The story:

A midnight encounter in an abandoned house, black hair floating like tantalizing tentacles and a white funeral dress. Her face as pale as the moon and eyes as dark as the night. And her voice, her voice! A haunting chant that speaks the language of your heart. Entrancing, fascinating, mesmerizing. Where is she from? Why is she stuck here? What does she want? Oppressed, obsessed, possessed - you can't help but fall in love with her...

The conception:

This album was inspired by Japanese ghost stories, traditional music and poetry. The challenge consisted in never spending more than one day, night included, on a given track, thus leaving a lot of room for imperfection and improvisation. Less being more, I also decided to refrain from using too many virtual sounds and focused on the Koto, the Shakuhachi flute and Taiko drums, only adding a few voices and atmospheric soundscapes here and there. I think my lifelong practice of karate, a family tradition, helped me infuse each track with the specific sense of unity, rhythm and harmony one is bound to feel when entering a dojo. I hope I managed to make it palpable all the way through and that the haunting will go on when the album stops.

This work is eternally dedicated to my parents and all those I had a chance to practice and learn with.

released July 7, 2022

Artwork: Werna Wolf

All tracks composed by Werna Wolf using an AKAI Timbre Wolf synthesizer as midi keyboard and Logic Pro.

DIY tapes are available here:ungaikyoprod.bandcamp.com/album/y-rei