Tokyo Ambient Collective

Tokyo Ambient Collective

Tokyo Ambient Collective is an ambient music project established by Tokyo-based international artists; Takahiro Kido, Kenji Azuma, and Sami Elu. Takahiro Kido is a member of Anoice who takes charge of their films and commercial advert compositions. Kenji Azuma is a percussionist who plays several kinds of instrument. Sami Elu is the world's only player of the pixiechord, a handmade wooden string instrument made up of scrap materials, dispensable chopsticks and strings for piano. In 2020, Tokyo Ambient Collective released the first album 'Healing for Damages'. It includes three tracks featuring the airy and beautiful sounds recorded with GANK Drums, Karimba, Pixiechord, Synthesizer, Glockenspiel, etc. which they each brought. In 2021, they released their second album, 'Scattered Light', recorded at a Buddhist temple located at the foot of a forest. Yuki Murata, a pianist/composer, who is also a member of Anoice, joined the improvisation sessions. For this album, as well as using the GANK Drums, Karimba, Pixiechord, and Synthesizer, which featured on their debut album, the group also enlisted heavily reverb effected electric guitars, a Black Raven, which is a Russian ocarina which supplies double notes, and a Koshi Chime, which is a French chime tuned with chords. Additionally, you can hear the beautiful sound of a vibraphone consistently throughout the album. The third album 'Glow in the Dark Moon' released in 2022 was produced by two of the founding members; Takahiro Kido and Kenji Azuma, and recorded by improvisational performances over a three-day period. For this recording, they were not only joined by fellow founding member, Sami Elu and Yuki Murata who participated in the second album, 'Scattered Light', but also by two new musicians; Keiji Takeda, a violinist who is also active as a countertenor, and Maryse Dumas, an ambient musician from Canada who plays several kinds of flute and singing bowl. By having been recorded by a total of six players, the GANK Drums, Karimba, Pixiechord, and Synthesizer which were featured on their previous album were accompanied by some new instruments such as Violin, Flute, and Singing Bowl. In 2024, they released the fourth album 'The Gentle Island' featuring the nostalgic sounds created on music boxes on which the members composed melodies by themselves, an upright piano with its soft pedal, and old vintage synthesizers. By their adding subtle vocals and the environmental sounds which they recorded in Taiwan during their improvisation sessions, this album turned to the quietest and gentlest work of their career. Also, this album was available for a Name Your Price only on BandCamp on April 10th, and all the proceeds to the general release date for May 8th were donated to the Japanese Red Cross Society as relief funds for the Hualien Earthquake in Taiwan occured in 2024.