Although one of the leading exponents of his chosen genre, and an extremely prolific artist releasing numerous albums per year, Tokyo's
Chihei Hatakeyama remains a shadowy and elusive presence; rarely granting interviews, he prefers to let his music do the talking. And, despite being very beautiful music, it remains a decidedly niche proposition, belonging as it does to a genre commonly called "ambient/drone." There's a shimmering, amorphous, gaseous quality to it that's somehow more tactile and visual than auditory. Dense clusters of suspended tones unfurl at a glacial pace. In the absence of any kind of melody line, it demands other metaphors: it's like walking through fog or billowing snow; watching sunlight penetrate frosted glass or the frigid waters of a mountain lake. For musos, part of the allure of
Hatakeyama's music is its otherworldliness: it's nigh-on impossible to figure out what is making these sounds (it turns out that much of it is electric guitar reverb and feedback). Australian label
Room40 has been a champion of the artist since early in his career. This, his fourth album for the label, seems something of an experiment. Supposedly conceptually based around the markets and bazaars of Anatolia, it, like any of his albums, could actually be "about" anything, or nothing, or whatever the listener chooses to bring to it. It has some tracks that are "classic"
Hatakeyama, alongside others that are quite different. It feels lighter and cleaner somehow than the releases that closely preceded it. There's a more varied range of instrumentation, with heavy use of (what sounds like) keyboard and organ. On some tracks you can actually hear the guitar strings being plucked. It's also rather shorter, with many relatively brief tracks -- no 20-minute epics on this one. "Anatolia Mirage" and "Phantom Cats in Cathedral" are soothing and spiritual, with wandering, improvisatory tones that sound process-generated, closer to the "pure" ambient of
Brian Eno than the slow-moving drone of
Hatakeyama's usual work. Most of "Distant Steam Train Whistle" is taken up with field recordings seemingly made in a busy railway station. Finale "In the Quiet River" is particularly lovely, lulling the listener into a tranquil doze. To say this album is sleep-inducing is in no way a slight. It's perfect relaxation music -- but also involving and intriguing enough for the wide awake. Those turned onto ambient by the 21st-century boom would be well advised to check out
Hatakeyama's work posthaste; he is a master of his craft. This is a fine place to start, but those seeking a taste of something deeper should dig into his back catalog and explore albums like Grace, Norma,
Mirror, and The Bull Head Emperor. ~ John D. Buchanan