Release Date: 28.03.2015
Paul Kikuchi is a percussionist, composer, and sound artist whose work explores a wide range of styles – from chamber music to soundscape ecology – while also considering specificity of site and material, differences in awareness and intention, along with aspects of history, experience, and community.
Bat of No Bird Island blends the textured and fragile sonic landscapes of Japanese 78RPM records, static and feedback generated by old walkie-talkies, and traditional instrumental composition in an exploration of identity, displacement, culture, and belonging. In re-imagining songs from his great grandfather’s collection of Japanese 78rpm records from the 1940’s - and exploring and interpreting his written memoir - Kikuchi has created a work that is a modernistic homage to early Japanese immigrants in the United States.
Released as a CD, limited edition 10” vinyl record, and website, Bat of No Bird Island is a multi-faceted project that combines narrative, artifact, and sound. Each release format provides a unique insight into the process and inspiration of the work, and a different view of the work itself. The CD and digital download feature the full studio recordings from the project. The 10” record (limited to 100 copies) pairs two of Kikuchi’s re-imaginations with the two original Japanese songs from which they drew inspiration. Finally, the website provides more context in the form of memoir excerpts, photographs, and recordings from the original 78rpm records, while also deconstructing music from the album into short vignettes that are paired with photos and writings.
Tracklist:
1. Ko Ni Mayou 06:23
2. Four Seasons of the Childhood 07:43
3. Seki No Oiwake 04:38
4. Asazuki Yuzuki 06:16
5. Aizen Yakyoku (part 1) 02:28
6. Aizen Yakyoku (part 2) 01:17
