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Kofū II / 古風 II

by Meitei / 冥丁

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chrisalletson
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chrisalletson As with other Meitei collections, the most gorgeous sounds creating dreamscapes that make you wish you were there...
LW
LW thumbnail
LW This album is as funny as it is beautiful. A rare combination of melancholy, nostalgy and humor. Favorite track: Tōkaidō / 東海道.
docbobster
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docbobster The found sounds are from an unfamiliar world yet they evoke such powerful emotions in me. Meitei carefully layers samples to create new sounds, but in a way that seems respectful (even reverent) to his sources. The artwork really contributes to the experience. Exquisite. Favorite track: Yoshiwara / 吉原.
Evert
Evert thumbnail
Evert Love the album and the vinyl is stunningly packaged. Beautiful images and material. Very happy to have this in my collection!
mdiim
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mdiim I randomly came across your work one day through the spotify radio and fell in love. Incredibly melancholic and the way he tells a story though his work is amazing. I’ve been listening to his stuff non stop since i’ve found him. I will be buying this vinyl for his upcoming LP.
Orpheus
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Orpheus absolutely amazing follow-up to 2020's Kofū. Meitei is one of most interesting artists of our time. Favorite track: Happyaku-yachō / 八百八町.
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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $11 USD  or more

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Glass-mastered CD housed in a die-cut customised debossed outer case (14.5 x 14.5cm) with rounded obi, 16pp inserts with words in Japanese and English from Meitei. Offset printed, full colour on premium matt paper. CD ships with tracking.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Kofū II / 古風 II via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 1 day
    Purchasable with gift card

      $14 USD or more 

     

  • 12" Vinyl
    Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    **2nd Pressing - Shipping Now**

    180g heavyweight vinyl in 12" debossed sleeve with capped obi, 16pp inserts (22 x 14cm) with words in Japanese and English from Meitei. Offset printed, full colour on premium matt paper. LP ships with tracking.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Kofū II / 古風 II via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Sold Out

  • Limited Edition LOST JAPAN Tote Bag (Version II)
    Bag

    Meitei 'LOST JAPAN' tote bag in black on 12oz cotton canvas. Made in Japan. 35 (L) x 40 (H) x 10 (B) cm.

    Sold Out

  • Limited Edition Kofū II Post Card Set
    Poster/Print

    Set of 5 Kofū II postcards. Offset printed, full color on 210gsm premium paper by TAKEO.

    Sold Out

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Ji / 爺 03:50

about

Meitei’s 2020 album 'Kofū' was the bold bookend to an expedition, where sounds were first navigated and then subverted in 2018’s 'Kwaidan' and 2019’s 'Komachi'.

All three albums were Meitei’s attempt at immersive storytelling, reimagining moments of Japanese history he felt were being washed away – not least by the unforgiving sands of time – through wistful compositions that stretched across ambient music, hauntology, and musique concrete.

When it came to finalizing 'Kofū', Meitei found he was left with over 60 fully realized tracks, bursting with ideas that fired in divergent, curious directions. Meitei was content with the 13 tracks he had selected. But when it came time to begin his next album, he found that it had been sitting in front of him all along. He realized his work wasn’t over yet.

Meitei sounds right at home celebrating the past he first reimagined in his previous work. The merriment is palpable in its first two tracks of 'Kofū II' – a loop of cheery whistling amidst the clanking of wood leads into strings, cricket sounds and flutes, all united in bustling harmony.

'Happyaku-yachō' is where it comes into focus. Pitch-shifted vocal samples roam around in the crowded sonic field. “My image of this music is that it expresses the vibrant mood of Edo's merchant culture,” says Meitei, “where old Japanese dwellings were densely packed together in a vast expanse of land.” The affair becomes bittersweet as the track leads into the desolate 'Kaworu', a compositional piece lifted from his 'Komachi' sessions – a final requiem to his late grandmother.

The album is bursting with spectral vignettes of wandering samurais, red lanterns, ninjas, puppet theatres, poets, even a vengeful assassin ('Shurayuki hime', known to Western audiences as ‘Lady Snowblood’).

'Saryō' is as elegant and refined as you would expect. It induces stillness in its repetition, with each synth note a brushstroke. It was inspired by a Sengoku-era tea house he once visited, designed by national icon Sen no Rikyū. Meitei tied it to the reaction he felt while poring over the ink paintings in his grandmother’s house. “The decayed earthen walls and faded tatami mats gave me an emotional impression,” he says. “And the cosmic flow of time drifting in the small room. I decided to put my impression of this into music.”

In 'Akira Kurosawa', an appropriately thunderous track, Meitei finds deep resonance in his vast filmography, which drew equally from Japan’s rich heritage and troubled circumstances post-WWII.

'Kofū II' is not a leftovers album, nor is it a straightforward companion piece. In this album, Meitei has his biggest reckoning with the Japanese identity yet. Over the years, he has attempted to peel back what he believes has defined Japan and its people. After seeking answers with three full-length albums, his fourth poses more questions.

If his first three albums inspired a sense of longing – or, perhaps inevitably, fed an irreparable nostalgia doomed to history – 'Kofū II' compels us to reassess our relationship with the past. By constantly looking back, are we ever afforded a clearer present? After capturing the “lost Japanese mood”, where does that leave its country in the modern world? Meitei offers no immediate answers with 'Kofū II'. It forces you to sit with its disparate moods, to meditate amidst the textured fragments.

'Kofū II' will be released on 180g LP, CD and digital format on December 10, 2021 (LP expected to land January 28, 2022) via KITCHEN. LABEL. Both LP and CD format are presented in a debossed sleeve with obi strip and include a 16-page insert with words in Japanese and English from Meitei, printed on premium paper stock with design by KITCHEN. LABEL founder Ricks Ang, and is mastered by Chihei Hatakeyama in Tokyo, Japan.

credits

released December 10, 2021

Composed & Arranged by Meitei
Mastered by Chihei Hatakeyama at WPM Mastering, Japan
Art Direction & Design by Ricks Ang

Executive Producer: Ricks Ang
Released by KITCHEN. LABEL
KI-032 Ⓟ & © 2021 KITCHEN. LABEL

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Meitei / 冥丁 Hiroshima, Japan

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