Shinji Wakasa
Dawn
Format: Streaming // Digital // LP // Tape
Catalog: INNER193
First Edition Vinyl LP is printed on Black heavyweight vinyl with poem insert. 100 copies worldwide. (Vinyl starts shipping end of July). Vinyl contains a selected tracklist.
First Edition Tape Cassette is printed on a laser etched Platinum Tape with a Silver case. 150 copies worldwide. Cassette contains the full track list.
Available to stream in Dolby Atmos on Apple Music.
Shinji Wakasa's "Dawn" is a conceptual ambient music album inspired by the ancient Chinese poem "The Fisherman" and the picture book "Dawn" by Uri Shulevitz, which uses this poem as its original title. In Shulevitz's picture book, a beautifully evolving world at daybreak is depicted with very beautiful colour usage and minimal words. Wakasa undertook the creation of this album to express the world of this picture book and the original poem through sound.
In producing the music for this album, Wakasa set a very simple rule for himself: to create in the early morning using the clear awareness of the morning, to play what he felt at that moment without denying the first sound, and to build the music like flowing clouds, a concept expressed in Japanese Zen as "flowing clouds and water."
This approach has successfully imbued the entire album with a sense of freedom and a gradation that transitions from the pitch-black sky gradually illuminated by the sun's light, turning from blue to green to yellow.
About the cover art:
The artwork for this album was produced by Wakasa's friend, graphic designer Shingo Kurono. The expression of light emerging like mist pushing up under an impressive ink-black sky is actually a photograph of the dawn ridge seen from his home, printed on Japanese washi paper and blurred with water. The artwork, matching the music, further liberates the world of DAWN.
Mastered by Gus Elg at Sky Onion Mastering.
Released June 7, 2024
Tracklist"Sound of Dawn” Art Sound Installation with ambient music by Shinji Wakasa at Sony Park Mini.https://www.sonypark.com/e/mini-program/list/053/
****Experience the immersive sound installation "Sound of Dawn" by composer/artist Shinji Wakasa at the experimental pop-up space, Sony Park Mini, from Saturday, June 15th to Sunday, June 30th, 2024. This event that offers an art sound experience in the heart of the metropolitan city of Tokyo.“As the night deepens, passing through the cosmos-like darkness, the sky awakens, giving birth to the morning.”This program is a sound installation themed the moment of "dawn," utilizing compositions from Wakasa's latest album "DAWN."To enhance the immersive experience, Sony's "Active Slate" technology is installed in the benches, paired with 12 speakers to create a three-dimensional soundscape with vibrations that match the gradations of sound. This unique dawn experience, a collaboration between Sony and the artist, can only be felt here. Why not envelop yourself in sound designed to fully enjoy ambient music.For more information, please visit our website at https://www.sonypark.com/e/mini-program/list/053/
■ "Sound of Dawn" Event DetailsName: Sound of DawnDates: Saturday, June 15th – Sunday, June 30th, 2024, 11:00AM – 7:00PMLocation: Sony Park Mini (Underground Ginza Station, B1 floor, Nishi-Ginza Parking, 5-3-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo)WEB: https://www.sonypark.com/e/mini-program/list/053/ACCESS: https://www.sonypark.com/e/mini/Google Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/tWkQhiVN3EkCwNeKA
**■What is Sony Park Mini?**Sony Park Mini, a part of the Sony Group, has been engaging in unique activities in the heart of Tokyo's Ginza district for over 50 years. Located in the underground area of Ginza Station, Sony Park Mini is a small space of approximately 30.0m² that houses a café and gallery. We have been hosting various monthly events, collaborating with carefully selected artists to showcase their exhibitions.https://www.sonypark.com/e/mini/