ato.archives

ato.archives' 26th release (Scheduled on May 22) is by Aiko Takahashi. Aiko Takahashi is a musical project exploring sound, space and memory through a deliberately anonymous identity. Based between Gorizia and Nova Gorica, a border landscape where languages and atmospheres constantly overlap, the work is shaped by a sense of in-betweenness, where music is conceived as an environment. The name Aiko Takahashi represents a vessel through which a certain sensitivity can take form. The music draws from restraint, silence, and the relationship between sound and space, often centered around piano, environmental resonance and slowly evolving structures. Under this name, Aiko Takahashi has released music through labels such as IKKI, Laaps, Quiet Details, Noray Recordings and Handstitched, alongside several self-published works. Parallel projects have appeared under different monikers on labels including Fluid Audio, Oscarson, Matter, Lontano and Breton Cassette. Recent and upcoming collaborations include works with David Cordero (Home Normal) and Michael Scott Dawson (We All Speak in Poems). ----- To celebrate the release of Aiko Takahashi's 歌 (Songs). Our first Bandcamp listening party will happen on May 23! Please join it and let's enjoy this great work together!! /merch/songs-listening-party?ui_context=artistnav

Born in Osaka in 1962, Ken-ichiro Isoda left his veterinary studies to pursue music, exploring new wave, avant-garde, and improvisation. In 1984, he produced the groundbreaking ambient/minimalist album Oscillation Circuit. After releasing six New Age albums in the 1990s, he worked with major Japanese labels and won two film music awards. In 2023, he revived his ambient music career with reissues, and in 2026, in collaboration with aus, released Interwoven. / Selected discography Ambient & New Age: • Oscillation Circuit - Série Réflexion 1 (1984, Sound Process Design) • Oscillation Circuit - Série Réflexion 1 (2023, Expanded Reissue, Disk Union) • Kurambon’s Meditation (1990, Apollon) • Beach of the Pliocene (1990, Apollon) • Majel’s Slumber (1990, Apollon) • Forest of Drowsiness (1991, Apollon) • Sparkle of Spacetime (1991, Apollon) • Ripples of Dreams (1991, Apollon) • Rose Garden (1996, Bandai Music) • Rainbow Potpourri (1996, Bandai Music) • Majel’s Slumber (2024, Re-recorded Collection, Disk Union) • Beach of the Pliocene (2025, Re-edited Reissue of Apollon Works, We Are Busy Bodies) • Interwoven (2026, as aus isoda, WRWTFWW) As Toibokkus: • Acoustic YMO (2005, Guest Vocals: Haruomi Hosono, Wave Master) Original Soundtracks: • Navy’s Love (1999, BMG Funhouse) Photography by @shigeharu_isoda

Circulation by Ken-ichiro Isoda @ken_isoda (Listen at and with the link in bio) “I was a hiker and a freediver. My senses taught me to read the flow of water, from Japanese springs to the Pacific Ocean. To this day, I live on a remote Pacific island, deeply attuned to the life that water draws in. The images presented here spring from my visceral, sensitive, and deeply felt experience—not from my imagination. The piece begins quietly with the sound of a stream I recorded myself, its source high in the Japanese Alps at 2,000 meters above sea level. After some time, a piano enters, repeating a loop over a drone in the key of F. It accompanies the water’s journey. Next, a repetitive theme in 5/4 time emerges, illustrating the river’s current as different waters converge. Perhaps the song of birds in the distant forest can be heard. Gently, the waters swell and surge into the sea. In the background, a theme inspired by a famous phrase from Debussy suggests that the water, returned to the sky, dances upon the high mountains. Like the water cycle, the piece returns to its source, and the same sounds that marked its beginning signal its end. The opening melody returns, and everything settles back into a peaceful, silent trickle. I resisted the urge to add too many words. This piece is simply titled “circulation,” because no description could ever do justice to the rich, cyclical journey of water.” Ken-ichiro Isoda, May 2026 Fourth track of “La Société des soupirants de la forêt des huîtres”, a musical project conceived by @gregory.taniguchi.ambos and @yama_yuki_or_odoma in homage to the work of Japanese oyster farmer Shigeatsu Hatakeyama (1943–2025). In dialogue with the exhibition “L’Écologie des relations, La Forêt amante de la mer” at Frac Sud in Marseille, curated by @royer.elodie , a new composition is released each month in the Frac Sud space, following the exhibition’s timeline. Photography by @timo_lambrecq , Kesennuma Bay, Miyagi prefecture, November 2025

We are pleased to announce the start of pre-orders for Aiko Takahashi’s new album, scheduled for release on May 22. This marks our first digital only release and is accompanied by a small e-booklet designed by Grégory Ambos, who runs the shop & label Mono Nado. Created over the course of a single week, the album captures the artist’s delicate and poetic sensibility. We hope you’ll take a moment to listen and experience this work. /album/songs Quotes from E-booklet: For one week I sat down each evening and recorded a small piece. Just a simple song before the end of the day. The rule was very simple: a few instruments, a small chain of effects, and one take only. Whatever happened in that moment would become the piece for that evening. credits releases May 22, 2026 Composition and all sounds by Aiko Takahashi Mastering by Daisuke Matsusaka Designed & E-booklet by Grégory Ambos Text by Aiko Takahashi Released by ato.archives

We’re pleased to announce the start of pre-order for our first vinyl release by Forest Factory, a new project by Elvin Brandhi and Andreas Trobollowitsch. Using self-built turntables, samplers, and voice, the duo creates a distinctive acoustic repertoire that interweaves computational and organic tonalities. Their vinyl debut, HOLZWEG, is a compositional amalgam of recording sessions captured across diverse environments: Auditorium Novecento, Naples (2023); Ruang MES 56, Yogyakarta (2024); and their Japan tour in 2024. You might describe it as sound art–driven, semi-acoustic hardcore music—but we encourage you to dive in and experience this remarkable work for yourself. /album/holzweg releases June 19, 2026 All music by Forest Factory (Elvin Brandhi and Andreas Trobollowitsch) Recorded at Auditorium Novecento, Napoli 2023 & Ruang MES 56, Yogyakarta 2024 Mixed by Forest Factory Mastered by Martin Siewert Front cover by Elvin Brandhi Back cover photography by Nathan Jenkins Cover Design by Keita Shimamura Produced by Andreas Trobollowitsch

/album/ephemeral-fleeting-modular-music-of-japan https://www.miminoimi.me/ 今日はYumi Iwakiさんにキュレーションいただいたモジュラーシンセコンピのリリース日です！！ato.archives22作品目です。参加いただいたChihei Hatakeyamaさんとtatata5さんはAmbient / Weekにも参加いただきます！！ Today marks the release day of Ephemeral & Fleeting – Modular Music of Japan. We invite you to step into this micro-universe of sound and explore the diverse range of artists based in Japan. If you discover artists who resonate with you, we encourage you to explore their individual albums more deeply. Credits Curator: Yumi Iwaki Participating Artists: Yu Ogu, Jun H., Endurance, Yumi Iwaki, Straytone, Chie Otomi, Kenichi Takagi, Hataken, tatata5, Chihei Hatakeyama Mastering: Taku Unami Photography: Yukie Murakami Layout Design: Takamitsu Ohta In addition, as a co-founder of the Tokyo-based festival platform MIMINOIMI, we are pleased to announce our annual festival, Ambient / Week, taking place from May 4 to 10. This year’s program brings together both legendary and emerging artists, including Toshi Tsuchitori, Lawrence English, Masayoshi Fujita, Inoyama Land, Shuta Hiraki, Tatsuro Murakami, and many more. Artists featured in Ephemeral & Fleeting, such as Chihei Hatakeyama and tatata5, will also perform. tatata5 will present her event series, blue moment, within the festival framework. If you are in Tokyo or traveling in Asia, we would be delighted to have you join us.

Born in 1971, Takashi Tsuda is a sound artist, musician, and author. He continues to perform and write at the “Shore of Listening and Playing.” Since the 1990s, he has engaged in musical activities based on field recording and improvisation in various units, including his solo project Hofli, Radiosonde, Still Life, and so on. He continues to hold improvisation sessions, create sound installations, and conduct the “Mimi o Sumasu” workshop series, and co-hosts the “Shorai Yawa” listening event with Keiichi Fukushima. / Discography 
hofli • Memory of Water, PNdB-atelier, 2006 • Hygrometer, STARNET MUZIK, 2008 • Fragile Twelve Months, drop around records, 2014 • RECOMPOSTELLA, PNdB-atelier, 2024 
Radiosonde • sanctuary, STARNET MUZIK, 2009 • radiosonde, FLAU, 2010 
stilllife • Night Catalog, NATURE BLISS, 2014 • Archipelago, ftarri, 2015 • TAMARU + Kazuya Matsumoto + Takashi Tsuda, Amorphous, PNdB-atelier, 2021 Hoshigata no Niwa • a study in tone and distance, PNdB-atelier, 2020 etc… Publications 
• People of the Wind, People of the Trees, companyshaltd, 2020 • From the field recording scene, companyshaltd, 2022 • Acoustics, Environment, and Improvisation: An Adventure for the Ear, companyshaltd., 2025

Into Jade Green by hofli / Takashi Tsuda @hofli_takashitsuda (Listen at and with the link in bio) The water droplets are jade green, reflecting the deep colors of the forest. Falling from the treetops, filtered through dead leaves, the droplets seep into the soil, enrich themselves with minerals, and eventually pour into the sea. The sea is so deep that the forest’s jade green seems to dissolve within it. The forest’s minerals, dispersing throughout the oceans, nourish marine life. In this work, “Into Jade Green,” I drew inspiration from water’s great journey. Starting with a familiar sound—like that of a dripping drop—I worked and repeated it, seeking to capture the natural cyclicality of water within the sound itself. At times, the sound behaves unexpectedly, transcending the initial inspiration to weave itself into a broader narrative. Sound becomes an autonomous ecosystem. As a creator, I have carefully preserved it, avoiding disruption, striving to maintain its autonomy. hofli / Takashi Tsuda, April 2026 Third track of “La Société des soupirants de la forêt des huîtres”, a musical project conceived by @gregory.taniguchi.ambos and @yama_yuki_or_odoma in homage to the work of Japanese oyster farmer Shigeatsu Hatakeyama (1943–2025). In dialogue with the exhibition “L’Écologie des relations, La Forêt amante de la mer” at Frac Sud in Marseille, curated by @royer.elodie , a new composition is released each month in the Frac Sud space, following the exhibition’s timeline. Photography by @timo_lambrecq , Kesennuma Bay, Miyagi prefecture, November 2025

Today in Tokyo, it is a nice spring day and is a perfect day to listen to “Music for Trees” by Maps and Diagrams. ata019–21 focuses on Contemporary Environmental Music, through which ato.archives examines the current condition of Environmental Music today. Excerpt from the notes by Maps and Diagrams: I have always had a fascination and creative curiosity with Kankyō Ongaku and the amazing artists that have developed these landscapes over the years - I’m constantly discovering the magical and instrumental spaces they create, it’s always something I get drawn back to, to bring me a sense of calm and a distraction from the everyday noise.

We are excited to announce the pre-order of our new release, Ephemeral & Fleeting - Modular Music of Japan.
The official release date is scheduled for April 18. For this project, we teamed up with Yumi Iwaki, an outstanding modular synthesizer artist, who acts as curator. This release focuses on Japan’s modular music scene, featuring artists across diverse styles and highlighting both the depth and breadth of modular music in Japan. If any of the artists catch your interest, we hope you’ll explore further and discover more about their work. /album/ephemeral-fleeting-modular-music-of-japan Participating artists: -Yu Ogu -Jun H. -Endurance -Yumi Iwaki -Straytone -Chie Otomi -Kenichi Takagi -Hataken -tatata5 -Chihei Hatakeyama Curation & Text: Yumi Iwaki Mastering: Taku Unami Photography: yukie murakami Layout Design: Takamitsu Ohta #modularsynth #ambient #experimental

ato.archives presents 川の作用 / kawanosayo showcase〜須田誠舟、kishun（石川高、中村かほる)、野中克哉コンサート 3/21/土 16:00〜 アーカイブ・レーベルato.archivesは2023年に設立され、以来、現在まで21作品をリリースしてきました。 2025年にはHyotan Namazとのコラボレーションのもと、伝統音楽シリーズ「川の作用/Kawanosayo」を始動させています。 ato.archivesは様々な音楽をリサーチし、クリエイティブな形で提示するという試みにフォーカスしており、伝統音楽にアプローチした「川の作用/Kawanosayo」はato.archivesにとって重要なプロジェクトとなっています。 今回のイベントには「川の作用/Kawanosayo」でリリースを行なった須田誠舟、kishun、野中克哉という3組のアーティストをお招きします。 現代のリスナーの耳にとって実験的に聞こえたり、アンビエントに聞こえたりする、「生きた古典・伝統音楽」の姿をこのイベントで体感いただければと思います。 ato.archives is an archive and a label founded in 2023 and has since continued to release works primarily focused on experimental music. In 2025, in collaboration with Hyotan Namaz, the label launched its traditional music series Kawanosayo (川の作用). ato.archives is dedicated to researching a wide range of musical practices and presenting them in creative ways, and Kawanosayo, which approaches traditional music from this perspective, has become an important project for the label. For this event, we are pleased to welcome three artists who have released works within this project: SUDA Seishu, kishun, and Katsuya Nonaka. Through this event, we hope audiences will experience forms of “living classical and traditional music” that may sound experimental or ambient to contemporary listeners. 出演：須田誠舟（琵琶）、kishun（石川高（笙）、中村かほる（楽琵琶））、野中克哉（尺八） /news/ 主催：ato.archives 協力：一般社団法人もんてん／両国門天ホール チケット : /event/4814367 #experimentalmusic #traditionalmusic #gagaku #biwa #shakuhachi

ato.archives presents 川の作用 / kawanosayo showcase〜須田誠舟、kishun（石川高、中村かほる)、野中克哉コンサート 3/21/土 16:00〜 アーカイブ・レーベルato.archivesは2023年に設立され、以来、現在まで21作品をリリースしてきました。 2025年にはHyotan Namazとのコラボレーションのもと、伝統音楽シリーズ「川の作用/Kawanosayo」を始動させています。 ato.archivesは様々な音楽をリサーチし、クリエイティブな形で提示するという試みにフォーカスしており、伝統音楽にアプローチした「川の作用/Kawanosayo」はato.archivesにとって重要なプロジェクトとなっています。 今回のイベントには「川の作用/Kawanosayo」でリリースを行なった須田誠舟、kishun、野中克哉という3組のアーティストをお招きします。 現代のリスナーの耳にとって実験的に聞こえたり、アンビエントに聞こえたりする、「生きた古典・伝統音楽」の姿をこのイベントで体感いただければと思います。 出演：須田誠舟（琵琶）、kishun（石川高（笙）、中村かほる（楽琵琶））、野中克哉（尺八） /news/ 主催：ato.archives 協力：一般社団法人もんてん／両国門天ホール チケット : /event/4814367