Earlier this year, two of Japan’s foremost modern experimental proponents – the boundless ambient musician Chihei Hatakeyama and jazz drummer-in-demand Shun Ishiwaka – joined forces to release a new album titled Magnificent Little Dudes Vol.1, earning plaudits from the likes of MOJO, Uncut, and more.
Today, the duo have announced the follow up companion piece to that record Magnificent Little Dudes Vol.2 alongside a new single titled “M6”. As with the earlier record, the new album will be released digitally via London analogue specialists Gearbox Records and will make up the second half of a two-part double vinyl release which will be released at a later date.
Recorded in just one day, Magnificent Little Dudes Vol.2 is full of obscure beats and samples, ethereal droning guitar lines, and passionate drumming that lifts and drive the record into new more expansive territory.
Speaking on the record, Hatakeyama says, “Vol.2 contains the second half of our recording session. On the album opener, ‘M3’, Cecilia Bignall contributed with cello. This track has a hidden influence I received from David Grubbs ages ago. It’s the track “Stanwell Perpetual” from his album “The Spectrum Between”. However, the song has changed many times in my mind, so I don’t think you can hear the direct relation to ‘M3’.
As for ‘M5’, I was aiming to create a shoegaze sound. Although it may not have turned out to that way, it was definitely the most rock-inflected sound compared to other tracks. This track seems closest to what I wanted to do when I was younger. If there was a time machine, I would go back and tell my younger self that I will have the opportunity to play a session with a great drummer in 20 years. ‘M5’ is my favorite track among the entire session. You see, metal was what got me into music to begin with.”
To mark the announcement of the new album, the duo have shared the record’s closing track “M6”. The single picks up where Vol. 1 left off full of cinematic, swelling soundscapes and subtly intricate drum work.
Hatakeyama is a sound artist, mastering engineer, and record label founder who was born in 1978 and lives in Tokyo. He has performed for years under his given name and also as one half of the electroacoustic duo Opitope alongside Tomoyoshi Date. From his first full-length album ‘Minima Moralia’ (“Excellent” 8.1 Pitchfork) in 2006, through the subsequent 70+ albums that followed, Hatakeyama has created a mighty canon of work. His catalogue is spread across a number of highly regarded labels, including Room40 in Australia, Own Records in Luxembourg, Under The Spire and hibernate in England, and Home Normal in Japan, and his own White Paddy Mountain imprint. His release rate is unquestionably impressive, but what is even more striking is the continual high quality of each alluring album, particularly overseas having previously ranked in the top 10 of Spotify’s “Most Played Domestic Artists Abroad.”
Having collaborated with the likes of Ai Kuwabara, Hiroki Chiba, Kei Matsumaru, Gen Hoshino, Terumasa Hino, Tony Allen, and countless others, Shun Ishiwaka is one of Japan’s most prolific modern jazz drummers. Not only does his discography feature well in excess of 100 appearances at just the age of 31, but has also worked on significant soundtracking projects including working alongside Ringo Sheena and Kenshi Yonezu on the theme song for “The Boy and The Heron”, as well as “Blue Giant”, and many more.
A worthy counterpart to Hatakeyama, it’s surprising that these two artists have never collaborated on an album in the past. Between them they’ve played across ambient, experimental, electronic, pop, hip-hop, jazz, and metal projects, and that’s what this new release represents – a meeting of like-minded musicians with innumerable reference points coming together at an epoch-making juncture to produce an ambient work brimming with creativity and an understanding. After years and years of tireless work and writing, this new album is proof not just for the listener but also for its two authors, that sometimes less really is more.
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