With fewer than 70 years between the end of feudalism in Japan and the country's involvement in World War II Japan has had to adapt to widespread social & technological change more rapidly than arguably any culture in history. The speed of this cultural transformation has led to Japan concerning itself far more than other post-industrial nations with protecting the customs of its rural past, so as not to lose touch with its unique spiritual identity in the deluge of worldwide urban materialism. Nowhere in Japan is the attempt to align these forces more evident than in Tokyo, where Zen gardens brush the sides of skyscrapers.

It is no coincidence that the greatest film produced during the Allied occupation of Japan, Ozu's 'Late Spring,' has as its central theme the tension between Japanese tradition and Western modernity.

Since Ozu, many artists of Japan have devoted themselves to exploring the delicate balance between their formerly-isolated agrarian heritage and the increasingly globalised metropolitan future, and the ramifications of this sudden shift on the individual.

The musicians featured in tonight's show address these concerns utilising field recordings and found sounds to explore the cultural tension between past and present and the experience of the human being living in the largest urban centre on earth. Tim Gerwing uses his Chikatetsu recordings to suggest both the fleeting intense joys & profound loneliness of being a stranger in a foreign metropolis. Cuushe, likewise, employs harsh industrial sounds to evoke the isolation which is paradoxically experienced when you feel lost & alone in a city, while being surrounded by millions of people who also want to be found (cheers Coppola). Haruka Nakamura, however, makes use of similar transport-based sounds but combines these with recordings of conversations & children's laughter to create atmospheres not of alienation but of nostalgia and joy. And Michita, implementing field recordings again differently, intersperses his hip hop with birdsong and river sounds, demonstrating that even in a globalised consumer culture where Japanese artists create innovative work using Western music styles, the natural world is always present.

Taken together, the numerous different choices & applications of field recordings show that in Tokyo there are as many stories as there are people.

Tracklist:

Ametsub 'Sun of Madrid': 0000-0157
Cuushe 'Airy Me': 0157-0605
Yosi Horikawa 'Bubbles': 0605-1137
Michita 'Birdriva': 1137-1604
Motoro Faam 'Parallels and Infiltrations': 1604-2248
Geskia 'Accent Accept': 2248-2843
Hideo Nakasako 'Time Passes': 2843-3437
Ljones 'Soul Below': 3437-3743
Tim Gerwing 'Inner Listener': 3743-4301
Haruka Nakamura 'Elm': 4301-4511
Equal Parts 'Miles Up': 4511-4725
Sawako ft. Ryan Francesconi 'Utouto': 4725-5101
Haruka Nakamura 'Sign': 5101-

Mix originally broadcast 24/10/2013.
subcity.org/shows/tokyochill/44ffe

Image courtesy of Carol Watt.
www.facebook.com/wattland

Episode 13: Overheard in the East

In this first genre-specific episode of Tokyo Chill we're checking out Japanese ambient in all its forms, from the slowly-evolving arctic soundscapes of Susumu Yokota and understated psybient compositions of Hybrid Leisureland to Sawako's innovative electro-acoustic field recordings and Opitope's soothing and nostalgic piano-based atmospheres.

Whether you've returned to work & are seeking a moment of quiet contemplation to reflect upon what this new year promises, or you've been going for it since Hogmanay and the only thing left on the menu is headphones & bed, this show is for you.

Tracklist:

Susumu Yokota 'Saku': 0000-0534
Fenton 'Bunny': 0534-1029
Fjordne 'Dawn Right Before': 1029-1530
Fourcolor 'Frosted Mint': 1530-1741
Opitope 'A Far Room': 1741-2729
Sawako 'April ~ From Sea Shell': 2729-3035
aus 'Clocks (Sons Of Magdalene Dub)': 3035-3506
Sawako & Daisuke Miyatani 'P V G': 3506-3649
Chihei Hatakeyama 'Waves': 3649-4046
Hybrid Leisureland 'Division and Composition': 4046-4554
Saito Koji 'Beautiful': 4554-

Mix originally broadcast 03/01/2013.
subcity.org/shows/tokyochill/ad5ba

Image courtesy of MacKenzie Cockerill.
instagram.com/sirdigbychickencaesar

Episode 2: Northern Textures

'You can't get away from yourself by moving from one place to another.'

This week's show features songs that explore the transformative effects of travel on the soul.

Tracklist:

Thrupence 'Holiday?': 0000-0553
Himalayan Project 'Postcards from Paradise': 0553-1022
El Fog 'The Fog of the Far Small Town': 1022-1501
[.que] 'Halfway': 1501-1827
Lnrdcroy 'I Met You on BC Ferries': 1827-2604
Ametsub 'Roving Pianist': 2604-3151
El Fog 'Mountain Dub': 3151-3723
Yutaka Hirasaka 'Walk': 3723-3955
Akisai 'Flow': 3955-4418
[.que] 'See You': 4418-

Mix originally broadcast 23/12/2014.
subcity.org/shows/tokyochill/20072

Image courtesy of MacKenzie Cockerill.
instagram.com/sirdigbychickencaesar

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