cat#: KK005
title:: Small Melodies
artist:: V.A
time:: 63’53"
format:: CD

tracklist

Text by Nao Sugimoto

This is the first compilation album from Spekk compiled by the label owner mondii. Each of the artists were asked to compose a track with their interpretations of "small melodies" with Keywords like Warm, tender and calm. It was meant to present diversity of minimal-style music in a peaceful "harmonic" way. And it was a coincidence that both Taylor Deupree & Stephan Mathieu created a track dedicated to their child.

The first half of the album is the more "digital" side and the last half more "analog" side encompassing laptop digital processing to field recording materials (For instance, Naph's track is only made out of frequencies within the wind/air) to band oriented materials.

Participants delivers these great pieces of music from various continents including USA, Sweden, France, Germany, Australia and Japan showing slight relationships between each other which kind of gives us a warm feeling of unity within this ongoing global minimalist scene. It was also my intention to present that nowadays, there are not much differences between the outputs from more digital background artists and more band oriented musicians due to their methods of composing (technology) and interests and such. Evidently, more and more rock labels will release digital processed music and bands will use digital softwares, electronic artists will become more aware of small sounds and warmth of the nature. I take this positive!

14 EXCLUSIVE TRACKS / TOTAL TIME 63'53" / ARTWORK IN SILVER-LEAFING PRINT

Artist Profile

Ultra Milkmaids:

http://www.ultra-milkmaids.com/

Sogar:

http://www.12k.com/sogar.html

Tomoyoshi Date:

Tomoyoshi currently resides in Tokyo, Japan. He is also one-half of the group Opitope with Chihei Hatakeyama (Kranky) and runs the Kualauk Table label. He produces pure microsounds using various instruments such as vibraphones and electric guitars.

Taylor Deupree:

http://www.12k.com/deupree.html

Hervé Boghossian:

http://www.list-en.com/

Aen:

Aen is Yasufumi Suzuki from Tokyo, Japan. He also runs the commune label. He is involved in many projects such as Voima, Trap, Waven. What makes his music so special is his 2 old cassette recorders. He keeps on overdubbing it to acquire the ideal sound and finalizes it in his laptop.

Naph:

Naph is Toru Ohara from Tokyo, Japan. He is interested in the uncertain sounds within the nature. He mainly uses field recordings and puts it into his self-programmed Max/MSP patches to sculpture unique sounds. He is also the bassist of the group RdL.

RdL:

RdL is a band type project of mondii (guitar, piano, laptop) and Naph (bass, laptop). They have participated in the recent Staubgold compilation. They are currently making their first full album.