Geinoh Yamashirogumi is a one-of-a-kind musical collective uniting hundreds of people from all walks of life - doctors, engineers, office works, businessmen, and more. They are well-versed in folk music from the world over, often blending traditional musical styles with cutting-edge synthesizers and contemporary production and engineering techniques. Ecophony Gaia is heavily based on the traditional Gamelan orchestras of Indonesia, which feature an array of metallophones played by hand and by mallet, in addition to xylophone, bamboo flutes, and others. This composition began life as a macrosymphony composed for the International Garden and Greenery Exposition in Osaka, Japan, 1990, meant to be the audio accompaniment for a water and light performance that was the centerpiece of the exhibition. Ecophony Gaia is considered part of a trilogy that includes 1986’s Echophony Rinne and continued with 1988’s endlessly influential soundtrack to the anime film Akira. The album’s overall theme is that of rebirth, leading to a more hopeful and less foreboding vibes than its predecessors. Each disc of the album forms a complete composition, but it is also enjoyable as a whole. The music is both meditative and highly engaging, with a truly unique balance of improvisation and rigidity that makes even the smallest changes seem revelatory. The use of field recordings underlines the natural aesthetic, at times it’s difficult to tell if the sound you are listening to is natural, synthetic, or some combination of the two. This probably won’t be on streaming any time soon, and only gets reissued on LP every once in a while, so don’t delay. Highly recommended.

• double black vinyl pressing
• first time in print since 2015
• limited edition
• original release year: 1990
• music label: Invitation 2019

reviewed by ONLY A LAD 06/2019