Satoh, Somei: Emerald Tablet/Echoes LP

WRWTFWW Records announce the full official reissue of two major works from the great Somei Satoh gathered into one LP: the mystic and meditative Emerald Tablet (1978) and Echoes (1981). Sourced from original masters and available on vinyl with liner notes by passionate Japanese music connoisseur/collector/critic/DJ, Masaaki Hara. Fall into the ambient vastness, let yourself go... Originally released by highly respected label ALM, these pivotal pieces of late '70s/early '80s Japanese experimental music majestically showcase Satoh's intuitive approach to composition and mastery of creating infinite worlds of sound from very, very little. Emerald Tablet, recorded at the fabled NHK Studio of Electronic Music in 1978, is a spellbinding take on musique concrète meets tape music relying solely on sound harmonics from tubular bell, cymbals, and "kin" (Buddhist standing bell) overdubbed endlessly, voyaging into vertiginous sonic depths. Echoes was composed for the Mist, Sound, and Light Festival, a ten-day event organized by the hot spring tourist association of Kawaji, Tochigi Prefecture, held on May 20-29, 1981. It was played in the Kawaji hot spring's Ojika river valley, with 8 gigantic loudspeakers set up on hills surrounding the stream and connected to an octuple channel-tape system -- thanks to a combined length of cables exceeding one kilometer -- while artificial fog rose from a ravine and laser beams shot up on the mountains. Cinematic and resonating, this breathtaking piece from Somei Satoh is a transcending sonic experience. Emerald Tablet / Echoes is reissued in conjunction with Somei Satoh's Mandala Trilogy + 1 double-LP (WRWTFWW 055LP).