日本のアンビエント黎明期を切り拓いた吉村弘。生前は国内での評価にとどまっていたが、静かな熱気を帯びたネット上の支持と『Music For Nine Post Cards』の復刻を機に、いまや世界的に再評価が進む存在となった。1986年に制作された『Green』は、本人も特に愛着を示していた代表作のひとつ。1985〜86年の冬、自宅スタジオで紡がれた音は、東京の喧騒とは対照的に、時間がゆるやかに流れる感覚を与える。タイトルが示す“GREEN”は単なる色ではなく、生命の循環を思わせる心地よい景観を指すという。Yamaha製FMシンセのデジタルな質感を用いながらも、柔らかく包み込むような響きを宿している点が特徴だ。

今回の復刻盤は、初回日本盤ヴァイナルのみに存在した吉村本人が好んだオリジナル・ミックスを採用。米国でCD化された際に加えられた効果音を排し、当時の空気感をそのまま届ける。博物館や美術館、公共空間、映像作品など多彩な場に音を提供してきた吉村の仕事の幅を体感できる一枚であり、環境音楽の本質を静かに語りかける。穏やかな揺らぎと透き通る旋律が、聴く者を都市の時間から解き放ち、心を自然の循環へと導いてくれる。

A1        Creek    4:46
A2        Feel    4:23
A3        Sheep    5:15
A4        Sleep    6:13
B1        Green    5:09
B2        Feet    6:08
B3        Street    6:41
B4        Teevee    3:30

Barely known outside of his home country during his lifetime, the late Japanese ambient music pioneer Hiroshi Yoshimura has seen his global stature rise steadily in the past few years. The 2017 reissue of his lauded debut, Music For Nine Post Cards, along with a slow-building cult internet following has helped ignite a renaissance in his acclaimed body of work, much of which has never been released outside of Japan. Known for his sound design and environmental music, Yoshimura worked on a number of commissions following the 1982 release of Music For Nine Post Cards, including works for museums, galleries, public spaces, TV shows, video art, fashion shows, and even a cosmetics company.

Originally released in 1986, GREEN is one of Hiroshi Yoshimura’s most well-loved recordings and a favorite of the artist himself. Recorded over the winter of 1985-86 at Yoshimura’s home studio, the compositions unfold at an unhurried pace, a stark contrast to the busy city life of Tokyo. As Yoshimura explained in the original liner notes, the album title in the context of this body of work is not meant to be seen as a color, but is rather used to convey “the comfortable scenery of the natural cycle known as GREEN”—which perfectly encapsulates the soothing and warm sounds contained on the album, although it was created utilizing Yamaha FM synthesizers, known for their crisp digital tones.

This edition marks the first reissue of the highly sought-after and impossible-to-find album. It features the original mix preferred by Yoshimura himself, previously available only on the initial Japanese vinyl release (a limited edition remixed version of the album, with added sound effects, was released on CD in the US). Additionally, this release is the first in our ongoing series, WATER COPY, focusing on the works of Hiroshi Yoshimura.

Artist Bio