unpeople Shuta Hasunuma

• 1unpeople03:02
• 2Emergence04:11
• 3Pierrepont04:30
• 4Irie05:47
• 5Postpone02:35
• 6Selves04:58
• 7Sando03:17
• 8Vanish, Memoria04:56
• 9Lunar Mare03:26
• 10Fairlight Bright04:48
• 11Hypha05:04
• 12Wirkraum05:41
• 13Weather04:07
• 14Chroma05:11
• Total Runtime01:01:33

Info for unpeople

Japanese sound artist Shuta Hasunuma hasn’t been heard of for a bit (seven years to be exact) but has remained in the minds of the listeners who like their sounds (electronic and otherwise) on the more restless side, where concepts from different genres are stripped to the core, and then those strips are combined in an almost random fashion to create something new.

That compositional tactic seems to be quite present on unpeople, Hasunuma’s latest effort, his first in seven years.

Hasunuma takes on his knowledge (and love of) techno, ambient, jazz, post-classical, and even contemporary music (among others) and does exactly as described above – strips them into basics and then reconstructs them into a new and very personal creation.

During the five years of production, Shuta Hasunuma's own sounds played, collected sounds, memories of places and people, and recordings are all gathered. The sounds range from instrumental sounds to non-instrumental and electronic sounds to field recordings. By treating all sounds equally, the work "unpeople" has been put together as art music.

Hasunuma's sound work, which can be said to be a memory of recent years, shines with a variety of artists, including guitarist Jeff Parker, who is known for releasing works from International Anthem and Nonsuch Records, and Keigo Oyamada (aka Cornelius), who has performed with him live. Keiji Haino, who continues to collaborate from time to time with Hasunuma, playing various instruments, New York drummer Greg Fox, KOM_I's generous and warm voice, and Aragaki Mutsumi, who lives in Okinawa and plays the SANSHIN and SANBA of the traditional instruments in Okinawa. Guitarist Shuta Ishizuka, who is also active in Shuta Hasunuma Philharmonic Orchestra, and Otonashi Fumiya of Japanese traditional instrument SHO are participating as guest players. The sound of various musicians with different activity areas and musicality gathers, raising the contrast of the sound of this album.

The sound work, which includes techno, ambient, jazz, post-classical, and even contemporary music, is difficult to identify in sync with Shuta Hasunuma's own wide-ranging activities. However, it is this unspecified nature that creates the sounds of free and airy sounds.

It is the first studio recording album in seven years since the singing work "Melodies” (2016). It will be the first release in 15 years since "POP OOGA" (2008) as an instrumental work, and it will be a long-awaited release.

In terms of production, the album's core instruments were recorded and mixed at private studios in Hasunuma's Brooklyn and Tokyo. The sounds were co-mixed with Hasunuma's ally engineer Toshihiko Kasai. Mastered by Guy Davie (Electric Mastering). They pursue solid acoustics in collaboration with trusted engineers.

The artwork of the album entitled "unpoeple", which may make you feel the non-existence of humans, is composed of art direction by a photographer, Riku Ikeya and a graphic designer, Seri Tanaka. Hasunuma, Ikeya, and Tanaka have been collaborating on 9 tracks which have been released since September, 2022. Thus, the album artwork can be acknowledged as the final of their continued collaborations.

Shuta Hasunuma
Guest：
Jeff Parker
Cornelius
KOM_I
Fumiya Otonashi
Greg Fox
Shuta Ishizuka
Mutsumi Aragaki
Keiji Haino

Shuta Hasunuma
Born 1983 in Tokyo. Next to performing live with his own “Shuta Hasunuma Philharmonic Orchestra” in Japan and abroad, his diverse activities include contributing soundtracks to stage productions and movies, and producing and creating music that is mainly based on environmental and electronic sounds. In recent years he has been applying the methods of musical composition to various media such as video, sound, sculpture and installation, the results of which he has been showcasing at domestic and international exhibitions and projects. His work extends internationally; in 2013, he took part in a residency program in New York, supported by Asian Cultural Council, and was appointed as the Japan Cultural Envoy by the Agency for Cultural Affairs in 2017. His solo exhibitions include: “compositions” Beijing Culture and Art Center, Beijing, 2017; “compositions” Pioneer Works, New York, 2018; “ ～　ing” Shiseido Gallery, Tokyo, 2018; and so on. His recent public projects and group exhibitions include; “Someone’s public and private / Something’s public and private” Tompkins Square Park, New York, 2019; “FACES” SCAI PIRAMIDE , Tokyo, 2021. He received the new face award of Minister of Education Award for Fine Arts in 2018.

This album contains no booklet.