When we first met Japanese composer & pianist Daigo Hanada, it was his 2017 debut Ichiru on Moderna Records, an album written in Berlin and Tokyo over the course of a year and recorded with only an upright piano and a pair of microphones. This summer, Hanada returns to the label with a beautiful EP in a similar vein entitled Ouka, a new collection of seven intimate vignettes full of oneric charm. Once again, there is an elegant simplicity to Hanada’s work, a balance between melody, harmony, and space that is easy to listen to but takes a special touch to achieve.
Here to enjoy is a premiere of the official video for the penultimate track Follow Me to the Moon created by Adrian Cousins, a filmmaker based in Peckham, South London who works in Super 8 and 16mm film. It was shot last year at dusk on a beach near Maine during a holiday in the US and suits the pensive, nostalgic mood of the piece perfectly.
Links: Bandcamp (CD/digital) | Daigo Hanada
Ouka was mastered by Martyn Heyne at Lichte Studio and features artwork by Katy Schmader the album available on limited edition CD and digital download from Moderna Records.
