水中庭園 (The Water Garden), by コージュン Kojun

水中庭園 (The Water Garden)

by コージュン Kojun

supported by

RamonPang free sounding, like the river Favorite track: Kaw.

dcefan This came out of nowhere and was my soundtrack to a beautiful summer walk with my dog. Love it! Favorite track: The Water Garden / Vessel with Torch.

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Streaming + Download

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¥1,000 JPY or more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Special LP edition with a vintage unopened copy of the original 1993 self-produced CD of “The Water Garden”. One copy of this CD is included with each LP version. Limited quantity.

Includes unlimited streaming of 水中庭園 (The Water Garden) via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 5 days

Purchasable with gift card

¥7,500 JPY
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Wrapped in shrink, an insert & a sticker. English & Japanese liner notes. Vinyl mastering and cutting at D&M. Catalog#: EM1208LP.

Includes unlimited streaming of 水中庭園 (The Water Garden) via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 5 days

Purchasable with gift card

¥3,650 JPY
Full Digital Discography

84

releases

Get all 84 EM Records releases available on Bandcamp and save 40%.

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Inaudible Works 1994-2008, Air from Air, Calla, 水中庭園 (The Water Garden), New Games / Rhythm & Sound, くまちゃんシール Kumachan Seal, ヒーリング剣 (Healing Sword), Purple Garden, and 76 more. , and , .

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¥46,530 JPY or more (40% OFF)

1.	Kaw 01:56	buy track
2.	Parade 04:37	buy track
3.	Lady with Chinese Parasol 04:09	buy track
4.	Gate of Market 04:15	buy track
5.	A Trip to the Bamboo Forest 04:49	buy track
6.	The Water Garden / Vessel with Torch 12:16	buy track
7.	Ravine 04:18	buy track
8.	Dancing in the Lotus Garden 05:46	buy track

about

A buoyant masterpiece from the early 90s, “The Water Garden” was created by Okinawa-born Kojun Kokuba under the inspiring image of a “happy Asia” thriving in the sea-based trading networks of the medieval to pre-modern era, with the concept that various types of music, as well as physical goods, were distributed and dispersed across the seas connecting various parts of east and southeast Asia. Fittingly, the music here has definite and distinctive Ryukyu island roots, but is informed by a number of other Asian musical traditions, layering phrases derived from numerous Asian scales, often altered by Kojun, eschewing typical Western chordal harmonic movement. Kojun uses the synths and multitrack recorders of the early 90s to, in his words, “pile up lines” in sweet and not at all overbearing melodic accumulations, with a desire to distribute and disperse a new energy from Okinawa to the rest of Asia and the world. Despite a pleasing and compelling rhythmic lilt and the use of synths and drum machines, this music was not created as a product for the dance floor; Kojun envisioned a type of electronic salon music, a “light music” made with contemporary technology. This is the first LP edition of the self-produced original 1993 CD release and includes bonus tracks and liner notes in English and Japanese.

Tracks:
A1. Kaw * [1’55”]
A2. Parade [4’37”]
A3. Lady with Chinese Parasol [4’09”]
A4. Gate of Market [4’14”]
A5. A Trip to the Bamboo Forest * [4’49”]

B1. The Water Garden [7’50”]
B2. Vessel with Torch [4’24”]
B3. Ravine [4’18”]
B4. Dancing in the Lotus Garden [5’47”]

* Bonus track

credits

released August 18, 2023

「平和なアジア」の心象風景を「水中庭園」という言葉に託して海洋アジアの音の交流イメージを展開した、あまりにもピュアな琉球電子サロンミュージック。沖縄の音楽家、國場孝順が自主制作したこの二つとない逸品の発表30周年を祝した2023年初LPリリース。ボーナス曲を加えてお届けします。

沖縄の音楽家、コージュンこと國場幸順（こくばこうじゅん）は、70年代から数々のバンドと関わって「裏方のコージュン」と呼ばれ、80年代半ばに六人組という幻のバンド（※註）を作ったことで一部に知られる。この『水中庭園』は、琉球王朝交易時代に着想をえた「平和なアジア」をイメージした「BGM」を作ろうと制作着手された作品だが、予期せぬコンサートバンド結成（のちの六人組）のため制作は中断。その後、バンドが消滅してプロジェクトが白紙に返ったものの、彼は機会を待ち1993 年に本作を完成させた。

『水中庭園』は、沖縄をルーツとしながら広くアジアの音楽にも影響されており、アジア各地の伝統的音階に由来するフレーズを重ね、改変し、典型的な西洋の和音ハーモニーの動きを排除した点に大きな特徴がある。電子楽器とマルチトラックを使い、彼いわく「線を積み重ねる」ようなメロディー集積の実験は、沖縄からアジア世界へ新しいエネルギーを拡散させることを目指したかのようだ。そのすがすがしさと不思議さ、楽しさと色気のユニークな混合物であるサウンドはアジア由来の音階を束ねた結果に思われる。シンセとドラムマシンを駆使して心地よく特徴的なリズムを刻んでいるが、それはダンスフロアのためではなく、テクノロジーを駆使した「BGM＝軽音楽」としての電子サロンミュージックをイメージしている。

國場のいう「平和なアジア」とは、海上交易で繁栄した近世以前の東アジア～東南アジアの営みを想像したもので、そのネットワークでは物だけでなく音も行き来し、どの音楽（音階）も新しく「ポップな」ものとして迎えられたと彼は思い描く。

※註：六人組は坂本龍一のレーベルメイトとして、ビル・ラズウェルのプロデュースで世界デビューする予定だったが、不運が重なって解散した。

Tracks:
A1. Kaw * [1’55”]
A2. Parade [4’37”]
A3. Lady with Chinese Parasol [4’09”]
A4. Gate of Market [4’14”]
A5. A Trip to the Bamboo Forest * [4’49”]

B1. The Water Garden [7’50”]
B2. Vessel with Torch [4’24”]
B3. Ravine [4’18”]
B4. Dancing in the Lotus Garden [5’47”]

* Bonus track

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about

EM Records Osaka Prefecture, Japan

On October 1, 2023, Japan Post announced that it will resume accepting international mail to the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany, France, etc., as it has secured enough shipping capacity. Please check our shipping policy about more details. Thank you.

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