Chihei Hatakeyama emerged as a fully-fledged ambient genius with his first commission in 2006 and has delivered one gem after another ever since. Ghostly Garden, The River and Saunter sparkle perhaps a little more than the rest but deceptive simplicity, master craftsmanship and the ability to convey an uncanny sense of time in suspension characterises everything in his catalogue.
On Air he partners with Naph, an experienced computer game and commercial studio man and collaborator with an array of artists as diverse as World’s End Girlfriend, A Lily and Tujiko Noriko. He would seem to have contibuted the acoustic elements that blend so seamlessly with Hatakeyama’s shimmering, processed ones. It is the ideal combination of eminently accessible and ever-so-slightly experimental ambient, easy listening for the weary of heart, layer upon layer for the intent listener.
Whereabouts, a relatively new Japanese label, has also recently released a compilation called Ambient of Time. While it is up to the listener to decide whether tracks featuring hip spoken word or out-of-tune trumpet can be considered ambient, the collection introduces a Western audience to some serious talent in artists like Atrem, Yu Kadowaki and especially Tatsuhiko Asano, whose Nintendo video game soundtrack Doshin the Giant has won him accolades.
Stephen Fruitman
