Asuna - Tide Ripples (2016)

In 2009, ASUNA released 'Flowers', on the rather fantastic Music Related label. It became one of my favourite albums and a constant source of inspiration for how inventive and beautiful music could be without any constraints which seem to hold back so many modern artists.

In many ways ASUNA is the archetypal Home Normal artist (or how I had always hoped the artists we worked with could be): playful, inventive, organic in approach, and really rather wild. As an avid collector or his music, and attendee of his many wonderful shows, I must confess I was always rather geeky and shy when it came to meeting the man himself. In 2012, in collaboration with the mighty Chihei Hatakeyama, he released 'Scale Compositions' on Home Normal. It was a humbling experience and the beautiful live drone works really highlighted just how minimal yet deep the work of these two fine artists could be.

ASUNA's latest work is a completely different beast. In collaboration with the beautiful vocals of Rima Kato, 'Tide Ripples' is a melodic and playful use of guitar with minimal effects. It is about as direct an album as we have ever released, and retains a tender purity which really you don't often get with over-produced records these days. I'll be as honest as I can and say this is probably the purest and most accessible, soulful album we have ever had the fortune of releasing, so make of that what you will.

This release will be coming out after ASUNA brings his '100 Toys' tour with us to London on June the 10th at London Fields Brewery. We hope to meet many of your there for our final London show before we leave these shores again for more adventure. I can't think of a more perfect way to bring the curtain down on our short stay here.