Pure percussion music still sounds strange to us. Our Vinyl Corner takes you on a journey to Japan.
For us high-enders, percussion ensembles can be fun and frustrating at the same time. On the one hand, they allow us to enter powerful worlds of sound that can push a system’s transient response and dynamics to the very limits, while on the other hand they maltreat us with musical spheres that take some getting used to and don’t often fit into our familiar listening patterns. So let’s take a look at some recommendable audiophile gems in our latest Vinyl Corner, which – provided we approach them with a healthy dose of musical curiosity – will also broaden your sonic horizons. To do so, we’ll embark on a long journey to Japan.
First up on our turntable is a reissue from the UHQLP label, which has dedicated itself to re-releasing recordings that have become legendary for their extraordinary dynamics. In order to do justice to this legendary status with the reissues, UHQLP has adopted a two-pronged approach. First of all, they rely on half-speed mastering, in which the cutting machine runs at half speed so that the cutting stylus has twice as much time to produce the most distortion-free high-frequency reproduction possible and a very stable stereo image. UHQLP then exclusively uses the one-step process in manufacturing. Equipped with this bit of technical knowledge, let us now travel back to 1999, the year in which one of the best-known releases by the Japanese drum ensemble Ondekoza, founded in 1969, was created: Dotou Banri.
Ondekoza was instrumental in the development of new Japanese “folklore”; the original members, most of whom had no formal musical training, were living together in an old schoolhouse and practiced taiko, koto and traditional dance. One of the keys to the group’s success was arranging traditional melodies and styles into stylized pieces of music. Just to avoid misunderstandings: None of Ondekoza’s music is original traditional Japanese music, it’s all stylized adaptation, which over the years hasn’t been shying away from the commercial view of folkloristic elements. And so we hear the brute beats of large drums alternating with breathy flute notes and delicately plucked string instruments on the four sides of the record. Particularly impressive are the barely audible drum rolls in pianissimo, which cause an unexpected tingling sensation in the pit of the stomach. At the same time, the music never seems musically overwhelming, as it is immediately apparent that Ondekoza were always keen to convey the idea of Japanese music rather than the original.
Founded in 1962, the Percussions de Strasbourg are still regarded as experts in contemporary percussion music. As one of the first purely European percussion ensembles, they quickly achieved worldwide acclaim with their exceptional repertoire and their commitment to commissions and premieres. The group, to which more than 350 works have been dedicated, continues to cultivate and develop its unique repertoire and instruments. Over the past 60 years, numerous recordings have been made that have been showered with prizes and have often set new standards in terms of sound. The LP with works by Maurice Ohana released by Inédits ORTF in 1971 is still regarded by vinyl nerds as one of the great audiophile reference recordings. It is therefore all the more pleasing that the ensemble has now rediscovered vinyl alongside digital release formats and, together with the Outnote Records label, continues to think consistently in high-end terms. The last vinyl release, Regentanz, was released on two LPs, leaving enough space for an adequate groove width and depth with a playing time of around 15 minutes per side.
The recording, which was released in 2019, is dedicated to four Japanese composers who are all members of an internationally active avant-garde, but who nevertheless regard traditional Japanese percussion art as the focal point of their compositions. The title of the album is Toshio Hosokawa’s composition Regentanz (the original title actually uses the German word!). This piece was composed for Les Percussions de Strasbourg and is his first piece for the percussion ensemble. It consists of descriptions of different forms of rain with percussion instruments (raindrops, soft rain, heavy rain, showers, thunder and thunderstorms, etc.), then the last part enters the scene, based on the rhythm of the Native American rain dance, building up to an abstract intercultural music full of intoxication and ecstasy. Yoshihisa Taira’s Hiérophonie V gets off to a similarly orgiastic start. Loud cries from the percussionists, hard drum beats, wild swirls from the snares, rearing crescendos from the cymbals and gongs – all of this develops an incredible physical effect. It is music that you have to devote yourself to, provided that your home audio equipment is capable of adequately reproducing this twelve-minute musical overkill. A little suggestion on the side: Bring this LP with you to an in-house exhibition at your local hi-fi dealer or ask the demonstrator to play Hiérophonie V at a hi-fi convention. People will love you – or hate you …
Ondekoza – Dotou Banri
Label: UHQLP
Format: 2 LPs
Hosokawa, Kishino, Taira, Takemitsu – Regentanz
Les Percussions de Strasbourg
Label: Outnote Records
Format: 2 LPs
www.percussionsdestrasbourg.com