Simultaneously icy and lush, desolate and comforting, the music of Chihei Hatakeyama is a transcendent combination of acoustic instruments and computer processing. Based out of Tokyo, Hatakeyama performs under his given name, and also as one half of the electro-acoustic duo Opitope along with Tomoyoshi Date. Originally getting involved in music as a teenager playing guitar in a rock-oriented group, Hatakeyama later moved away from the band format, trading in his bandmates for a laptop. However,... read more

Simultaneously icy and lush, desolate and comforting, the music of Chihei Hatakeyama is a transcendent combination of acoustic instruments and computer processing. Based out of Tokyo, Hatakeyama performs under his given name, and also as one half of the electro-acoustic duo Opitope along with Tomoyoshi Date. Originally getting involved in music as a teenager playing guitar in a rock-oriented group, Hatakeyama later moved away from the band format, trading in his bandmates for a laptop. However, differing from the scores of bedroom musicians creating ambient sounds on their laptops alone, Hatakeyama creates his soundscapes using analog sound sources including guitars, vibraphone, and piano, first played live then repeatedly processed digitally. Hatakeyama's sublime long player Minima Moralia - the title appropriately lifted from German thinker Theodor Adorno's text of critical theory penned during his WWII exile in the United States - showcases a set of delicate, vaguely nostalgic soundscapes. The record was released in the United States by the Chicago-based label kranky in early 2006, earning accolades in the press and ambient music fans worldwide. While he has not released a full album in Japan to date, Hatakeyama collaborated with Date on a track on the compilation Small Melodies from the Spekk label in 2005. His other project, Opitope, actively organizes a continuous live performance event named Kuala Mute Geek in Tokyo. Powered by hand-made vacuum tube amplifiers and speakers in up to eight channel settings, the event has attracted electroacoustic and improvisational artists including Taylor Deupree (whose Happy label has released works by Japanese artists including Piana and Gutevolk), Christopher Willits, Toshimaru Nakamura, Christophe Charles, Hans Reichel, Uchihashi Kazuhisa, Tamaru, Carl Stone, Keiichi Sugimoto, Tetsuro Yasunaga, Boris D Hegenbart, Yoshio Machida, and others. Hatakeyama and Date launched the label Kualauk Table to release compilations of their selected sessions with guest artists including Charles, Tamaru, Tagomago, Asuna, Askococo and others in late 2005. collapse