qd38 Aiko Takahashi - Monologue - out now!
- quiet details
- Aug 21
- 3 min read
Hi friends - hope all good :)
Very pleased to announce that next in the quiet details series is the enigmatic builder of beautifully textured micro-sound worlds, Aiko Takahashi.
Out now on digital and limited CD with long-form edition, six panel digipack and fine art print. Digital half price until 29th August.
Listening Party today Thursday 21st August 19:00 UK time - hope you can be there - free to join and all welcome x
Listen / buy / RSVP here
Based in Nova Gorica, Aiko has been quietly releasing some of the most subtly alluring music for the past few years - with a string of self-releases and albums on Handstitched* and LAAPS.
Their highly-nuanced sound was clearly a perfect match for quiet details, music imbued with endless minutiae and new discoveries on every listen. Silence and musical ephemera meet in the most enchanting style.
Monologue is Aiko Takahashi personified - each track is a collection of carefully curated electro-acoustic loops, collaged and processed via analogue tape and a myriad of effects, and seamlessly intertwined together.
Made using only what was absolutely necessary - a minimal palette of felt piano, bells, sine waves and field recording - Aiko blends all the fragments together in a series of sonic tales, based on the concept of a monologue.
As they say:
Monologue is an album born from the idea of creation as a monologue.
When an artist creates, they speak in solitude, and only later does the work become a dialogue, resonating with the listener’s sensibilities.
Just like a collage is made of independent elements placed together to give new life, this album was created by combining fragments of compositions made at different times.
Now, like magic, they come together, forming a unique, living organism. Each track carries its own quiet monologue, with multiple voices telling different stories, all connected by an invisible thread.
The titles reflect my approach to composition, similar to creating a visual collage or sketches in a notebook. Each piece is a small world, a sonic microcosm made up of interconnected elements.
Truly a description as finely crafted as the music it represents.
Huge thanks to Aiko - a wonderful addition to the series.
The artwork was made as always influenced by the music and idea behind the album - originating from a photo from Aiko which was then captured with analogue photography and processed here at quiet details studios.
As usual, the album is presented on the physical edition, a six-panel digipack with a separate fine art print too.
The CD also has a special long-form continuous mix of the album, created by the artist and representing the music in its purest form.
Also out now the second run of my first interpretation of the quiet details idea, so pleased to make this available again.
As I said at the time of release:
in your hands was made in the last few months of 2024, a year which completely changed my perception of music. As you may know from my previous writings, last February I was diagnosed with lymphoma, then went through intense treatment, which worked as well as we could have hoped, and now I’m in remission.
Music was a panacea in these times, long listening sessions were truly healing. I learnt a lot and knew it was important that my own music came out of it, this album is the result.
Fundamental frequency relationships and interactions are at the core - with the first couple of tracks using just intonation in precise ratios, then the latter moving into free tuning, chosen in an innate and instinctive way. Their development over time is the heart of this music.
Made on modular synthesisers for expressive tonal and textural explorations - the ability to access deep modulation parameters and feedback paths allows for extensive interaction between the elements to create organic and complex harmonic relationships.
Read the rest here:
Now some shout-outs, huge thanks to them!
qd38 Aiko Takahashi
DJ Alex playing a track on his Pacific Notion show on KEXP
qd37 Brad Rose
Bepi Crespan including a track on his latest show here
Much love and see you later :)
Alex
quiet details studios - mastering and audio services
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