{"product_id":"mkwaju-ensemble-mkwaju","title":"Mkwaju Ensemble - Mkwaju","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWRWTFWW Records is proud to announce the highly anticipated official reissue of holy grail album \u003cem\u003eMkwaju\u003c\/em\u003e by acclaimed Japanese percussionist Midori Takada’s Mkwaju ensemble, sourced from the original masters and available in a vinyl LP cut at Emil Berliner Studios (formerly the in-house recording department of Deutsche Grammophon). Originally recorded in February and March 1981 and released by fabled Japanese avant-garde label Better Days (home of Ryuichi Sakamato’s debut album, Yasuaki Shimizu’s Kakashi, Colored Music self-titled LP and many more) \u003cem\u003eMkwaju \u003c\/em\u003eis the fruit of the collaboration between Takada’s crew and world-famous composer\/musical director Joe Hisaishi, the man behind most of of Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli anime soundtracks and over 100 other films scores, including Takeshi Kitano’s Sonatine, Hana-Bi, and Kikujiro. The ensemble’s transcendental wonder is, in fact, the first-ever Midori Takada album and the first-ever Joe Hisaishi-produced album.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLed by Midori Takada on marimba, gong, vibraphone, and tom tom, \u003cem\u003eMkwaju \u003c\/em\u003eis an inventive and riveting take on Eastern and\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e Western minimalist traditions, African rhythms, and early electronica. Drawing from its jazz-rooted polyrhythmic improvisations in the most inventive ways, the album covers a wide spectrum of sounds, from colorful dance floor-ready percussion pieces that stand somewhere between proto-techno and experimental synth-pop, to cinematic ambient landscapes and ethereal drone delicacies. The feverishly sought-after full-length is a stepping-stone in Midori Takada’s career and an all-around pioneering album.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlongside Takada and Hisaishi (who not only produced the album but also played synthesizers), personnel on \u003cem\u003eMkwaju \u003c\/em\u003eincludes famed Japanese musicians Yoji Sadanari and Hideki Matsutake of KI-Motion fame, Junko Arase (heard on Satoshi Ashikawa’s legendary Still Way - Wave Notation 2), and Pecker (whose stacked resume boasts collaborations with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Jun Fukamachi). — via Label\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" style=\"border-radius: 12px;\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/5cYRj7HDkoiwEz0zFY9tcK?utm_source=generator\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003cbr\u003e↓\u003cbr\u003eLabel: WRWTFWW\u003cbr\u003eFormat: Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Remastered\u003cbr\u003eReissued: 2018 \/ Original Release: 1981\u003cbr\u003eGenre: Electronic, Folk, World, \u0026amp; Country\u003cbr\u003eStyle: Experimental, African, Ambient, Ethereal\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFile under: Japanese Electronic\u003cbr\u003e⦿\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WRWTFWW Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44648721088670,"sku":"4260544823787","price":48.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0584\/5434\/3838\/files\/a2382515376_10.jpg?v=1733465395","url":"https:\/\/theanalogvault.mom\/products\/mkwaju-ensemble-mkwaju","provider":"The Analog Vault","version":"1.0","type":"link"}