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Fata Morgana

by suzueri

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    This CD's paper cover is another part of suzueri's creation. She designed the cover; created the layout of the four-sided jacket (with spine) and Japanese-English liner notes (by Tomotaro Kaneko, translated by suzueri and Jonathan Kemp) on A3 size cardboard; and made an order to a printer. After the paper covers were delivered in sheet form, she personally cut and assembled each one.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Fata Morgana via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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1.
Track 1 25:30
2.
Track 2 27:39

about

Sound artist/improviser suzueri started her musical activity in the 1990s, and her wide-ranging work since then has included concerts, exhibitions and installations. It was in the late 2000s that she began the style of performance heard on this album, combining upright piano and handmade devices. She continued to develop her concerts featuring this combination, and in the 2010s she earned widespread recognition and praise among improvised/experimental music fans for her unique "suzueri" style.

Three CDs of suzueri's performances at Ftarri with upright piano and self-made devices have previously been released on the Ftarri label: "Live at Ftarri" (meenna-993), a 2013 concert by the trio of suzueri, Tetuzi Akiyama (guitar) and Makoto Oshiro (self-made instruments), plus a quartet by these three and British drummer Roger Turner; "Ftarri de Solos" (ftarri-887), pairing solos performed in 2017 by suzueri and Hong Kong sound artist Fiona Lee; and "Duo" (ftarri-886), a 2018 duo performance with Makoto Oshiro. While these three CDs are all live recordings, what might be called a "definitive" studio-recorded solo album by suzueri has now been released. "Fata Morgana," made up of two tracks of 25-plus minutes each, was recorded in February 2019 by Makoto Oshiro (who has an established reputation as an engineer).

Various devices including a small electric fan, a motor and a radio are placed on, attached to or arranged near an upright piano whose upper and lower panels are removed and insides exposed. The devices themselves produce sounds; and when touched by these devices, the piano strings and keyboard emit sounds repetitively (every few seconds) or continuously. These myriad sounds overlap and become a united whole, and at the point when they fill the space like a foundational layer, suzueri strikes the keyboard with both hands, forcefully and persistently unleashing clusters of sounds. This album overflows with suzueri's magical appeal, which combines concentrated musical creativity with turbulence and disarray.

This CD's paper cover is another part of suzueri's creation. She designed the cover; created the layout of the four-sided jacket (with spine) and Japanese-English liner notes (by Tomotaro Kaneko, translated by suzueri and Jonathan Kemp) on A3 size cardboard; and made an order to a printer. After the paper covers were delivered in sheet form, she personally cut and assembled each one.

サウンド・アーティスト / 即興演奏家のすずえりは1990年代に音楽活動をスタートさせ、コンサート、展示会、インスタレーションと広範な活動を続けている。本アルバムで聴かれるようなアップライト・ピアノと自作装置を組み合わせた演奏を始めたのは、2000年代後半。その組み合わせによるコンサートをこなしていく中で、2010年代には、すずえり独自のスタイルとして即興 / 実験音楽ファンの間で広く知られ、評判を得るようになっていく。

Ftarri レーベルからは、アップライト・ピアノ + 自作装置を使ったすずえりの Ftarri でのライヴ演奏を収録したCDが、既に3枚出ている。秋山徹次 (ギター)、大城真 (自作楽器) とのトリオと、さらに英国のドラマー Roger Turner を加えたカルテットによる2013年の演奏を収めた『Live at Ftarri』 (meenna-993)、すずえりと香港のサウンド・アーティスト Fiona Lee の2017年の各ソロ演奏をカップリングした『Ftarri de Solos』 (ftarri-887, )、2018年の大城真とのデュオ演奏を収録した『Duo』 (ftarri-886)。これらがすべてライヴ録音であるのに対し、今回遂に、決定版とも言えるスタジオ録音によるすずえりのソロ・アルバムがリリースとなった。2019年2月、エンジニアとしても定評のある大城真のスタジオでの録音、25分超の2曲を収録。

 上下の前板を外して内部がむき出しとなったアップライト・ピアノには、小型扇風機、モーター、ラジオ、その他が取り付けられたり置かれたり、周囲に配置されたりして、それら自体が音を発し、さらにはそれらがピアノの弦や鍵盤と接触して、数秒ごとに反復的に、あるいは持続的に音を出す。それらいくつもの音が重なり合い渾然一体となって下地のように空間を埋めたところで、すずえりがピアノの鍵盤を両手で叩きつけるように力強く執拗に音塊を繰り出していく。濃密な音楽的創造力が慌ただしさと乱雑さと一緒くたになった、すずえりの不思議な魅力が充満したアルバム。

なお、本CDの紙ジャケットもすずえり作品の一部である。彼女はジャケットのデザインも担当し、そのうえ、背付き4面ジャケットと日英語のライナーノート (文:金子智太郎、翻訳:すずえり + Jonathan Kemp) をA3サイズの厚紙にレイアウトして業者に印刷を依頼。そして納品になった厚紙全部数を、自らカットし組み立てている。

credits

released June 14, 2020

suzueri: piano, gadgets

Improvisation by suzueri (Elico Suzuki) at Makoto Oshiro's studio, February 11, 2019
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Makoto Oshiro
Cover graphics by Satoru Higa (Backspace Tokyo)
Cover photo and design by Elico Suzuki

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