Chihei Hatakeyama

With a string of releases on Kranky, Room 40 and Hibernate Records under his belt, Chihei Hatakeyama has emerged as a truly palpable figure in Japan's normally discarnate ambient scene. Expanding on concepts that he began with electroacoustic duo Opitope (with Tomoyoshi Date), Hatakeyama creates dense, evanescent soundscapes using acoustic sources such as vibraphone, guitar, piano and a plethora of field recordings.

Celebrating his latest release of Ian Hawgood's Home Normal imprint, we are happy clams to host this truly fine artist on what should be quite a special evening.

Chihei Hatakeyama

Kouhei Harada + Tetsuro Yasunaga

In the midst of Tokyo's madness, you can find enigmatic, soulful musicians who supercede categorization and create captivating sounds that seem to transcend the city rush, taking you someplace altogether different. Kouhei Harada and Tetsuro Yasunaga are two such musicians, gaining recognition worldwide for their far-reaching work.

As Sawada+Harada in 2007, Harada played the Faust-curated Avant-Garde Festival in Germany and in 2009 undertook an Australian tour as a solo artist. His recent activity will culminate in two upcoming releases on slow release music; an EP in May and and full-length in August.

Tetsuro Yasunaga, besides his prolific activities in Japan with minamo, Voiva and helll, has also garnered a name through a range of overseas activities in the United States and Europe.

We present a first time session between these two that is bound to be peculiarly imaginative.

Kouhei Harada

Tetsuro Yasunaga

Koutaro Fukui

Introduced to us by good friend and fine musician Yukitomo Hamasaki (who also happens to head up the stupendous matter label), Koutaro Fukui makes some downright inventive music, every moment worthy of a greater number of ears listening in. From vast minimal soundscapes to unadorned yet complex rhythms, Fukui has stripped the sound down to the essentials and created a refreshing music entirely free of cliche.

With releases on Fat Cat, Commune Disc, unlabel, and his own on:do netlabel, there are plenty of places to find his work. His latest release Gently Touching the Conception was released from the French label SEM. Highly recommended.

Koutaro Fukui

Onnacodomo (Visuals)

Taking their inspiration from moments and objects from everyday life, visual unit onnacodomo make the ordinary decidedly extraordinary. Eschewing computer-generated graphics or recorded material, the three members (DJ Codomo, Yasuko Seki and Ruka Noguchi) perform in real time using a video camera to capture their spontaneous creations.

Shimmering projections are created using water, mirrors and an array of lights, while a world of fantastic images is constructed with found photos, kitchen utensils, toys, stationary and improvised artwork. Kaleidoscopic, absurd and unreal, onnacodomo takes you into a slightly-unhinged world that is absolutely original in its conception.

Onnacodomo

Evil Penguin

Master of disguises, Mexican top-hats, ambient rockabilly to minimal Hawaiian Kumulipo chants, the Evil Penguin poses the primordial question of evanescence against a backdrop of New Wave folk. Celebratory, subliminal, moment-to-moment. A Tasmanian treasure with a penchant for open spaces.