what does ki mean in our daily lives? joy, sorrow, vigor, courage, cowardice, etc. - these are terms used in our daily life. the japanese see ki as an integral part of all of these. to them, a human being is created from ki of the universe. while he receives ki, he is alive. deprive him of ki and he dies; he loses his human shape. so long as his body is filled with ki and it pours forth with abundance, he is vigorous and filled with courage. (koichi tohei)
the album ki is all about this mysterious force, this cosmic breath, this invisible flow, this magnetic tension, this balance between elements, this metaphysical concept, that surrounds us, crosses us and unites us. it's a respectful homage to the japanese culture, the spiritual simplicity of zen art, the bushido spirit, asian taoist philosophy, a nostalgic journey into the anime aesthetic poetry, and a search, a way for a profound inner peace. Reconnecting with nature, and its fascinating ambivalence between its fragility, its beauty and also its cruelty and its omnipresent power, its perfection in imperfection, both sides, noise and silence, violence and peace exist in us all, It's all about how you harmonize it all. Expect a surprising soundtrack with huge swathes of field recordings from japan, organic warm real live instruments studio recording sessions, lush ambient soundscapes, asmr like with auditory-tactile immersive synesthesia design, deep granular basses and complex beats and the famous french romantic, which we all love so much. it's theatrical, meditative, purified, naive, airy, steamy, euphoric and melancholic at the same time and enriched with two marvelous songs featuring "les tambours du bronx" and "hint". the complementary forces of industrial avantgarde and the atmospherics of japan interact to form a dynamic score in which the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
credits
released February 1, 2021
created, performed, mixed and mastered by sonic area
kawati studios (strasbourg) in 2020.
track 5 feat. les tambours du bronx
track 8 feat. hint (arnaud fournier & hervé thomas)
additional vocals on track 1 & 5 by jeremy lemon (yurodivy)
additional drums on track 1, 2, 3 & 10 by dave hagen (yurodivy)
additional bass on track 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 10 by julien lemon (yurodivy)
additional sound design on track 9 by yoann amnesy
additional sound engineering by sam system-d prod. (kawati studios)
cover photograpy by yoann amnesy
artwork & layout by stefan alt
"Our nature is the mind, and the mind is our nature." Bodhidharma
Many Thanx to: Anita, Léonard, my family, Yoann Amnesy, Gibon, Stefan Alt, Les Tambours du Bronx, Hint, Yurodivy, Kawati Studios, Sam, audiotrauma, ant-zen, Bodhidharma, all the people i met on the road/web since many years and You..
A worthy successor to Your Dystopia, My Utopia.
The title track is a chewy, distorted, fucked up love letter to 2020. The final track a re-imagining of the now 30 year old FLA's Digital Tension Dementia.
Discordia
This album is truly something special - a perfect blend of driving industrial/EBM, catchy pop hooks, and punchy production. Sounds perfect on vinyl as well. Amber Dean
Grab your anorak! Tokyo underground legends-in-the-making Hazy Sour Cherry return with a second full-length of irresistible indie pop songs. Bandcamp New & Notable Jun 2, 2022
Originally released in 2005, the Japanese band's hidden gem—a blur of pop, downtempo, and vocal jazz—gets a long-overdue upgrade. Bandcamp New & Notable Jan 5, 2022
A delightful holiday treat from Tokyo indie pop band Hazy Sour Cherry includes a lovely cover of American 60s girl group the Pixies Three. Bandcamp New & Notable Dec 9, 2021
I must admit that I am impressed (again). This is one of the best releases that I have come across in years. It has so many nuances and every track is a small masterpiece on its own. It's hard to pick favorites as every song has a different style and listening to it several times reveals always something new. Anyhow, that particular moment in Plight, when the bass drum kicks in while the vocoder voice is playing is truly a magic moment. Love it. Thank you for your work. Ravindra Abeynaike