Shuta Hasunuma : unpeople (CD)

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Shuta Hasunuma has relocated from Brooklyn, New York to Tokyo, and has been working not only with the Shuta Hasunuma Philharmonic, but also across the arts scene, both in Japan and abroad, from art exhibitions to soundtracks for movies, dramas, and television. Amidst all this progress, he has been slowly and leisurely creating this album at his own pace as "music purely for himself."

Over a five-year production period, the album contains all of the sounds that Shuta Hasunuma played himself, the sounds he collected, and his memories and records of places and people. The sounds range from instrumental to non-instrumental and electronic sounds, as well as field recordings. By treating all sounds equally, he has put together the work "unpeople" as art music.

The diverse artists who bring to life Hasunuma's soundwork, which could be described as a sonic memory from his recent years, include guitarist Jeff Parker, known for his releases on International Anthem and Nonsuch Records; the layered guitar sounds of Cornelius' Keigo Oyamada, with whom he also performs live; the various instrumental performances of Keiji Haino, who continues to collaborate with Hasunuma on an irregular basis; New York drummer Greg Fox; the generous, rich, expansive voice of KOM_I; and Okinawa-based Arakaki Mutsumi, who plays the sanshin and sanban. Guest appearances include guitarist Shuta Ishizuka, who also plays with the Hasunuma Shuta Philharmonic, and Japanese sho player Otonashi Fumiya. The sounds of musicians from a wide range of fields and musical styles come together to heighten the contrast of the album's sound.

His sound work, which incorporates techno, ambient, jazz, post-classical, and even contemporary music, creates a free and airy sound, just like Shuta Hasunuma's own wide-ranging activities.

This is her first studio recording album in seven years since her vocal work "Melodies" (2016), and her first instrumental release in 15 years since "POP OOGA" (2008), making this a much-anticipated release.

This album represents the current state of Hasunuma Shuta's sound.