artist: SAWAKO
title: Yours Gray
catalog number: and/15
release year: 2004
format: CD
status: sold out
title: Yours Gray
catalog number: and/15
release year: 2004
format: CD
status: sold out
This is the first full length CD for Sawako Kato and the first replicated CD
release for and/OAR. This is a perfect release for the Spring and Summer, and
a beautiful one at that. Yours Gray shows Sawako's work begin to drift into
slightly different directions from her previous releases, with more ambient, and
at times, vaguely melodic flourishes that can evoke wistful hazy daydream
memories of childhood or perhaps lifetime dreams yet fulfilled. Obviously each
listener can derive what they wish from this music. All the more so, since
Sawako's paradoxical work tends to encompass deep contemplation, yet with
no premeditated intentions on her part.
This release features collaboration work with people such as Toshimaru
Nakamura, Kiyoharu Kuwayama (Kuwayama/Kijima & Lethe), Mitchell Akiyama
(Sub Rosa, Raster Noton, Force Inc), Asuna (Lucky Kitchen), and Yuichiro
Fujimoto (Smalltown Supersound).
release for and/OAR. This is a perfect release for the Spring and Summer, and
a beautiful one at that. Yours Gray shows Sawako's work begin to drift into
slightly different directions from her previous releases, with more ambient, and
at times, vaguely melodic flourishes that can evoke wistful hazy daydream
memories of childhood or perhaps lifetime dreams yet fulfilled. Obviously each
listener can derive what they wish from this music. All the more so, since
Sawako's paradoxical work tends to encompass deep contemplation, yet with
no premeditated intentions on her part.
This release features collaboration work with people such as Toshimaru
Nakamura, Kiyoharu Kuwayama (Kuwayama/Kijima & Lethe), Mitchell Akiyama
(Sub Rosa, Raster Noton, Force Inc), Asuna (Lucky Kitchen), and Yuichiro
Fujimoto (Smalltown Supersound).
REVIEWS
BLOW UP (OCTOBER 2004)
A disciplined Zen grace that is raised to the nth power in the first official album
by tiny Japanese girl Sawako (see also her recent collaboration with (Taylor)
Deupree, a very good album on Spekk for the New Yorker, and the 12k
compilation "Two Point Two"). A veritable storyteller, like Sophie Calle and Wim
Wenders as the press release suggests, with a background in visual arts,
Sawako perfectly embodies that idea of spontaneity urged by the work of her
American colleagues and her compositions contain field recordings and little
else; environmental in the most literal sense and therefore adjoining, even
though lighter than those of her fellow-countrywoman Miki Yui, looking like
silky yarns wavering in the wind with elegance and delicacy. In the end we
want to point out the presence of special guests such as Mitchell Akiyama on
processed piano on Night Midlight and Toshimaru Nakamura, recorded in the
distance along with sea and train noises as pure elements of the acoustic
landscape, in Cache Cache and Go To Ocean. (Nicola Catalano)
A disciplined Zen grace that is raised to the nth power in the first official album
by tiny Japanese girl Sawako (see also her recent collaboration with (Taylor)
Deupree, a very good album on Spekk for the New Yorker, and the 12k
compilation "Two Point Two"). A veritable storyteller, like Sophie Calle and Wim
Wenders as the press release suggests, with a background in visual arts,
Sawako perfectly embodies that idea of spontaneity urged by the work of her
American colleagues and her compositions contain field recordings and little
else; environmental in the most literal sense and therefore adjoining, even
though lighter than those of her fellow-countrywoman Miki Yui, looking like
silky yarns wavering in the wind with elegance and delicacy. In the end we
want to point out the presence of special guests such as Mitchell Akiyama on
processed piano on Night Midlight and Toshimaru Nakamura, recorded in the
distance along with sea and train noises as pure elements of the acoustic
landscape, in Cache Cache and Go To Ocean. (Nicola Catalano)
EAR / RATIONAL (AUGUST 2004)
Subtle sounds crafted from air and dust evoke light thoughts and introspection.
Tones drifting and overriding each other, texture wraps and warps as if it is the
sound wave drawn by watching water flow over a rock. Slight scratching of
what could be sand falling on a metal plate on track 4, titled "Hole" may be the
loudest sound here. A very solo disc to listen to, playing this while talking to
friends will cause the music to disappear. My favorite sound is the tinny
reverberated sound of a truck starting; recorded, it sounds, through a long
narrow pipe. This technique develops all sorts of overtones and harmonics.
Cool! Interestingly enough, they are doing work on the roof of my office today,
the footsteps and draggings I hear overhead, fit in well with this music.
(Don Poe)
Subtle sounds crafted from air and dust evoke light thoughts and introspection.
Tones drifting and overriding each other, texture wraps and warps as if it is the
sound wave drawn by watching water flow over a rock. Slight scratching of
what could be sand falling on a metal plate on track 4, titled "Hole" may be the
loudest sound here. A very solo disc to listen to, playing this while talking to
friends will cause the music to disappear. My favorite sound is the tinny
reverberated sound of a truck starting; recorded, it sounds, through a long
narrow pipe. This technique develops all sorts of overtones and harmonics.
Cool! Interestingly enough, they are doing work on the roof of my office today,
the footsteps and draggings I hear overhead, fit in well with this music.
(Don Poe)
SANDS-ZINE (JULY 2004)
Sawako Kato è uno dei pochi personaggi culto di questo inizio millennio, e lo è
perché, a conti fatti, combacia perfettamente con esso, con le sue istanze, con i
suoi percorsi e con la sua silhouette.
Ha saputo gestire alla perfezione la propria immagine attraverso la diffusione di
CD-R autoprotti, la partecipazione a compilation in mp3, la pubblicazione in
alcune delle CD-R labels più apprezzate, la creazione di un sito personale molto
curato ed efficace, i contatti con le realtà indipendenti di tutto il pianeta…
Questa giovane ragazza giapponese è in grado di insegnare a molti come si
può fare, facendolo bene, il manager di se stesso. I flyers che accompagnano il
suo materiale promozionale sono di una completezza e di un ordine perfetti, con
annotazioni brevi e semplici sul materiale stesso e, in più, particolareggiate
informazioni sulla sua attività passata, presente e futura… una manna piovuta
dal cielo per chi deve scriverne.
Kato Sawako ha saputo cogliere lo spirito dei tempi ed ha utilizzato al massimo
quelle che sono le possibilità offerte da un mezzo potente come Internet. Un’
autentica ‘tokyo digital mutation girl’, come recitano le parole chiave poste alle
porte d’ingresso del suo mondo virtuale.
Sono questi i motivi di un successo spropositato, non rispetto alla qualità, ch’è
reale, ma rispetto a una produzione musicale che, a conti fatti, è praticamente
prossima allo zero. Perché, posso affermarlo per esperienza, una recensione
su Internet di un suo CD-R, magari stampato in sole 300 copie, riceve molte più
visite di una recensione a un disco di David Sylvian, e posso assicurarvi che
non si tratta affatto di cliccate dell’artista o dei suoi amici. La conclusione non
può essere che una: il popolo di Internet ama questa ‘tokyo digital mutation girl’.
Ho scritto di ‘una produzione prossima allo zero’ e mi spiego meglio. Il CD-R ha
motivo di esistere solo per basse tirature, quindi una produzione basata
esclusivamente su quel tipo di supporto non può certo raggiungere un pubblico
così numeroso da giustificare la notorietà raggiunta dalla ragazza. Inoltre
questo tipo di supporto non viene trattato dalla maggior parte della stampa, e
quando viene preso in considerazione è guardato come materiale di serie B o,
peggio ancora, è esaminato in modo equivoco, senza spiegare affatto di cosa si
tratta. La maggior parte dei distributori, poi, non accetta in consegna i CD-R.
Buona parte della pubblicità, se mai, gli è venuta dai pezzi piazzati su Internet.
Ma anche di questi se ne parla poco, e allora vuol dire che esiste un tipo di
pubblico evoluto, in grado di muoversi in modo autonomo rispetto alla critica,
alla promozione e alla pubblicità (cose che, spiace dirlo, a volte fanno corpo
unico). La giapponese ha probabilmente intuito la consistenza di questi
ascoltatori, ha saputo raggiungerli tramite una penetrazione a ‘rete’ ed ha fatto
leva sul loro gusto per costruire una sua piccola mitologia.
Questo CD rappresenta l’opportunità di allargare una cerchia di pubblico già
consistente, un’opportunità che non vale solo per l’autrice ma anche per l’
etichetta, anch’essa rimasta confinata, fino a ieri, nell’universo della piccola
produzione su CD-R, e non è un caso fortuito che la and/OAR abbia deciso di
puntare proprio su Sawako per tentare il salto di ‘categoria’. La ‘tokyo digital
mutation girl’ non delude infatti le aspettative e sfrutta nel modo migliore l’
occasione che le viene offerta, e fin dalla lista delle collaborazioni raccolte è
possibile capire quanta accuratezza c’è dietro alla produzione di “Yours Gray”.
La scelta dei pezzi, che privilegia sette tracce medio-brevi, è estremamente
felice. La struttura pacata e artigianale, morbida ma non languida, è affidata a
pochi tratti distintivi, e ne prendono forma acquarelli dai colori tenui, come le
foto che adornano la confezione, o come forme irreali di paesaggi visti al lume
di luna piena, magari coperti da un manto di neve, con i colori che assumono
un carattere magico e fantastico, mentre nello sfondo è possibile udire il
crepitio del silenzio. Arte semplice, povera, arte del quotidiano, del vissuto,
impressioni dettate da uno sguardo attento alla nuance del mondo… arte
impressionista e, dopo tanto espressionismo, ce n’era davvero bisogno.
I brani sono tutti costruiti con registrazioni concrete, una spolverata di
pianoforte processato, un pizzico di onde corte radio, voci quanto basta…
poesia delle piccole cose che si tinge d’immenso. Gli episodi più curiosi
rispondono ai titoli di Petit Garçon, con l’autrice che scrive di aver dimenticato
quali suoni ha utilizzato, Cache Cache e Go To Ocean, entrambi assemblati con
field recordings raccolti nei pressi di una galleria dove, e mentre, suonava
‘Toshi’ Nakamura. I percorsi di Sawako vengono paragonati a quelli di Sophie
Calle e Wim Wenders, ma io vedrei bene un parallelo con la produzione solista
di Valerio Tricoli, un altro giovane che sta finalmente trovando la sua
dimensione nel grande universo della musica. Comprate questo disco e
tenetelo stretto insieme a tutti i CD-R autoprodotti di Sawako, se siete riusciti a
metterci le mani, perché il futuro è dalla sua parte. (Etero Genio)
Sawako Kato è uno dei pochi personaggi culto di questo inizio millennio, e lo è
perché, a conti fatti, combacia perfettamente con esso, con le sue istanze, con i
suoi percorsi e con la sua silhouette.
Ha saputo gestire alla perfezione la propria immagine attraverso la diffusione di
CD-R autoprotti, la partecipazione a compilation in mp3, la pubblicazione in
alcune delle CD-R labels più apprezzate, la creazione di un sito personale molto
curato ed efficace, i contatti con le realtà indipendenti di tutto il pianeta…
Questa giovane ragazza giapponese è in grado di insegnare a molti come si
può fare, facendolo bene, il manager di se stesso. I flyers che accompagnano il
suo materiale promozionale sono di una completezza e di un ordine perfetti, con
annotazioni brevi e semplici sul materiale stesso e, in più, particolareggiate
informazioni sulla sua attività passata, presente e futura… una manna piovuta
dal cielo per chi deve scriverne.
Kato Sawako ha saputo cogliere lo spirito dei tempi ed ha utilizzato al massimo
quelle che sono le possibilità offerte da un mezzo potente come Internet. Un’
autentica ‘tokyo digital mutation girl’, come recitano le parole chiave poste alle
porte d’ingresso del suo mondo virtuale.
Sono questi i motivi di un successo spropositato, non rispetto alla qualità, ch’è
reale, ma rispetto a una produzione musicale che, a conti fatti, è praticamente
prossima allo zero. Perché, posso affermarlo per esperienza, una recensione
su Internet di un suo CD-R, magari stampato in sole 300 copie, riceve molte più
visite di una recensione a un disco di David Sylvian, e posso assicurarvi che
non si tratta affatto di cliccate dell’artista o dei suoi amici. La conclusione non
può essere che una: il popolo di Internet ama questa ‘tokyo digital mutation girl’.
Ho scritto di ‘una produzione prossima allo zero’ e mi spiego meglio. Il CD-R ha
motivo di esistere solo per basse tirature, quindi una produzione basata
esclusivamente su quel tipo di supporto non può certo raggiungere un pubblico
così numeroso da giustificare la notorietà raggiunta dalla ragazza. Inoltre
questo tipo di supporto non viene trattato dalla maggior parte della stampa, e
quando viene preso in considerazione è guardato come materiale di serie B o,
peggio ancora, è esaminato in modo equivoco, senza spiegare affatto di cosa si
tratta. La maggior parte dei distributori, poi, non accetta in consegna i CD-R.
Buona parte della pubblicità, se mai, gli è venuta dai pezzi piazzati su Internet.
Ma anche di questi se ne parla poco, e allora vuol dire che esiste un tipo di
pubblico evoluto, in grado di muoversi in modo autonomo rispetto alla critica,
alla promozione e alla pubblicità (cose che, spiace dirlo, a volte fanno corpo
unico). La giapponese ha probabilmente intuito la consistenza di questi
ascoltatori, ha saputo raggiungerli tramite una penetrazione a ‘rete’ ed ha fatto
leva sul loro gusto per costruire una sua piccola mitologia.
Questo CD rappresenta l’opportunità di allargare una cerchia di pubblico già
consistente, un’opportunità che non vale solo per l’autrice ma anche per l’
etichetta, anch’essa rimasta confinata, fino a ieri, nell’universo della piccola
produzione su CD-R, e non è un caso fortuito che la and/OAR abbia deciso di
puntare proprio su Sawako per tentare il salto di ‘categoria’. La ‘tokyo digital
mutation girl’ non delude infatti le aspettative e sfrutta nel modo migliore l’
occasione che le viene offerta, e fin dalla lista delle collaborazioni raccolte è
possibile capire quanta accuratezza c’è dietro alla produzione di “Yours Gray”.
La scelta dei pezzi, che privilegia sette tracce medio-brevi, è estremamente
felice. La struttura pacata e artigianale, morbida ma non languida, è affidata a
pochi tratti distintivi, e ne prendono forma acquarelli dai colori tenui, come le
foto che adornano la confezione, o come forme irreali di paesaggi visti al lume
di luna piena, magari coperti da un manto di neve, con i colori che assumono
un carattere magico e fantastico, mentre nello sfondo è possibile udire il
crepitio del silenzio. Arte semplice, povera, arte del quotidiano, del vissuto,
impressioni dettate da uno sguardo attento alla nuance del mondo… arte
impressionista e, dopo tanto espressionismo, ce n’era davvero bisogno.
I brani sono tutti costruiti con registrazioni concrete, una spolverata di
pianoforte processato, un pizzico di onde corte radio, voci quanto basta…
poesia delle piccole cose che si tinge d’immenso. Gli episodi più curiosi
rispondono ai titoli di Petit Garçon, con l’autrice che scrive di aver dimenticato
quali suoni ha utilizzato, Cache Cache e Go To Ocean, entrambi assemblati con
field recordings raccolti nei pressi di una galleria dove, e mentre, suonava
‘Toshi’ Nakamura. I percorsi di Sawako vengono paragonati a quelli di Sophie
Calle e Wim Wenders, ma io vedrei bene un parallelo con la produzione solista
di Valerio Tricoli, un altro giovane che sta finalmente trovando la sua
dimensione nel grande universo della musica. Comprate questo disco e
tenetelo stretto insieme a tutti i CD-R autoprodotti di Sawako, se siete riusciti a
metterci le mani, perché il futuro è dalla sua parte. (Etero Genio)
TOUCHING EXTREMES (OCTOBER 2005)
In this brief series of ear movies, where snapshots of real world activities are
conveniently paired to disparate electronic sources, sound artist Sawako
brings out her view of a singular - if quite hidden - tuning between what's
perceived in our daily life and a combination of psychoacoustic materials which
assume a leading role in developing the raw document of a location into a well
determined mental state. In "Cache cache" Toshi Nakamura lends his piercing
controlled feedback to the ambience of what's described as a "quiet residential
area by the sea", while the best overall track for sheer compositional skill is
probably "Night midlight", an insinuating intercourse between Sawako's
processed sounds and voice and Mitchell Akiyama's looped/treated piano.
Concentrating her efforts in 36 minutes or so, this woman breaks more than one
barrier between simple brooding and active listening, keeping many things
unsaid - but visible anyway. (Massimo Ricci)
In this brief series of ear movies, where snapshots of real world activities are
conveniently paired to disparate electronic sources, sound artist Sawako
brings out her view of a singular - if quite hidden - tuning between what's
perceived in our daily life and a combination of psychoacoustic materials which
assume a leading role in developing the raw document of a location into a well
determined mental state. In "Cache cache" Toshi Nakamura lends his piercing
controlled feedback to the ambience of what's described as a "quiet residential
area by the sea", while the best overall track for sheer compositional skill is
probably "Night midlight", an insinuating intercourse between Sawako's
processed sounds and voice and Mitchell Akiyama's looped/treated piano.
Concentrating her efforts in 36 minutes or so, this woman breaks more than one
barrier between simple brooding and active listening, keeping many things
unsaid - but visible anyway. (Massimo Ricci)
VITAL WEEKLY (SEPTEMBER 2005)
This CD is my introduction to the music of Sawako. There are 7 tracks with a
total time of just under 37 minutes. Some of the tracks are hardly longer than 2
minutes. That is rather unusual in the phonographic sound scene I would say.
The music in general is a mix of field recordings and electronic (or
electronically enhanced) sounds and the combination works very well indeed.
All the tracks have a gentle and quite still character that envelop the listener,
inviting him/her into Sawako's world. A world that is best described as gentle,
quirky and created with a lot of pleasure. But do not make the mistake of taking
this too lightly: it is very serious, but without getting heavy. Basically one of
those works that has to be heard in order to be appreciated. What more can I
say? Listen! (Roel Meelkop)
This CD is my introduction to the music of Sawako. There are 7 tracks with a
total time of just under 37 minutes. Some of the tracks are hardly longer than 2
minutes. That is rather unusual in the phonographic sound scene I would say.
The music in general is a mix of field recordings and electronic (or
electronically enhanced) sounds and the combination works very well indeed.
All the tracks have a gentle and quite still character that envelop the listener,
inviting him/her into Sawako's world. A world that is best described as gentle,
quirky and created with a lot of pleasure. But do not make the mistake of taking
this too lightly: it is very serious, but without getting heavy. Basically one of
those works that has to be heard in order to be appreciated. What more can I
say? Listen! (Roel Meelkop)
BLOW UP (JANUARY 2005)
TOP RELEASES OF 2004:
- MOTION: Lookback Layback (12k)
- TAYLOR DEUPREE & CHRISTOPHER WILLITS: Mujo (Plop)
- MITCHELL AKIYAMA: If Night Is a Weed and Day Grows Less (Sub Rosa SR20)
- PATRIK TORSSON: Kolväteserenader (Häpna)
- MY JAZZY CHILD: I Insist (Clapping Music)
- THE KONKI DUET: Il Fait Tout Gris (Active Suspension)
- O.LAMM: Hello Spiral (Active Suspension)
- BOB VIDO: Interesting Results. Music By a Committee of One (Sonic Arts Network)
- MARGARETH KAMMERER: To Be an Animal of Real Flesh (Charhizma)
- FOURCOLOR: Air Curtain (12k)
- SAWAKO: Yours Gray (and/OAR)
- OZ FRITZ: All Around the World (Sub Rosa)
- LUC FERRARI: Les Anecdotiques (Sub Rosa)
- MICHEL CHION / LIONEL MARCHETTI / JÉRÔME NOETINGER: Les 120 Jours (Fringes Recordings)
(Nicola Catalano)
TOP RELEASES OF 2004:
- MOTION: Lookback Layback (12k)
- TAYLOR DEUPREE & CHRISTOPHER WILLITS: Mujo (Plop)
- MITCHELL AKIYAMA: If Night Is a Weed and Day Grows Less (Sub Rosa SR20)
- PATRIK TORSSON: Kolväteserenader (Häpna)
- MY JAZZY CHILD: I Insist (Clapping Music)
- THE KONKI DUET: Il Fait Tout Gris (Active Suspension)
- O.LAMM: Hello Spiral (Active Suspension)
- BOB VIDO: Interesting Results. Music By a Committee of One (Sonic Arts Network)
- MARGARETH KAMMERER: To Be an Animal of Real Flesh (Charhizma)
- FOURCOLOR: Air Curtain (12k)
- SAWAKO: Yours Gray (and/OAR)
- OZ FRITZ: All Around the World (Sub Rosa)
- LUC FERRARI: Les Anecdotiques (Sub Rosa)
- MICHEL CHION / LIONEL MARCHETTI / JÉRÔME NOETINGER: Les 120 Jours (Fringes Recordings)
(Nicola Catalano)
ELECTRONIC MUSIC 411 (OCTOBER 2004)
French experimental netlabel Autres Directions In Music have entered the
difficult world of the online compilation, courtesy of their ambitious The Noise &
The City package: no fewer than thirty artists each providing a piece of text, a
photo and a track, all available for free download. The rules governing the
production of the latter were such that artists were invited to, "revisit their daily
environment (urban and sound), ... record sounds inside their city, then
reprocess the material as much as they like without adding any kind of rhythm
or music". The label does in its accompanying notes acknowledge the debt to
Fallt's Invisible Cities project.
It's probably inevitable that the results are somewhat patchy, partly given the
very restricted 'rules' governing the project, but another important thing that
disappointed me was the lack of variety in how the artists utilised their source
material. Although obviously some people used a mixture of the two
approaches, basically they either compiled a 'collage' of field recordings on the
one hand, or else manipulated these recordings to then make more
straightforward 'musical' elements (percussion sounds made from samples of
trains, that kind of thing), and so construct a pretty much regular track from
there.
There are some nice tracks, sure - Sora and The Remote Viewer are
tremendous, plus Robokoneko is also pretty good - but I suppose that I listened
to this compilation in the context of currently being immersed in the genuinely
stunning Sawako album Yours Gray - and here we're moving off into actual CD
territory - on the experimental and/OAR label. It's not entirely made out of field
recordings in the way that The Noise & The City (TN&TC) is, but there's certainly a
comparison to be made in terms of how she has approached the making of her
music - and the result is that Yours Gray is just so much more affecting than
anything on the Autres Directions collection. (To be fair, having heard a lot of
Sawako's mp3s in the past and been intrigued if not totally convinced, I was
really unprepared for the album to be quite so overwhelming.)
This is especially true in the way that she isolates sounds, uses the incredible
power of silence and conveys the idea that every element of sound in her work
is perfectly considered and correctly positioned. The more randomised collage
approach of a lot of TN&TC of course can lead to some interesting textures, etc.,
but generally in the hands of - to be frank - lesser artists, it's not going to bring
about the creation of something profoundly exciting.
In contrast, Sawako is able to demonstrate a deeper understanding of the nature
of both sound and (vitally) time in the context of composition and performance.
An example of how this works in practice is the first time my wife - and she's
not really into this kind of thing at all - and I listened to the album, after it had
finished we continued our conversation literally at the level of a whisper for the
rest of the evening, without even realising what we were doing: Yours Gray is
simply astonishingly successful at re-contextualising sound. (Mike Innes)
French experimental netlabel Autres Directions In Music have entered the
difficult world of the online compilation, courtesy of their ambitious The Noise &
The City package: no fewer than thirty artists each providing a piece of text, a
photo and a track, all available for free download. The rules governing the
production of the latter were such that artists were invited to, "revisit their daily
environment (urban and sound), ... record sounds inside their city, then
reprocess the material as much as they like without adding any kind of rhythm
or music". The label does in its accompanying notes acknowledge the debt to
Fallt's Invisible Cities project.
It's probably inevitable that the results are somewhat patchy, partly given the
very restricted 'rules' governing the project, but another important thing that
disappointed me was the lack of variety in how the artists utilised their source
material. Although obviously some people used a mixture of the two
approaches, basically they either compiled a 'collage' of field recordings on the
one hand, or else manipulated these recordings to then make more
straightforward 'musical' elements (percussion sounds made from samples of
trains, that kind of thing), and so construct a pretty much regular track from
there.
There are some nice tracks, sure - Sora and The Remote Viewer are
tremendous, plus Robokoneko is also pretty good - but I suppose that I listened
to this compilation in the context of currently being immersed in the genuinely
stunning Sawako album Yours Gray - and here we're moving off into actual CD
territory - on the experimental and/OAR label. It's not entirely made out of field
recordings in the way that The Noise & The City (TN&TC) is, but there's certainly a
comparison to be made in terms of how she has approached the making of her
music - and the result is that Yours Gray is just so much more affecting than
anything on the Autres Directions collection. (To be fair, having heard a lot of
Sawako's mp3s in the past and been intrigued if not totally convinced, I was
really unprepared for the album to be quite so overwhelming.)
This is especially true in the way that she isolates sounds, uses the incredible
power of silence and conveys the idea that every element of sound in her work
is perfectly considered and correctly positioned. The more randomised collage
approach of a lot of TN&TC of course can lead to some interesting textures, etc.,
but generally in the hands of - to be frank - lesser artists, it's not going to bring
about the creation of something profoundly exciting.
In contrast, Sawako is able to demonstrate a deeper understanding of the nature
of both sound and (vitally) time in the context of composition and performance.
An example of how this works in practice is the first time my wife - and she's
not really into this kind of thing at all - and I listened to the album, after it had
finished we continued our conversation literally at the level of a whisper for the
rest of the evening, without even realising what we were doing: Yours Gray is
simply astonishingly successful at re-contextualising sound. (Mike Innes)
IMPROVISED MUSIC FROM JAPAN - 2005 EDITION (DECEMBER 2005)
An electronic soundscape of pure tones, but not like pop music; the dignified
attitude of the artist penetrates the album. Sawako's works here ranges widely,
from pastel-tone songs like innocent childhood memories, to abstract pieces
that sound like the rumbling of the earth. Besides electronics, field recordings of
various environmental noises, such as wind chimes and the chirping of
insects, are effectively used. Her mix of Toshimaru Nakamura's live
performance at a seaside open gallery as part of a neighborhood environmental
soundscape shows a fresh , original sensitivity that is totally free from the fixed
image of conventional Japanese sentiment. (Yuko Zama)
An electronic soundscape of pure tones, but not like pop music; the dignified
attitude of the artist penetrates the album. Sawako's works here ranges widely,
from pastel-tone songs like innocent childhood memories, to abstract pieces
that sound like the rumbling of the earth. Besides electronics, field recordings of
various environmental noises, such as wind chimes and the chirping of
insects, are effectively used. Her mix of Toshimaru Nakamura's live
performance at a seaside open gallery as part of a neighborhood environmental
soundscape shows a fresh , original sensitivity that is totally free from the fixed
image of conventional Japanese sentiment. (Yuko Zama)
E / I MAGAZINE (WINTER / SPRING 2006)
None embody the preservationist ethic more than Sawako. A study group at
Keio University, the Faculty Of Environmental Information once designed a park
of biotropic landscapes for a rapidly sprawling exurban development in Madrid
with no hydration system, such that within the biotrope, chip-controlled modules
called "water trees" would analyze water tables, purification statistics, and
subsequently purify the wetlands by re-directing "secondary effluent sewage"
below the surface. As a former student, the rhizoid roots of Yours Gray -
Sawako's acoustic-ecological exploration of the tensile human nexus between
technological innovation and nature - run deep into the FEI's philosophical
substrate. Embosomed within field recordings of water, sand , clocks, spoons,
and her own voice, she creates a wide-horizoned morphology of sonic
phenomena distinguished by an inventive harmonic playfulness rare among her
peers. Though the collaborative tracks are not always obvious given her fluid,
botanical sensibilities (cf., Mitchell Akiyama's muscular instrumental
processing, Toshimaru Nakamura's sine wave asceticism) the results are
portmanteau portraits of environmental interaction as cybernetically
progressive as architectural cyber-solutions for thirsty 21st century cities.
(William S. Fields)
None embody the preservationist ethic more than Sawako. A study group at
Keio University, the Faculty Of Environmental Information once designed a park
of biotropic landscapes for a rapidly sprawling exurban development in Madrid
with no hydration system, such that within the biotrope, chip-controlled modules
called "water trees" would analyze water tables, purification statistics, and
subsequently purify the wetlands by re-directing "secondary effluent sewage"
below the surface. As a former student, the rhizoid roots of Yours Gray -
Sawako's acoustic-ecological exploration of the tensile human nexus between
technological innovation and nature - run deep into the FEI's philosophical
substrate. Embosomed within field recordings of water, sand , clocks, spoons,
and her own voice, she creates a wide-horizoned morphology of sonic
phenomena distinguished by an inventive harmonic playfulness rare among her
peers. Though the collaborative tracks are not always obvious given her fluid,
botanical sensibilities (cf., Mitchell Akiyama's muscular instrumental
processing, Toshimaru Nakamura's sine wave asceticism) the results are
portmanteau portraits of environmental interaction as cybernetically
progressive as architectural cyber-solutions for thirsty 21st century cities.
(William S. Fields)
SMALLFISH (JULY 2006)
This work predates Sawako's more well known albums for Community Library
and 12k by a couple of years, yet there's a definite similarity between the work
on all 3 albums. Sawako seemingly uses field recordings as a large part of the
inspiration for this CD and, as opposed to the more melodic processing that's
used on later work this has a stripped-back and reduced feel that's very
appealing indeed. It's almost as if the source material is enough and doesn't
need any extra tinkering with... the means more than justifies the end. Subtle
shifts in sound work to engage the listener and it's, at times, like listening to a
little corner of Japanese life unfolding before you. For that you can read that I
thoroughly enjoyed this and would recommend it as an excellent companion to
the other albums. Lovely stuff. (Mike Oliver)
This work predates Sawako's more well known albums for Community Library
and 12k by a couple of years, yet there's a definite similarity between the work
on all 3 albums. Sawako seemingly uses field recordings as a large part of the
inspiration for this CD and, as opposed to the more melodic processing that's
used on later work this has a stripped-back and reduced feel that's very
appealing indeed. It's almost as if the source material is enough and doesn't
need any extra tinkering with... the means more than justifies the end. Subtle
shifts in sound work to engage the listener and it's, at times, like listening to a
little corner of Japanese life unfolding before you. For that you can read that I
thoroughly enjoyed this and would recommend it as an excellent companion to
the other albums. Lovely stuff. (Mike Oliver)
