A year ago today we were holding a Japan Sound Portrait event at the Denkikan cinema in Kumamoto.
A week ago today a series of earthquakes began occuring in the region of Kumamoto.
Therefore obviously we have been very worried about all the people who were helping us on this day a year ago - thankfully they all seem to be safe. Mr and Mrs Iitomi, who joined us recently in Cambridge, spent a few days in an evacuation shelter, and then just yesterday our constant companion on last year's trip, Tatsumi, re-appeared online announcing he was planning to start receiving and transporting donations to the worst affected areas, where people are still in emergency situations.
If we weren't halfway across the world then we would want to be there helping too, but perhaps the best we can do is attempt to bring together the resources of people like us outside of Japan who may wish to donate to help. You can do so through purchasing the track available above, which is Tatsumi beatboxing a traditional children's song from Kumamoto - we recorded him performing it in the grounds of Kumamoto Castle. All proceeds will be sent directly to Tatsumi for purchasing the items that people are in need of.
Omni Gardens' music is an invitation to a gentle organic world where the soft melodies are warm and dappled like sunlight hitting water. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 27, 2023
This stunning ambient compilation is designed to be played over the course of a single day; proceeds go to Music Declares Emergency. Bandcamp New & Notable Jul 2, 2023
A lost 1992 field tape recorded by Mexican ethnomusicologist Raúl García Flores featuring a duo of Tamborileros playing a baptism ceremony. Bandcamp New & Notable Jun 6, 2023
These gracious, spellbinding pieces from composer and sound artist antxnio graz reflect on the ideas of rest and community care. Bandcamp New & Notable Nov 29, 2022
“Subway” moves from soothing ambient music to sharp avant-garde and back again, capturing the spirit of the titular train. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 8, 2022