No-one quite knows why, but YouTube’s algorithms seem to really like Japanese ambient music. It’s become something of a phenomenon in recent years and, if you’ve ever listened to jazz or electronic music on the site, it might have happened to you too. For whatever reason, the autoplay function is hell-bent on sending users towards obscure, underappreciated albums from the country’s yesteryear.
Midori Takada, the Japanese percussionist, is one of the best known examples after her 1983 record Through The Looking Glass received long-overdue praise thanks to the millions of listeners YouTube sent her way. Another of those albums is Hiroshi Yoshimura’s GREEN, newly reissued by Light in the Attic records — and it’s our working-from-home album of the week.
Yoshimura, who passed away in 2003, was a pioneer of so-called environmental music. Loosely inspired by Brian Eno’s ambient masterpiece Music for Airports, Yoshimura and a group of other Japanese musicians set about composing background music, to be used as gentle mood-setters in galleries, fashion shows, Muji shops and beyond.
YouTube’s algorithms pricked up many Western ears to Yoshimura’s work, years after his death, with further exposure coming thanks to the celebrated reissue of his debut album in 2017, Music For Nine Post Cards. This latest reissue, GREEN, from 1986, is another beauty — ideal for playing in the background while you get through the nine-to-five.
It’s a slow, lush album, floating through eight tracks in just over 42 minutes. The opening track, CREEK, builds gradually with a soothing patter of electronic percussion and wispy synths. The follow-up, FEEL, is slightly more animated, with some excitable flutters, but is no less meditative. Each track has its own distinct feel, but there’s a common thread that ties the whole thing together.
We've found it to be a particular delight in the home office. There's enough about it to keep things interesting, with some unexpected sonic turns, but it never grasps your attention too tightly.
If this kind of thing floats your WFH boat, then do check out Yoshimura’s Music For Nine Post Cards — it’s got a slightly more melancholic feel to it, but is no less entrancing. And for a deeper dive into environmental music, check out Kankyō Ongaku, a compilation album from 2019 featuring Yoshimura and many others.
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