Japanese musician Ryohei Terada has released his first solo album Kyzyl Tokyo. The release is interesting because the musician himself is a Khoomei —Tuvan throat-singing — performer. The musician has been engaged in the traditional music of the Republic of Tuva, Russian Siberia, since 2010 and was even awarded the title of “Ambassador of Tuvan Culture” for promoting and popularizing Tuvan culture in Japan.
However, the musician does not just sing folk songs known to many folk music audiences but connects them with the culture and musical traditions of his native country. As a result of his creative efforts, Ryohei Terada’s unique musical world was born, which includes elements of Tuvan music and Japanese folk melodies.
Thus, the album Kyzyl Tokyo combines traditional Tuvan music with throat singing, pop music, and elements of other cultures. Most of the tracks are original compositions written by Ryohei himself. Mixing tradition and modernity, the musician discovers a new sound and a rather peculiar vision of the Tuva folk culture, sung in Japanese. In addition, this album is the musician’s late debut, representing his efforts in a condensed form and more than a decade of interest in Tuva culture.
To study Hoomei, Ryohei Teradahas been coming to this mountainous, harsh Siberian region once a year for three months. In addition to Ryohei Terada himself, the album features guest musicians such as Christopher Hardy (percussion), Falcon (guitar), Tanehiko Sekijima and Amy Sakai (violin and other string instruments), Hiroo Miyasaka (double bass), Yuki Sugahara (cello) and Taro Terahara (bansuri). Perhaps that is why the album Kyzyl Tokyo evokes a certain feeling of peaceful tranquility. It is pleasant to listen to from the first to the fifteenth composition because each is unusual and peculiar. There is something elusively familiar to people of different nationalities in each of them. And at the same time, this is not an empty imitation of tradition but a modern vision of it.
Highlighted tracks are “Key,” “Melody,” and “The Echoing Tune.”
This album can be called the proper direction of world music. The album is a nominee for the Russian Word Music Chart 2023.
(Halva Music, 2023)
