A masterclass in timbre and texture from Japan.
In 1999, Kaoru Inoue released his debut album, Spring to Summer as Chari Chari. Available via File Records—and picked up shortly after by Portuguese label Última—the Sagamihara-born artist expertly blended ambient, tribal, house and jazz instrumentation into twelve elegant, electro-acoustic compositions.
Listening back to the album now, knowing the work Inoue has gone on to do, it’s easy to see the eclectic Spring as a marker for things to come. Since first getting into music and DJing in the early ‘90s, the Tokyo-based producer has released several records under his own name and as Chari Chari, started his own label, formed a minimal acoustic guitar band and became a highly respected DJ, both domestically and internationally. Last year, he released We hear the last decades dreaming, his first LP as Chari Chari in over 18 years and maybe the best of his career. Like his debut, dreaming displays a preternatural understanding of timbre, texture and atmosphere. It begins with the hiss of a departing train and moves from intricate Balearic percussion to ECM-inspired guitar solos to more hypnagogic ambient. It’s a record imbued with a sense of forward movement, and in a year as stationary as 2020, it offered some respite from the stasis.
Inoue’s sets, like his music, are equally captivating. His mix perfectly encapsulates the concept behind the series (every guest is given the same brief, to share with us the music they personally find therapeutic). His recording pieces together the sounds of gongs, chimes, meditative incantations, gorgeous acoustic and electronic arrangements and other ethereal sounds. The whole mix is blanketed with field recordings and each track moves seamlessly into the next. As with his own production style, it intertwines the old and the new, featuring music from Sarah Davachi, Paul Giger, The Entourage Music and Theatre Ensemble, as well as Sydney’s own Santilli.
How are you today?
Great, it’s a pleasant morning after a short yoga and meditation session as usual.
Can you tell us a little bit about the mix? What were you feeling when you made it?
I believe music is a healing force for living beings, even if it’s a dance track — of course, some of them are not. So I felt comfortable with the theme for a mix, “music you personally find therapeutic”, and remembered that principle. This time, I selected some of my favourite ambient, environmental music and field recordings, and did a bit of an experimental mix/collage using 2 turntables + 2 CDJs.
Where did you record the mix?
At my studio in the basement.
What would be the ideal setting to listen to it?
I don’t know, but if you can afford it, give it a deep listen.
Are there any tracks you’ve used in the mix that are special or significant to you?
Every moment is significant.
Theory Therapy mixes are often about calming or relaxing the listener in some way. Is there a particular album, song or mix that you find yourself returning to for a similar reason?
The Pearl by Harold Budd & Brian Eno is one I frequently return to. An eternal classic.
What do you have planned for 2021?
I have several plans for production and release. Firstly, 3 remix/rework EPs of my latest album We hear the last decades dreaming, which was released last year as Chari Chari, will be out soon on vinyl and Bandcamp from my own label Seeds And Ground. Then I would like to work with Japanese traditional musicians.
Tracklist:
Arv & Miljo - Sjungande Forsommarnatt [Aguirre]
The Bunun - Chant De Victoire Des Chasseurs De Tête [Inedit]
Sarah Davachi - Alabama [Recital]
Jon Gibson - Cycles [Chatham Square Productions]
Arx Duo - The Harmonic Canon Part II [Nonclassical]
This Heat - Metal [These Records]
Unknown - Les Cloches Du Temple D'or De Bénarès [BAM]
Philip Corner - Two In Thailand [more mars team]
Sarah Davachi - Hours In The Evening [Recital]
Paul Giger - Chlauseschuppel [ECM]
Gong Kebyar Dharma Santi - Gambuh [Gong]
Theodore Cale Schafer - No Piano [Students of Decay]
Bellows - 04 [Black Truffle]
Andrew Pekler - Amami Remote Extension [Edições Cn]
Carlos Casas - Hornspell [Matière Mémoire]
Michael Ranta - The Wall Is There [Metaphon]
Santilli - Dusk [Mad Habitat]
Moon On The Water - The Moon On The Water [Buscemi Record/Black Sweat Records]
Per Tjernberg - Secret Procession: A - Lagoon, B - The Hunters [Rub-A-Dub]
Dylan Henner - We Turned off the TV So We Could Hear the Birds [dauw]
Leo Svirsky - Trembling Instants [unseen worlds]
The Entourage Music & Theatre Ensemble - Euphoric Bells (Fragment) [Tompkins Square]
The Entourage Music & Theatre Ensemble - Euphoric Bells (Alternate Take) [Tompkins Square]