Stephan Micus
Ocean
ECM Records (Germany) 1986
ECM 1318 (LP) Original pressing, Promotional copy. White label. w/insert.
sleeve : EX(wear on corner)
media : EX-/EX(side A has light noise caused by slightly hairlines)
A 1986 album by Stephan Micus, the singular ethno-music multi-instrumentalist known for playing everything from traditional instruments from around the world to stones, released on ECM Records. On this recording, Micus uses the shō, the Japanese mouth organ associated with gagaku, a shakuhachi made by master craftsman Gyokusui Kono, the Bavarian zither, and hammered dulcimer, among other instruments. The music unfolds in beautifully delicate tones, like quiet waves gently reaching the shore, creating a deeply evocative and exotic sound world. The scales and melodies occasionally carry a distinctly Japanese character, giving the music an especially moving and intimate quality. Even the cover photograph seems to evoke a Japanese landscape.
A1: Ocean Part I
A2: Ocean Part II