arase

Still Park - Piano Solo 4:48
Piano - Tomoko Sono

Still Sky 8:33
Flute - Masami Ashikawa

Image Under The Tree 13.03
Flute - Masami Ashikawa
Piano - Tomoko Sono
Vibraphone - Midori Takada

Wrinkle 11:52 (Bonus - CD & Digital Only)