I first met Chihei at the Bellingham
Electronic Arts Festival in 2006. Its
very fitting really because when I asked
him a bit about the background of the
album, Chihei described A Long Journey
as follows:
'An essential part of the album are my
experiences when I went to Bellingham
and San Francisco in 2006. I used field
recording material recorded in San
Francisco. "A Long Journey" is a
metaphor for life, my image of the
journey of birth to death.'
Since I was a high-school student I have
been interested in the Shinto religion
of Japan. Shinto teaches us that
everything has a spiritual essence (a
"Kami"). This loosely translates as a
spirit, or god even. There being a
myriad of these Kami, they reside in
everything but some places are
considered to have a more scared spirit
within them. Quite often these are
rocks, rivers, trees, mountains and
other such calming natural places, hence
why so many shrines are built in such
unique areas.
Given the nature of A Long Journey, even
the track titles themselves, I am
reminded of how I feel when I visit
these sacred places. Whilst people might
not believe in religion and its after-
thoughts, there is something about such
places that creates a space within, a
quiet space of peace and calm. In the
music and indeed the titles themselves,
it is this very feeling I get when I
listen to A Long Journey. Its very
focused on its field recordings, but it
also highlights what a fabulously
talented musician Chihei is, with very
direct guitar-based pieces, as well as
gorgeous piano elements. That it
features the enormously talented (and
future Home Normal artist) Federico
Durand, only highlights its beautiful
mystery (after allàFederico does much of
his recording high up in the mountains
of his native Argentina).
It was a heavy snowfall the winter we
met in Bellingham, and we spent a few
days together with good friends,
enjoying the misty seas, views and
snow-covered tree dense walks just
outside the town. As Chihei made his way
to San Francisco, it must have been
quite a continuation of this feeling,
with San Francisco's calming charm and
grey misty views. The great thing about
Kami is that they are not limited to
Japan of course, they are found
everywhere after all. If "A Long
Journey" is a metaphor for life, then it
is a life of peace and tranquility,
filled with Kami, and that is not a bad
journey at all
Ian Hawgood
All songs written and mixed by Chihei
Hatakeyama, except track 8, which is a
collaboration with Federico Durand
Mastered by Hideki Ataka from Airplane
Label
Photography by Danielle Baquet-Long
Tracklist:
1 Morning Arrive On The Island 2:02
2 Waves 4:05
3 Confession 7:12
4 The Moon Reflecting On The Surface Of The Ocean 2:52
5 Within New Trees 5:06
6 A Quiet Pond 1:18
7 The Distant Sound Of A Bustle 4:30
8 Calm 4:29
Featuring - Federico Durand
9 White Light 2:07
10 Haze From The River 4:36
11 The Dance Of The Sea 2:55
Chihei_Hatakeyama-A_Long_Journey-2010-BCC
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