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.
Stationary Travels 