Thanks to a series of stellar reissues from the ever-great WRWTFWW imprint, Midori Takada's music has reached the ears of a whole new generation of listeners. Now the innovative Japanese percussionist/composer is set to release her first new music in nearly two decades.
Takada's new release is called Le Renard Bleu (or "The Blue Fox") and finds her collaborating with Lafawndah, filmmakers Partel Oliva and fashion brand KENZO, presenting "a cross-generational echo as ground zero for recovering a crucial myth for uncertain times: the blue fox."
A press release further explains the release like this:
As transmitted by Takada, the fox appears in both ancient Senegalese and Japanese folktales as the trickster archetype; belonging both to the heavens and to the earth, the fox is the agent of chaotic good, shaking the world up when its energy has become stagnant. Above all else, the fox is famous for its cunning nature.
It also adds:
The music of Renard Bleu originated in Takada's preoccupation with the legend of the fox; after constructing a vivid instrumental composition dramatizing the spirit animal's journeys through waterphone, bells, marimba and various forms of drums, Lafawndah responded — in her inimitable mix of fairytale and undertow — with melodies and lyrics capturing a dialogue between her and the fox himself. Eventually, the duo met in Tokyo for a week of communing with the material at Avaco Creative Studios, where new elements were composed on site.
The resulting Le Renard Bleu is made up of a single 20-minute work. It is out now digitally, and you can stream the full release below. Le Renard Bleu also arrives as a film by Partel Oliva, and you can watch that at the bottom of the page as well.
A vinyl release of Le Renard Bleu will arrive later on August 24 via !K7. You can pre-order it here.
Last year, WRWTFWW reissued Takada's landmark Through the Looking Glass, which was followed by a re-release of her 1990 effort Lunar Cruise. Most recently, Takada's MKWAJU Ensemble release KI-Motion was reissued last month via WRWTFWW. Takada's last album was 1999's Tree of Life.
Takada's new release is called Le Renard Bleu (or "The Blue Fox") and finds her collaborating with Lafawndah, filmmakers Partel Oliva and fashion brand KENZO, presenting "a cross-generational echo as ground zero for recovering a crucial myth for uncertain times: the blue fox."
A press release further explains the release like this:
As transmitted by Takada, the fox appears in both ancient Senegalese and Japanese folktales as the trickster archetype; belonging both to the heavens and to the earth, the fox is the agent of chaotic good, shaking the world up when its energy has become stagnant. Above all else, the fox is famous for its cunning nature.
It also adds:
The music of Renard Bleu originated in Takada's preoccupation with the legend of the fox; after constructing a vivid instrumental composition dramatizing the spirit animal's journeys through waterphone, bells, marimba and various forms of drums, Lafawndah responded — in her inimitable mix of fairytale and undertow — with melodies and lyrics capturing a dialogue between her and the fox himself. Eventually, the duo met in Tokyo for a week of communing with the material at Avaco Creative Studios, where new elements were composed on site.
The resulting Le Renard Bleu is made up of a single 20-minute work. It is out now digitally, and you can stream the full release below. Le Renard Bleu also arrives as a film by Partel Oliva, and you can watch that at the bottom of the page as well.
A vinyl release of Le Renard Bleu will arrive later on August 24 via !K7. You can pre-order it here.
Last year, WRWTFWW reissued Takada's landmark Through the Looking Glass, which was followed by a re-release of her 1990 effort Lunar Cruise. Most recently, Takada's MKWAJU Ensemble release KI-Motion was reissued last month via WRWTFWW. Takada's last album was 1999's Tree of Life.