File Under 1970s, Ambient, Electronic, Instrumental, Japanese, Low Level Listening, Space
Things have been in super focus mode lately and when that happens my mind gets a bit more like a machine and getting things done in the correct sequential order, keeping tabs on numerous things going on. This includes writing and working on new music in the studio. Lately I know there’s a certain mindset I need to be in to bring out those different energy and thought streams where the music comes from, and I’ve been able to access it a lot lately so therefore if anything I’ve been listening to a lot of my own music I’ve been creating lately than the music of other artists.
Having said that there’s a time in the day where things just need to be wrapped up and allow myself to go into a more zoned-out final few hours of the day, and often that’s watching a film. Over the years I’ve watched a lot of good ones that have left impressions, and this includes a recent viewing of the 1979 Japanese surreal folk horror/fantasy film called Demon Pond, directed by Masahiro Shinoda.
Viewing it was a strange and almost hallucinatory experience, with bizarre visuals and a strange, synthesizer soundtrack that ranged from whimsical, playful interludes — complete with warm analogue lead lines reminiscent of a theremin — to glassy, dense and mysterious pad sounds. The audio and the visuals worked extremely well together and I had a subtle feeling that I probably knew who this artist might be, as any electronic artist working with an extensive amount of expensive synthesizers at the time was probably one who had crossed my radar at some point. The German group Tangerine Dream being a prime example here, with dozens of film scores under their belt especially during the 1970s and 1980s.
Obviously Demon Pond left a bit of an impression that lingered with me for the next day or so, therefore I took to the internet to see if I could find any clips of the soundtrack or at the very least figured out who did the soundtrack. Checking YouTube I couldn’t really find any standalone soundtrack pieces to listen back to, but I very soon enough found out that all of that electronic synthesizer work was done by Japanese musician Isoa Tomita — more well-known mononymously as Tomita. Of course! That now made total sense to me.
In fact, that reminded me I had a copy of this 1978 album Kosmos (from around the same time period) on LP in my record shelves that I picked up many years ago. I’ve always had interest in getting film soundtracks and other ecclectic vintage electronics when digging through the record bins — if anything because of what in many cases is just stand-out and strange cover art.
The album artwork from any of Tomita‘s LPs from this time period were detailed, dense, surreal and psychedelic: scenes of landscapes in other dimensions of space and time that could easily have graced the pages of Omni magazine — a publication I became very familiar with as a kid as my dad had a subscription to Omni in the 70s and 80s. The artwork from these albums seemed to align more with the aesthetics and styles of numerous progressive rock albums that came out around this same time, especially any covers done by renowned artist-to-the-proggers Roger Dean, most notably with his work with the British band Yes and numerous others that are less well-known, including Ramases (covered already here in Track Of The Day).
Thinking back on it, I probably explored more of Tomita‘s work by way of an old Canadian friend of mine — whose name is Brad and also has some Japanese roots, working in more instrumental electronic music as Prince Shima — from the punk/hardcore days of the 90s, due to our mutual curiousity in psychedelic vintage instrumental electronics and dare I say it, new age.
Along with a series of albums of his own compositions and renditions of some classical music, um, classics here and there, Tomita has done a good number of film soundtracks although pretty much all of them for Japanese films that likely most listeners outside of that country might not be remotely familiar with.
Putting on Kosmos on my turntable, initially I was listening out for tracks that could have fit onto this soundtrack for Demon Pond as I couldn’t find the audio for that specific soundtrack during my follow up look around after viewing the film, but the track “The Unanswered Question” (see clip below) was as close as it would come — an esoteric ambient number that’s as minimal as it is mysterious.
However, I gave the track “Aranjuez” a few listens, as I felt it would fit that soundtrack as well. Although there’s some cosmic and grainy synth strings swirling at points throughout the track, the instrumentation and melodies seem to follow a more melancholy and traditional feel, as if taking up some old guitar ballad and repurposing it for interstellar travel. For some reason David Bowie‘s character in the 1976 film The Man Who Fell To Earth (is Bowie just playing himself?) being transported into an arty spaghetti western comes to mind. If anything to me there’s some stylistic elements that remind me of Tangerine Dream‘s soundtrack for the 1985 Ridley Scott film Legend.
But do note! Those living in Europe who have seen Legend have probably heard the Jerry Goldsmith soundtrack to the film, as his work was used in the European release of that film, with Tangerine Dream‘s score (the more synthier version) used in the US version oddly enough!