We Are Busy Bodies announces a double LP compilation of Japanese ambient composer Ken-ichiro Isoda out on September 26. The double LP set is a compilation of 8 tracks from Isoda’s 6 CD albums released in 1990 and 1991, selected, edited, and reconstructed by himself.
The album compiles two songs each from the albums “Beach of the Pliocene”, “Meditation of Clammbon”, “Majel’s Star”, and “Sparkle of Space Time.”
Isoda’s music has seen reissues on CD reissues in the past, this is the first time any of the tracks have been released on vinyl. Following” Oscillation Circuit” (2023) and “Majel’s Slumber” (2024).
In Isoda’s own words:
“In writing the liner notes, I re-read the old liner notes I wrote in 1990 and found that although I was a bit self-conscious due to my youth, I was able to fully describe the compositional process and my thinking at the time, even though they were short. I still believe that the basic content of the notes is as I wrote them.
The Design of Silence.
I have kept these pioneers in mind throughout this work. Of course, this work is not intended to be a “design for silence” in the strict sense of the word. For example, I was trying to create music that would serve as a “sonic air freshener for living spaces” or a “sonic remedy for tired ears”.
However, I had in my mind the sounds and ideas of my predecessors. Erik Satie, John Cage, Brian Eno, Satoshi Ashikawa. I was always thinking about them. Even though I rarely followed their techniques in the purely musical sense.
Plain, almost undeveloped motifs. Infinitely repeatable sound patterns. Sound colors that change very little in between.
These things are recorded here in a classical, live instrument-centered performance. I considered this to be the most important element of this work. The sounds of historical instruments have been refined and perfected into the most pleasing sounds through countless human ears. I aspired to record the subtle rhythmic swings and tonal changes that develop using these sounds in a live performance.
The repetitive sounds here can never be all equal quality. These truly microscopic, delicate changes are what I considered so important in this work.
Any time, any space. Reading, cooling down, waiting for sleep, recalling memories, or whatever. I would be honored and delighted if these sounds could bring even a little bit of color to the listener’s life.”