Prolific Japanese sound artist Koji Asano has never made things easy for listeners, dabbling in everything from speaker malfunction to insect noise to oboe trios, and his 47th release does nothing to alter this reputation. His CDs used to be beautifully presented, minimal titles over gorgeous photographs of uninhabited landscapes in uniform jewel cases, making for an attractive, if absurd, challenge of collecting all his CDs. Recently Asano has upset this aspect of his production, opting for CD-sized plastic DVD cases, possibly the ugliest packaging currently available. He has however provided promotional tissues with Travel Coupons.
Over two tracks Asano combines passages of orchestral music with electronics, processing and field recording, either fading elements gently or cutting abruptly in and out. ‘Track One’ is ten minutes and ‘Two’ fifty, but they’re almost identical in approach, sounding somewhat like a dronier, uglier version of Wolfgang Voigt’s Ruckverzauberung project. Whether fading or cutting, the process nonetheless remains smooth throughout, with most components similarly matched in timbre whether it be strings, woodwinds, reversed samples or gurgling fizz. It’s a match in dissonance, but one that is intriguing rather than offensive, inviting closer attention to what exactly is happening, how Asano is doing it, and most of all, why. This last question hangs over all Asano’s work, more so than most artists, and it remains possibly the most vital question being posed in contemporary music. With everything so easy with modern technology, why do anything? And if so, why this? Travel Coupons provides no answers, but we can rest assured that Asano will confront us with the same questions again, in an equally confounding manner, with release #48.
Joshua Meggitt
