HAJIME UTA YUGEN: CHITOSE HAJIME AMAMI SHIMA-UTA REMIX (EP) (JAPANESE IMPORT) | VINYL RECORD (LP)

Grammy-nominated Japanese folk singer Chitose Hajime remixed by Ryuichi Sakamoto, Ras G and Tim Hecker Hajime has been performing the traditional island music called Amami Shima Uta since she was a teenager. Hailing from the southernmost island of Japan, Amami Oshima, grammy nominated vocalist Chitose Hajime last year released the album Amami Shima-Uta, named after the traditional music of her home island. Six pieces from the album have now been expertly given the remix treatment. Ryuichi Sakamoto, Tim Hecker, Dorian Concept and the late Ras G are just some of the artists tasked with remixing tracks from Amami Shima-Uta, which was released last year. Hajime-Uta Yugen -Chitose Hajime Amami Shima-Uta Remix showcases genre-spanning interpretations on the traditional island folk music that Hajime has been performing since she was a teenager. Chihei Hatakeyama, Ryuichi Sakamoto and the late Ras G all deliver abstracted ambient cuts, filled with gorgeous, brooding textures and sparse arrangements. Tim Hecker goes for a more contemporary approach, the result being a heavily auto-tuned interpretation with plenty of glassy synths for good measure. Ninja Tune associate Dorian Concept, in his unique way bucks the trend and serves up a bouncy, skipping take, far removed from the approach of the others. Finally, Shintaro Sakamoto delivers a truly bizarre version that (in a brilliant way) sounds like very unnerving elevator music. A new song created by the fusion of different genres.