Friday evening. It’s raining outside. A friend drops by. We decide to listen to the fourth edition of »Midnight in Tokyo«. The friend wants to be surprised. And he will be – positively, relaxed, with Asian Zen. Finely composed, never intrusive and yet deeply affecting. The fourth edition of the series on Japanese music for nights in Tokyo was compiled by Tsunaki Kadowaki, an employee of the Kyoto-based record store Meditations and author of the book »New Age Music Disc Guide«. Twelve spiritually profound pieces from the years 1977 to 1999 – all rare, carefully selected from limited vinyl releases and the vast world of the 1990s New Age/Ambient CD era. The koto player Keiko Nosaka and keyboardist George Murasaki bring nostalgic yacht rock, the legendary Japanese singer-songwriter Yōsui Inoue delivers romantic Balearic pop, and the mysterious composer S.R. Kinoshita aka Blue contributes weightless Fourth World sounds.
Enchanting folk full of love, performed by singer Sachiko Kanenobu, and heartfelt vocal experiments à la Meredith Monk by pop artist Nami Hotatsu further expand the genre. All the compositions unfold best when the listener completely surrenders to them. The best example of this was my friend, who – completely carried away by the music – insisted that no other record be played until he left. This could easily happen again if the fabulously curated and beautifully sequenced »Midnight in Tokyo Vol. 4« were to be played on repeat.
