Chihei Hatakeyama is a Japanese artist that has dedicated most of his work to create ambient, post ambient, and electronic music. Minima Moralia is his debut album, a post ambient conceptual work where each track is composed with the idea of representing a situation, or a different scene, therefore the names of the songs, such as "Bonfire on the field", often resulting in slow paced, very relaxed melodies. It's good to keep in mind the names of the tracks while listening to them, because most songs match the scenery proposed by the title.
In my opinion, this album is very different from other ambients works because of two factors. First, the instrumentation utilized by the artist is more vast and complex than most classical composers of the genre (Hatakeyama plays piano, guitar, vibraphones and synths on a laptop, and features some beautiful violin arrangements). Secondly, the carefull mix of different styles like dronning chords, with the mellow melodies characteristic of the genre, throwing in some bits of old fashioned noise static, creating dynamic songs that guide the listener through a calm and imaginary soundscape of vibrating sounds. Totally worth to give it a listen, and certainly this essential of the ambient genre.
Chihei Hatakeyama - Minima Moralia Tracklist:
1. Bonfire On The Field - 8:13
2. Swaying Curtain In The Window - 8:25
3. Starlight Reflecting On The Surface Of The River - 7:00
4. Towards A Tranquil Marsh (Violin – Masahiro Kobayashi) - 4:46
5. Granular Haze - 7:21
6. Inside Of The Pocket (Violin – Masahiro Kobayashi) - 4:31
7. Beside A Well - 11.30
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