Kaoru Inoue – Dedicated to the Island

A 2024 Record Store Day Japan exclusive, Kaoru Inoue’s latest album Dedicated to the Island is a collection of compositions based on field recordings captured at the World Heritage listed island of Yakushima. Considered (by those who know) to be one of the great Japanese masters, Inuoe is probably most known internationally for his Chari Chari project, in particular the balearic house track “Aurora” which has been included in numerous early ’00s mixes and compilations related to Ibiza and beyond. Dedicated to the Island reaches more into an environmental ambient territory with the field recordings of rivers, birds, wind chimes, and other gentle soundscapes playing as much a role in the music as Inoue’s lush, ambient electronics that drift and pulse with his signature electro-organic motion. Inoue on his approach: “There is a method called ambisonics that allows 360° sound recording, and I borrowed a microphone and recorder compatible with this method… Recording the sound of water was not difficult, but this time, I wanted to record the sound of the mountains such as birds chirping and leaves rustling.”

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