Out on 22 July 2020
After many years of working as a DJ and producer in the Japanese dance music scene, Kaoru Inoue has now released the new album under the name of Chari Chari after 18 years, a collection of organic-electronic compositions filled with an exotic designs welling up in the middle of nowhere.

500 LTD self-mastered Compact Disc in paper sleeve + Digital
The vinyl edition will follow from Groovement Organic Series (Portugal)

Bandcamp

Chari Chari - We hear the last decades dreaming

Out on 21 July 2021
A collection of remixes from Chari Chari’s latest album “We hear the last decades dreaming” (SAGCD035) will be released. It also includes previously unreleased tracks and field recordings.

500 LTD self-mastered Compact Disc in paper sleeve + Digital.
Also 3 vinyl EPs will follow.
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Kaoru Inoueによる自主レーベル ”Seeds And Ground” の復活作品となった、Chari Chari名義としては18年ぶりとなるアルバム “We hear the last decades dreaming”（SAGCD035）からのリミックスEPシリーズ（アナログ盤でのリリース3種）をまとめたものに、さらに未発表曲を加えた新アルバムが早くも登場。アルバム全体としてオリジナル盤に匹敵するトータル性を持つ、エキゾティックでディープな編集盤。

Chari Chari - Mystic Revelation of Suburbanity

Some DJ mixes were moved to the Mixcloud.
https://www.mixcloud.com/KaoruInoue/

MiXes

Selected Works

Fourth episode of the monthly Angis Music Show for Universal Rhythms Radio with special guest from Tokyo, Kaoru Inoue aka Chari Chari (@kaoru324).

Samuele Pagliai(start - 56:22)
Kaoru Inoue(56:23 - end)

Universal Rhythms | Angis Music Show w/ Samuele Pagliai & Kaoru Inoue - June 4th, 2021

Chari Chari - Fading Away [Mamazu Remix] (8:07)

Chari Chari - Tokyo 4.51 [Chida Remix] - LP edition (7:13)

Chari Chari - In Exotic Haze [Vintage Drum Club Mix] (7:13)

Chari Chari - Deep Down The Line TYOD (1:45)

Chari Chari - Of Mystic Rhythms [Psychic Thermometry Mix] (5:12)

Chari Chari - Esfera de Água [Knopha Remix] (5:46)

Chari Chari - Uluwatu Monkey Dance [Bartosz Kruczyński Remix] (5:55)

Chari Chari - Luna De Lobos [Kuniyuki Remix] - LP edition (9:44)

Available in September on 12inch EP & digital on Bandcamp. distributed by @efd-tokyo
This is the “Tokyo-themed” 2nd EP in a series of remixes/reworks from Chari Chari’s new album “We hear the last decades dreaming” which was the first album in 18 years under the name of Chari Chari, a project by Kaoru Inoue who has been working as a DJ and producer for over 25 years.
Mamazu, who has been leading the unique Slow Techno / Psychedelic / Tribal genre in the domestic scene after a long career, is reworking “Fading Away” to the 100bpm Trance.
Chida, a true pioneer of the overseas underground scene, made “Tokyo 4:51” into 2 versions with real grooves. “In Exotic Haze”, one of the most popular track from the album,  is reworked by Kaoru Inoue himself.
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Kaoru Inoueによる自主レーベル ”Seeds And Ground” の復活作品となった、Chari Chari名義としては18年ぶりとなるアルバム “We hear the last decades dreaming” からのリミックス・シリーズ第2弾。
長いキャリアを経て国内独特のSlow Techno ~ Psychedelic ~ Tribal路線を推進し、海外からも注目を集めるMamazuによる、永遠に登り詰めるような“Fading Away”渾身のリミックス。そして海外アンダーグラウンド・シーンの真の開拓者と言えるヴェテランChidaによる、クラシックなHouse ~ Electroマナーかつ本場のソリッドな地下グルーヴが伝わってくるような“Tokyo 4:51”リミックス X 2ヴァージョン。そしてアルバムの人気トラックのひとつである“In Exotic Haze”をKaoru Inoue本人がリワーク。

B2 Tokyo 4.51 [Chida Remix Rough Cuts]

B1 Tokyo 4.51 [Chida Remix]

A2 Fading Away [Mamazu Remix]

A1 In Exotic Haze [Vintage Drum Club Mix]

Available in September on 12inch EP & digital on Bandcamp. distributed by @efd-tokyo
This is the last EP in a series of remixes/reworks from Chari Chari’s new album “We hear the last decades dreaming” which was the first album in 18 years under the name of Chari Chari, a project by Kaoru Inoue who has been working as a DJ and producer for over 25 years.
The EP includes a deep remix by Bartosz Kruczyński, also known as Earth Trax, who has released two excellent ambient/new age albums on the Germany’s Growing Bin, and a remix from Knopha, a new generation artist & DJ from Chinese underground who has been getting a lot of attention. It also features a rework by Yoshiharu Takeda, whose self-produced album “Aspiration” has been quietly gaining attention, and a DJ-friendly 100bpm jam by Kaoru Inoue himself.
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Kaoru Inoueによる自主レーベル ”Seeds And Ground” の復活作品となった、Chari Chari名義としては18年ぶりとなるアルバム “We hear the last decades dreaming” からのリミックス・シリーズ最後となる、そして2組の海外勢を含む第3弾。
Earth Trax名義でのレイヴィーなブレイクビーツ・トラックが話題を呼ぶポーランドの俊英＝Bartosz Kruczyński（本名名義でもドイツのGrowing Binより秀逸なアンビエント/ニュー・エイジ・アルバム2枚をリリースしている）によるディープなリミックスや、日本でも水面下で大きな反響を得ており、2枚のアナログEPが即完売となっていた中国の新世代アーティスト/DJ＝Knophaによるリミックスなど、それぞれのスキルが遺憾無く発揮されたトラックを始め、自主制作アルバム「Aspiration」が静かな話題を呼び、Disk Unionからのヴァイナル化を果たしたYoshiharu Takedaによる陽光煌めくようなリワーク、そしてKaoru Inoue本人によるDJユースフルな100bpm jamなど、充実のEP作品。

B3 Onda de Metal Pt.4

B2 Of Mystic Rhythms [Psychic Thermometry Mix]

B1 Esfera de Água [Knopha Remix]

A2 Esfera de Água [Yoshiharu Takeda Rework]

A1 Uluwatu Monkey Dance [Bartosz Kruczyński Remix]

Kaoru Inoue is one of our first and most loyal supporters. But most of all he's a fantastic dj and producer. He runs the always fresh Seeds and Ground label and produces under the moniker Chari Chari. We are very happy to have him on board. His selection spans an arc from heavy percussions to soundcapes and back.
More about Kaoru -  https://soundcloud.com/kaoru324

LOODcast 45 ~ Kaoru Inoue

Chari Chari - Suburban Ethnology Vol.1
Groovement Organic Series https://soundcloud.com/groovement - GOS007EP
12inch vinyl EP (no digital)

A1. Meandering River
A2. Pesta Malam
B1. Onda de Meatal pt1
B2. Onda de Metal pt2
B3. Onda de Metal pt3

Chari Chari follows his sold out album on Groovement Organic Series with a new EP inspired by folk traditions.
“Suburban Ethnology vol. 1” explores his love for ancient sounds, rituals and the power of healing music.
5 tracks crafted in Tokyo that potentially suggest a beautiful soundtrack to real and imaginary worlds.

Suburban Ethnology vol.1

Juno

Chari Chari - Suburban Ethnology Vol.1 (Excerpt)

It's a great pleasure to welcome Japanese electronic music stronghold Kaoru Inoue (@kaoru324), also known as Chari Chari and founder of the Seeds And Ground label, to the mix series. Interview (excerpt) down below.

www.musicfrommemory.com

MFM: Welcome on board of the series Kaoru. You're from Japan and are living in Tokyo. Do you find Tokyo, and Japan as whole, a positive place to be at as an artist?

KI: Tokyo is a fascinating city, full of crazy stimuli and exciting noise, but I don’t need it anymore as the years go by, especially after the pandemic. So now I feel like an outsider loving Tokyo and living a quiet life in its suburbs. I think it’s a positive place for artists in the sense that it’s still rich in nature and food, and the population is decreasing, despite having experienced the high economic growth and the high information society, but what we learned again after the pandemic is that government protection policies are fragile. 

MFM: Your musical output as a producer is quite large and rather versatile, from acoustic guitar sessions to more new age like soundscapes to broken beat and deep house. Where does this versatility come from? 

KI: I think it's because I've been deeply committed to music since my teens. From YMO to post-punk, ethnic, rare groove to deep house, I was already looking for and listening to music like a researcher from a young age. So I started DJing naturally as a way to mix and share my records, and my outputs could be a fusion of them. However, so to speak, I’ve been most influenced by the contextuality of House music, and when looking at everything from a bird’s eye view, I can say that my main interest is, in a word, in “Minimalism”.

MFM: Your music -regardless which moniker you use- sounds extremely organic, very earthly but also mystical and sacred. As if it was recorded far deep in nature amongst some indigenous tribe's ritual. Where does this signature sound come from, what are its origins?

KI: My early tunes were strongly influenced by the atmosphere of Bali & Java in Indonesia, where I used to visit in my twenties, and I think it still remains somewhere in me. I also have a cultural anthropological interest in folk or tribal music from all over the world, and I even am influenced by ecological ideas. (In recent years, I’ve been more into traditional & contemporary music from my own country than ever before.) I think that’s why it is.

MFM: Hence your own label's name Seeds And Ground too probably? 

KI: Indeed, and it’s a metaphor for sex and creation.

MFM: How about the instruments? There's guitar, lots and lots of percussion, marimba, field recordings, plenty chords too... Are you a trained musician and do you record all these parts yourself (with the real instruments)? 

KI: I had learnt to play piano as a child and taught myself to play guitar from the age of 13. However, after encountering DJ culture in my early twenties, I quit a band and didn’t play an instrument for a while. So I know a little more about harmony, chords and so on than the average DJ. I’ve also started to play the guitar again a little bit in a few projects since I started producing electronic music, but only in a very specific way. I’ve also recorded with many different musicians so far.

MFM: So, what can you tell about the mix you've made? Did you record it with a certain vibe or theme or purpose in mind?

KI: It’s a rethinking of “New Age”ish or “Obscure”ish music, past and present. Some Japanese music from the 80s and 90s has also been included with respect to Eiji & Norio who compiled “Heisei No Oto”. And two of my recent tracks as Chari Chari are also included.

MFM: By the way, by the look of your shirt you're a Jodorowsky fan? :)

KI: I look up to Jodorowsky as my mentor, especially after reading his autobiography. I got this shirt as a return from the Endless Poetry crowdfunding campaign.

MFM Mix 034: Kaoru Inoue

Live Mix @ Friday Lounge, Cafe Apres-Midi Shibuya on 27th May 2016. with no House & Techno even Disco. using "Compact Disco Soundsystem" DJ Mixer.

Live Mix at Friday Lounge, Cafe Apres-Midi Shibuya

Chari Chari - Fading Away (10:58)

"Luna de Lobos" is dedicated to the honorable spanish author Julio Llamazares and his impressive novel.

Chari Chari - Luna de Lobos (10:22)

Ecomixes

Arto Lindsay - Ondina (Remixed by Kaoru Inoue)

寝ても醒めても

Flex Life - 夢を慕いて (Dub & Adds by Kaoru Inoue)

10 Remixes

Crue-L Grand Orchestra ‎– L'été, Palma (Remixed by Kaoru Inoue)

The latest EP from Kaoru Inoue contains unreleased special remix & versions.

1.Force - Vahagn Remix
2.Satan's Majestic Dance
3.Izanai
4.Meteor Stream

Of Mythic Future

Of Mythic Future (Excerpt)

Chari Chari - Uluwatu Monkey Dance (6:14)

Chari Chari - Suburban Archeology (2:00)

Chari Chari - In Exotic Haze (7:57)

Chari Chari - Esfera De Água (7:05)

Chari Chari - Of Mystic Dreams (6:26)

Chari Chari - Tokyo 4:51 (2:14)

Sunset over Yaeyama

Read more: www.lowendtheorists.com/theory-therapy-mixes/theory-therapy-16-kaoru-inoue

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.

@kaoru324

Theory Therapy 16: Kaoru Inoue

静岡県沼津市に佇む禅寺、大中寺を舞台にしたカルチャーフェスティバル「MUSO Culture Festival 2021」各アーティストによる禅の世界を想起させるコンセプチュアルなMIXをお楽しみください。

MUSO Culture Festival 2021 is a culture festival held at Daichuji temple in Numazu City, Shizuoka, Japan. Sit back and enjoy the MIX that reminiscent Zen world.

for more info
www.muso-festival.com

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Kaoru Inoue (Seeds And Ground / Chari Chari)

DJ/音楽プロデューサー。高校時代から20代前半までパンク～ロックバンドでのギタリスト経験を経て、1989年にアシッドジャズの洗礼とともにDJカルチャーへ没入。Chari Chari、そしてKaoru Inoue名義での音楽制作やリミックスで数々の作品を残し、またクラブ、野外フェス問わず様々な現場でのDJ活動を通してオルタナティブなダンスミュージックの可能性を追求してきた。2003年より自主レーベル“Seeds And Ground”を“Crue-L”傘下に立ち上げ（2009年に独立）本名Kaoru Inoue名義でのダンス・ミュージックにフォーカスしたリリースを中心に現在に至る。一方、DJだけでは表現しきれない自身の豊かな音楽性はDSKこと小島大介とのミニマル・アコースティック・ギター・デュオAurora Acousticの作品・ライブ活動に記されている。2014年、12年ぶりにChari Chari名義を復活させ、ライブ・バンドとして再生、2016年に長尺曲のカップリング「Fading Away / Luna de Lobos」をアナログ・リリース。2018年にはポルトガルのレーベル“Groovement”より、ダンスの狂騒から離れ、よりエレクトロニック〜アンビエントなどにフォーカスしたKaoru Inoue名義でのアルバム『Em Paz』をリリースした。2020年にはChari Chari名義での新アルバム『We hear the last decades dreaming』をリリース。辺境愛に満ちたオーガニックなエレクトロニック・サウンドが話題を呼んでいる。

Kaoru Inoue is a DJ and a music producer who runs a label called ‘Seeds And Ground’. Since high school to early 20s, throughout the experience of being a gui-tarist in puck rock bands, in 1989 he first came across with acid jazz and that led him to dive into a DJ culture.
Under the names of Kaoru Inoue and Chari Chari, he has created many musical works and remixes, and has performed at various indoor clubs and outdoor festi-vals to pursue possibilities of dance music through DJing.
On the other hand, he has also formed a minimal acoustic guitar duo called ‘Auro-ra Acoustic’ with Daisuke Kojima aka ‘DSK’ in order to expand the range of his musicality.
In 2014, he revived his alias ‘Chari Chari’ as a live band, and in 2016, he released Chari Chari’s new EP ‘Fading Away / Luna de Lobos’ on vinyl. It was the first time for them to release in 14 years after the last release of 'Aurora EP', it gave rise to a huge buzz.
In 2018, he released an LP ‘Em Paz’ from a label ‘Groovement’ in Portugal. The LP is a celestial ambient album from the beginning to the end and it contributes a transformative and harmonious listening meditation to the audience.
Even after his 30-year career, his sound is still radical, yet universal that bright up the scene.

Website：http://www.seedsandground.com
Soundcloud：https://soundcloud.com/kaoru324
Bandcamp：https://seedsandground.bandcamp.com
Mixcloud：https://www.mixcloud.com/kaoruinoue
Instagram：https://www.mixcloud.com/kaoruinoue

Kaoru Inoue - MUSO Culture Festival 2021

DJ/Composer/Musician based in Tokyo
also known as "Chari Chari"
running a label "Seeds And Ground"
for booking & contact: booking@seedsandground.com

Kaoru Inoue

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