Masahiko Togashi, Yuji Takahashi
Twilight
Denon Jazz (Japan) 1977
YX-7505-ND (LP) w/insert.
sleeve : VG+(PCOH, dirts)
media : VG+/EX(some slightly noises. the middle part on A1 has intermittent light click noises caused by one light hairline.)
This album was featured in the guidebook OBSCURE SOUND REVISED EDITION. It is an absolutely stunning masterpiece released in 1977 by Masahiko Togashi—a legendary Japanese drummer and percussionist who, despite becoming paraplegic due to a spinal cord injury, continued performing with his own unique playing style—in collaboration with Yuji Takahashi, one of Japan’s most internationally acclaimed contemporary composers. The lineup is nothing short of stellar, featuring Ryuichi Sakamoto, Yoshisaburo Toyozumi, and Yuji Takahashi’s son, Yuji Takahashi Jr. This fully improvised work makes full use of various Asian ethnic instruments from the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, and China, alongside synthesizers. Particularly mind-blowing is Side B, a 22-minute-plus epic where ethnic tones—such as jaw harps played by Yuji Takahashi and Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Togashi’s free-form percussion—intertwine with analog synthesizer drones in an intense and immersive sonic landscape. While the fusion of Asian folk instruments and electronics isn’t entirely unheard of in contemporary or experimental music, a sound this deep and otherworldly is truly rare. In a word: phenomenal. This is an absolutely essential recommendation.
Please note that there is one thin scratch in the middle of A1 and light intermittent click noise.