Maps and Diagrams “Music for Trees”

All sounds by Maps and Diagrams
Mastering by Taku Unami
Photography by Maps and Diagrams
Cover Design by Shinichi Suda
Released by ato.archives
ata021

I have always had a fascination and creative curiosity with Kankyō Ongaku and the amazing artists that have developed these landscapes over the years –  I’m constantly discovering the magical and instrumental spaces they create, it’s always something I get drawn back to, to bring me a sense of calm and a distraction from the everyday noise.

When I am making music I generally create layers of sounds and melodies, where the finished works have evolved into unrecognisable compositions – with the Ato Archive “environmental” concept it was a good moment for me to forget what I was familiar with and process my musical thoughts and ideas in a different way and look inside the methods from other angles. 

I knew I had to approach the concept with a focus on minimalist compositions, repetition in melodic structure and calm textures, with a balance between environmental and musical arrangements. I started with more space in the work, more contemplation and meditative, a lot less busy than my usual sound design, I focused on less attention being drawn to the foreground and more attention in relation to the background elements, keeping the music and feelings floating with subtle and sparse melodies and harmonies with traditional instruments and transitions, marimbas, bells, soft pads and piano wind instruments applied to the minimal structures, all of which maintained a spatial feeling throughout the works.