Customer Reviews

East Wind

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Their debut album in 1998, Prayer quickly established Seiichi Kyoda and Kazumasa Yoshioka as masters of fusing Western style hip-hop-electronic music with traditional Japanese sacred music and instruments. Incorporating a medley of ingredients, including Buddhist sutras recitations, shakuhatchis and kotos, and in-house rhythms and bass, the duo creates an uplifting and profound spiritualand musical experience that transcends simple ethnic music. This is not a generic blend of world and popular music, it is first class music of its genre, that only Pacific Moon can discover and exclusively steal for their own label.

Working collaboratively with Yoshioka since 1997, Kyodo-san mentions that though they have been producing pop music for the longest periods, they have only been recently influenced by Japanese traditional music, admitting that they were quite ignorant of their own musical cultural heritage. Their follow up album, East Wind, was ranked #1 on the New Age Voice Airwaves Top 100. It was inspired by the winter season, and the denizens that endure the harsh and yet beautiful conditions of the Himalayas. Uttara-Kuru is a Buddhist derived term meaning Shangri-La.

Ahh, this is great stuff. Kind of reminds of the chanting Japanese woman in the film "Blade Runner" -- this music would be popular in that future. Dense atmospherics, peaceful flute, rich melodies... who could ask for more? This stuff could move the dead. Check out Kokin Gumi's "Zen Garden" too, for a somewhat more subdued blend of East and West (still 5 stars).

This music is like rich velvet. It's autumn now and this music has been playing non-stop at work since I got it. It's perfect music for autumn, lulling one into the depths of their surroundings. Very comforting.

For those who like music that projects a vivid mood, that stirs the imagination and fills the heart with gratitude; Uttara Kuru's East Wind will satisfy completely. A beautiful set of compositions mixed and recorded superbly. The fusion of flute, power-synth and oriental percussion give this CD its unique appeal. Currently #1 in my collection of favorites!

I was visiting Freer Art Gallery in Washington D.C. and heard this music in shop and couldn't resist buying immedately and rush home and listen it again and again.

Historic instruments of Japan like shakuhachi, shamisen, shinobue and koto as well as occasional vocals and chants are accompanied by modern keyboards, digital rhythms and accoustically-drummed beats. The result is a fusion sound that retains the charm, mystery and grandeur of traditional Japanese music while remaining accessible to modern ears. The striking, wistful sound of the shakuhachi (an end-blown bamboo flute) is particularly appealing in many of the selections, soaring distinctively and proudly above the electronica. "East Wind" is the second album of the group Uttara Kuru, which performs compositions by multiinstrumentalist Seiichi Kyoda with production by Seiichi Kyoda and Kazumasa Yoshioka. Some of the tracks with minimal modern influence are quaint, mellow and mysterious, while others, with orchestral-sounding backups, westernized harmonies and driving beats, have a New-Age or even dance-club feel. The combinations of ancient and modern are usually successful--interesting, intriguing and sometimes even stunning. However, in a few of the tracks toward the end of the album ("Our Life" and "Niigata Okesa") the repetitive, soul-less, programmed technobeats can be a little mind-numbing, limiting the musical expressiveness of instrumental and vocal combinations that, in most other numbers, find fuller fruition. In all, though, this album stands out as an impressive and intelligent example of creative musical fusion! Give it a try! As with all Pacific Moon recordings, "East Wind" not only sounds nice but smells nice, packaged with several sticks of colorful incense in its jewel case. Uttara Kuru's previous album, "Prayer", focuses primarily on vocal Sutra recitations, again with a modern twist. More compositions by Seiichi Kyoda can also be heard on other Pacific Moon releases, such as Shao Rong's "Orchid" and Jia Peng Fang's "Faraway ...". For another take on traditional Asian music updated with a western instrumental flair, try also the mellow, meditative "Cho" by Choying Drolma and Steve Tibbetts, which features the chanting of Tibetan Buddhist nuns.

Uttara-Kuru's "East Wind" deftly combines traditional Japanese folk instruments - bamboo flutes, mandolins, and cithers (Shinobue, Shakuhachi, Shamisen, and Koto), sutra recitation, and free-style lyrics with ethereal Techno sound palettes to create thirteen tracks of original, ambient music. Essentially, the only disappointment is the sandalwood-scented booklet, which is written in halting, infantile English. According to it, the recurring theme is snow, and perhaps that is true about some tracks. To me, the music spoke of greater, almost ineffable things. "Our Life", "Wings of the Eagle", "Niigata Okesa", and "Falling Through a Cloud" are easily the best tracks on the disk, each taking a different approach to achieve great results. Boisterous flute melodies, sweeping synthesizer tones, hoarse chants, ululating lyrics, and nature sounds coexist to produce an enlightening, mind-opening effect. An emphatically recommended choice.

I would have to say that I honestly enjoyed "East Wind", which was my first time listening to Uttara-Kuru, I especially liked "Wooden Ship", the flute was awesome, I could almost envision the ship and feel ancient Japan.

Historic instruments of Japan like shakuhachi, shamisen, shinobue and koto as well as occasional vocals and chants are accompanied by modern keyboards, digital rhythms and accoustically-drummed beats. The result is a fusion sound that retains the charm, mystery and grandeur of traditional Japanese music while remaining accessible to modern ears. The striking, wistful sound of the shakuhachi (an end-blown bamboo flute) is particularly appealing in many of the selections, soaring distinctively and proudly above the electronica. "East Wind" is the second album of the group Uttara Kuru, which performs compositions by multiinstrumentalist Seiichi Kyoda with production by Seiichi Kyoda and Kazumasa Yoshioka. Some of the tracks with minimal modern influence are quaint, mellow and mysterious, while others, with orchestral-sounding backups, westernized harmonies and driving beats, have a New-Age or even dance-club feel. The combinations of ancient and modern are usually successful--interesting, intriguing and sometimes even stunning. However, in a few of the tracks toward the end of the album ("Our Life" and "Niigata Okesa") the repetitive, soul-less, programmed technobeats can be a little mind-numbing, limiting the musical expressiveness of instrumental and vocal combinations that, in most other numbers, find fuller fruition. In all, though, this album stands out as an impressive and intelligent example of creative musical fusion! Give it a try! As with all Pacific Moon recordings, "East Wind" not only sounds nice but smells nice, packaged with several sticks of colorful incense in its jewel case. Uttara Kuru's previous album, "Prayer", focuses primarily on vocal Sutra recitations, again with a modern twist. More compositions by Seiichi Kyoda can also be heard on other Pacific Moon releases, such as Shao Rong's "Orchid" and Jia Peng Fang's "Faraway ...". For another take on traditional Asian music updated with a western instrumental flair, try also the mellow, meditative "Cho" by Choying Drolma and Steve Tibbetts, which features the chanting of Tibetan Buddhist nuns.

For any Disney lover, you will recognize Our Life and Falling Through A Cloud as the music Disney uses for their pre-show of Epcot's Illuminations. Every time I hear this music I am transported back to my happy place. So glad that I found this!