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今年的農曆鬼門開是 8 月 16 日，這段日子有些人會注意避免觸犯一些忌，有些人則會在這個恐怖片最多的時候跑上數次電影院，而唱片的挑選，小白兔今年推薦這張，與日本靈異文學的代表之一，旅日英國作家 小泉八雲在 1904 出版的遺作同名，日本實驗電子音樂人 Meitei / 冥丁 首張專輯《Kwaidan 怪談》五週年再版。
1825 年的歌舞伎表演《四谷怪談》被認為是日本前幾大怪談之一，這是一個再往前數 100 多年的故事改編，女主角阿岩化為厲鬼的復仇，其形象也成為後來眾多恐怖故事的靈感來源；提到近期關於怪談的音樂，第一個會想到的是 Meitei 冥丁，他以「怪談」作為靈感的系列作品，從剛出道就被像是 The Wire、Pitchfork、Bandcamp 等... 音樂平台、媒體討論，擅長連結久遠的過去，無論是歷史故事或是民間傳說，他所創造的環境電子空間裡重疊了現代與過去的景致，懷舊且夢幻。
"Kwaidan / 怪談 is markedly different than some of the ambient music that has been coming from Japan in recent years—its darker and weirder, befitting its theme."
– Bandcamp, Best New Ambient
“Meitei creates a seductive and coherent style”
– The Wire
“Its a record that whispers into your ear long into the night”
– Pitchfork, Best Experimental Albums of 2018
“Wind chimes, crickets, tape hiss and blunted hip hop mark this album as a hybrid, folding time like origami, locking past and present into a single, evocative form.”
– A Closer Listen
“Sounding both ancient and futuristic at once…”
– Tiny Mix Tapes
Hiroshima-based artist Meitei announces the reissue of Kwaidan on the 5th anniversary of his groundbreaking debut album. A collaboration between 2 labels – KITCHEN. LABEL (Kofū I & II) and Evening Chants (Kwaidan), the reissue sees the highly anticipated special 5th Anniversary Edition of Kwaidan with two previously unreleased bonus tracks. This will be released on long-out-of-print vinyl format in a new color variant, with an 8-panel insert and the first-ever CD version.
In 2018, Meitei shook the ambient world with the release of his debut album Kwaidan, a transposition of Japanese folklore into intricate compositions, capturing what he would coin as the “lost Japanese mood”. The album almost instantly received critical acclaim from the likes of Pitchfork, where it was included in their Best Experimental Albums of 2018, Bandcamp, calling it “different from some of the ambient music that has been coming from Japan in recent years”, The Wire and more.
Kwaidan (怪談) is a style of Japanese ghost stories. Meitei took it as a challenge of his skill as a musician to transpose the folklore into intricate compositions, capturing this lost “Japanese mood”. “The shocking elements in the horror have become a staple. It functions as entertainment. But I felt the mood and ambiance from Kwaidan is starting to wither – while the darkness is scary, the beauty is in the curious spirit,” explains Meitei.
Koizumi Yakumo is an important figure in the Japanese literary world, known for his legends and ghost stories. He left the world, leaving a masterpiece called Kwaidan, heavily inspiring Meitei album direction. Sazanami, Curio, Shoji and Mushiro are seen as a nod and tribute to his work. Other influences include manga author Mizuki Shigeru, who drove the sound for Touba and Jizo, intended to be a homage soundtrack for his manga Gegege no Kitarō. As an old-fashioned man, Meitei also draws from the legendary Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli. With this very eclectic mix of influences, the album Kwaidan possesses a prominent horror element, comedy, sentimentality and sorrow. He compares the ambiance as one would visually with wet moss, shrouded in mist.
“Music is an important human communication tool. Expressing a mood that is almost impossible to translate into language perfectly is interesting.” While most of the above might stem from influential Japanese art, Meitei was also attracted to the new wave of lo-fi hip hop, which he tried to weave into his music subtly. Something as easy as the wrong placement of a kick and snare on a track can divert the track away from the Kwaidan mood. Yet, Meitei found a delicate balance, resulting in a gorgeously crafted album.
Meitei releases Kwaidan 5th Anniversary Edition on 21 July 2023 via KITCHEN. LABEL and Evening Chants. Available on 180g smoke haze variant LP, CD and digital formats (LP arriving in Q3, 2023), This record is mastered by Taylor Deupree at 12k Mastering in New York.
Tracklist
1. Sazanami / 漣
2. Curio / 骨董
3. Touba / 塔婆
4. Jizo / 地蔵
5. Aoyagi / 青柳
6. Mōryō / 魍魎
7. Sankai / 山怪
8. Shoji / 障子
9. Mushiro / 筵
10. Tsukumo / 九十九
11. Namda / 涙*
12. Kaikyō./ 海峡*
*previously unreleased
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