■[Takashi Murata] profile

Born in Osaka 1967.
Composer, Sound Creator of CM, Video, Game.

■[Gekka]

"Black and White" is the first image at starting my 1st original album.
I wanted and tried to express two factors conflicting with each other. All the titles are made based on the fusion of digital/analogue and clear melody/abstract sounds. The results are various, some titles are well-expressed and others are a little bit different from my image but nice(!) melody worth the album. Anyway, I'm confident that this album is just my own that I wanted to express, life and death, man and woman, and brihgtness and darkness. How do you feel?

I named the titles with ancient Japanese words, and I should explain their meanings and images.

1.Kinuginu overture
(this is a short version of 3 below)

2.Homura
Hard and violent title. Image is "hitokiri(killing with sword)". By the unison part I tried to express the moment when a man's life suddenly vanishes. "Homura" means flame.

3.Kinuginu
"Kinuginu" means the goodbye in the morning after the overnight date of lovers. Painful and lonely emotion masked with morning mist and fresh air are expressed in this title.

4.Sorai
"Sorai" means fresh sound of bamboo tops of trees blowed by autumn dry wind. I tried to make a sound having an image like a perch when tired with living daily life. If you can stop a while in the middle of the busy days, you might hear the sounds of Sorai.

5.Tamayura
"Tamayura" is small sounds of jewel such as jade, lapis lazuli or pearl touching each other. Music box sound reminded me the titles. Facing death makes him tender.....such a feeling is in it.

6.Kataudo
"Kataudo" means friend, company of team or cooperator. Image of this title is a eventful destiny. Meeting with old friend but now at a different stand point, trier and criminal.....easy melody by guitar in the bridge part expresses the feelings of two persons who have the common memories.

7.Adagokoro
It's just fickleness. Agony that can't love only one, that can't but wait for the unfaithful one. Spirit breakdown is expressed by repeating phrase of piano.Sad and rigid melody.

8.Shusetsu
This is original word of mine. It means the end of section. No future and no past. I tried to express 2 dimension world without time, by fusion of digital-like sound effects and analogue sounds.

9.Ugetsu
"Ugetsu" means we cannot see a fine moon by rain. Acoustic guitar sound is just for the raindrops hiding moon. Sadness and loneliness when light of our mind is out, and rain hides moon.

10.Utakata
"Utakata" is a symbol word of ephemeral and disappearing things in this world. We think what we see is real, but suddenly it disappears. The last repeating phrase is for complication of mind.

11.Senka
"Senka" means other world. Digital sound effects, human voices and piano sounds are melting in the scenery of consciousness which is suddenly dead not knowing why.

12.Hoshiai
"Hoshiai" means the date of Shokujo and Hikoboshi which is permitted only once a year. The joy of meeting and sadness of goodbye, and brief joy followed by long sorrow. But we might live just for that moment.

13.Gekka
This is the symbol title of this album. I wanted to express the very last time of a man, who lived only for the people he should protect. Snow stops falling and the silver world under moonlight begins to hold him. Beautiful sound of "Niko" fully expresses the pure soul of the man. I myself think this title is sad but so beautiful.

14.Tsukuyomi
The last title of the album is an impromptu. Inspired by the producer's sympathetic review of the story of the man above, I played and recorded this. Tsukuyomi is a god of moon, a brother of Amaterasuoominokami(god of sun) and Susanoonomikoto(god of land), but not famous as his sister or brother. As transient melody of piano meets the image of Tsukuyomi, I named this to the title. Soundless light of moon....should have this sound.

If you read this after hearing CD, you could get into the music more. And if you hear this CD in a way like you hear the small sound in the white horizon where nothing is there, the various worlds could spread in your head.

Takashi Murata