Wave Notation 3: Erik Satie 1984 cover

Wave Notation 3: Erik Satie 1984

Composer
Released

In 1977, Japanese shop owner Satoshi Ashikawa hosted a recital of Erik Satie’s then-obscure piano music, which – quiet though it may have been – proved to be the Big Bang for the Japanese ambient/environmental music boom in the years ahead. Ashikawa’s Sound Process imprint was perfect across three releases before his untimely death at the age of 30: Hiroshi Yoshimura’s Music For Nine Post Cards, his own Still Way, and pianist Satsuki Shibano’s album of Erik Satie piano pieces. Shibano has made a career out of interpreting Satie’s inscrutable work, which is evident in her considered touch on display here, her willingness to let the jarring moments land, her steadiness, elucidating Satie’s melodies in such a manner so that it still feels like the godfather of ambient is present.

Andy Beta

Recommended by

Suggestions
Autumn Fair cover

Autumn Fair

Autumn Fair
Neighborhoods cover

Neighborhoods

Ernest Hood
Excuse Me, Mr. Satie cover

Excuse Me, Mr. Satie

Katsuyuki Itakura, Keshavan Maslak
orbs cover

orbs

Anthony Naples
Black Sarabande cover

Black Sarabande

Robert Haigh
Mercuric Dance cover

Mercuric Dance

Haruomi Hosono
Eros in Arabia cover

Eros in Arabia

Richard Horowitz
Stopcock cover

Stopcock

The Set Ensemble
Vrioon cover

Vrioon

Ryuichi Sakamoto, Alva Noto
Quem é Quem cover

Quem é Quem

João Donato
El Mirage cover

El Mirage

Jimmy Webb