Finn of Tomland
Spekk is one of the very few label that i have bought every release from and so far they haven't failed me at all because they have released gem after precious gem.
And this album by Sleepland is not an exception to the rule because it's nothing but heavenly throughout.
Highly recommended!
Sleepland is the alias of sound artist Kengo Yonemura from Japan, and he is also the guitarist of the band Weather Spoon. “Out of Hue” was composed during his stay in Berlin. The dark and cold winter of Berlin, thinking about life and death, and the horrifying impression he had when visiting the Auschwitz concentration camp - these were all a striking impact, and the album is a document of his emotions. A dense and soothing 77 minutes of sounds with intense details. Mastered by Stephan Mathieu.
A solo project by Kengo Yonemura from Hyogo, Japan. After playing in rock, shoegazer and post rock bands, he started to make music under the alias Sleepland. Following his releases from domestic and foreign labels, he releases the album “For Sightseeing” on Chihei Hatakeyama’s label White Paddy Mountain, and the track “Merits of Sequence” was used for a commercial film of an old-established company (est.1688) that makes traditional kimono fabrics. He mainly uses the guitar to compose ambient drone-like music, and he explores sounds that goes between consciousness and unconsciousness. He is also the guitarist of the Osaka rock band Weather Spoon, and has released the full album “Parallel Lights” in February 2017.
The winters of Berlin are particularly bizarre to me. There are very short hours of daylight, with clouds covering the sky even at noon. Most days have barely any sunshine at all, and it gives the feeling of living inside a world without any colors. People seem cheerful in summer, but in winter, they seem nervous as if the emotions are being absorbed into this world without colors.
“Out of Hue” was composed during my stay in Berlin from autumn 2017 to the beginning of 2018. Living there for a year, what impressed me was the most was the transition of the seasons compared to the spring, summer, autumn, and winter in Japan.
Winter forced to think about life and death, and I thought of some of the musicians I respect who had passed away. For days, I listened to the music they left behind, and asked myself, why did they pass away? What scenery did they see at the end?
I had a chance to visit the Auschwitz concentration camp. I thought I had some knowledge about the persecution of the Jewish people and others by the Nazis, but when I saw the buildings, the documents, and the atmosphere with my own eyes, I was completely stunned. Crossing the gate of the second part of the concentration camp - Birkenau, a devastated vast land came into my eyes, and I was unable to comprehend the truth that this was the place where tens of thousands faced the unimaginable.
Here, in the midst of a snowy wind blowing, I couldn’t imagine it was real. It left a hole in my heart, and through that sense of being left behind, music arose.
While in Berlin, as a document of my stay, I published music almost every month on Bandcamp simply titled “Plain works”. Before, I was mainly using guitars to make music, but as this project went on, I started to use the modular synth which became a part of my new expression method. Half of the songs in this album is made using the modular synth. The modular synth I used had an inorganic texture, and somehow, this matched my feelings.
Independent record company based in Tokyo, Japan. Since 2005, we have released over 250 fresh music from all over the world
from our in-house labels, SPEKK, the ETHNORTH GALLERY, Panai, kaico, Lantern, Wonderyou, Kurage, Happy Prince, Fennely, Primo, Moamoo and more.
supported by 12 fans who also own “Out of Hue (KK038)”
With no forward momentum and therefore no expectation of the next note, eventually these pieces etch out a pattern, at a welcomed glacial pace. Piano is welcomed also. Very well thought out. Richard Erickson
Propulsive electronic music as beat-driven as it is atmospheric, created entirely from field recordings made throughout Hong Kong. Bandcamp New & Notable Jan 12, 2021
São Paulo artist Marcvs bends and refracts electronic music, sculpting heavily percussive numbers that endlessly shapeshift. Bandcamp New & Notable May 22, 2021
supported by 11 fans who also own “Out of Hue (KK038)”
When seeking truly quiet, peaceful music, most of what I hear I leave, not sensing internal depth below the sound. This is different. In a moment when subtle stimulation (a bit paradoxically) is sought as a means to deeper tranquility, this excels beautifully. For others who might have connected with Stray Ghost or Silver Mount Zion or Taphephobia, yet whose minds can dwell in greater and healthier lucid calm, this is remarkable. L