Day 15 — Listen to this Music at times like these.
Hi, my name is Keita. I work at HENNGE, an IT company in Shibuya, Tokyo. I started my first job as an engineer specializing in cloud infrastructure for Microsoft, and now I am engaged in the field of customer success.
To put it simply, I’m a music geek. In this article, I’m going to introduce you to wonderful music suitable for multiple situations. Let’s get started!
Suitable for when working:
- Ryuichi Sakamoto — 20220404 (From “12”)
This is one of his last works. Beautiful sound besides calmness. A little bit sad sound, but simultaneously, this music takes us into deep introspection.
2. Brian Eno — 1/1 (From “Ambient 1: Music for Airports”)
A masterpiece by Brian Eno, the father of ambient music.
Suitable for when wanting power to do something great:
3. TSHA — Dancing In The Shadows (From “Caprion Sun”)
This track was used in Apple’s online event in 2022. A while ago, I requested this at the music bar, but I was deeply engrossed in conversation, so I didn’t acknowledge that this track had already ended, lol
4. Foo Fighters — Times Like These (From “One By One”)
My springtime of life was with Foo Fighters. (I tried playing their songs on the guitar.) If you listen to this song with loud volume, you will definitely feel that you want to do something great. It’s not too late to do something great; age does not matter -just like how Colonel Sanders started KFC at the age of 62.
Suitable for when walking near the Park like Yoyogi Park, Tokyo:
5. FIEH — Inbox (From “Ⅲ”)
FIEH is a band from Oslo, Norway. As same as the typical image of Norway, their sound is sophisticated but it’s not too lofty. I don’t doubt that they will be more famous in Japan soon.
6. Benny Sings — The World (From “Young Hearts”)
If you loved FIEH, you will love Benny Sings, too. His features, in combination with pop vocals and stylish melody lines, won’t tire you.
Suitable for when drinking coffee or tea on weekends:
7. 缺省 — Can You Hear The Whistle Blow (From “Can You Hear The Whistle Blow”)
缺省 is from Beijing, China. Harmony with Oriental and European is their originality. Another great point is that you can enjoy a slightly shoegaze-like sound.
8. Claudio Abbado, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Martha Argerich — Piano Concerto in G Major, M. 83 — II. Adagio assai
I’m not very familiar with classical music, but one of my favorite composers is Maurice Ravel. There’s no doubt Martha Argerich is the finest pianist in the world, I wanna go to “Music Festival Argerich’s Meeting Point in Beppu” someday. (She visits Japan to hold this music festival once a year.)
Suitable for turning your room into a club at the weekend:
9. Dorian Concept — Pedestrians (From “The Nature of Imitation”)
Next TODO: After you shout “TGIF!”, your choice is to go clubbing or make a club in your room! This danceable track relieves fatigue from 5 days of work.
10. Herbert — Suddenly (From “Bodily Functions”)
Matthew Herbert is an outstanding composer from the UK. The development in the second half is wonderful.
Suitable for When traveling around Japan:
11. 藤井風 (Fujii Kaze) — 花 (Hana) (From “花”)
Fujii Kaze is an icon of today’s J-pop scene. His music, which has a jazz influence, is a sophisticated J-Pop that reflects recent trends in music creation, or rather, he is making new J-pop trends. He still uses the dialect of Okayama, his hometown. This attitude shows that the cutting-edge J-pop trend is not only for Tokyo.
12. GEISHA GIRLS — 少年 (From “THE GEISHA GIRLS SHOW 炎のおっさんアワー”)
GEISHA GIRLS was a comic music project in the 90s. Surprisingly, the singers were “Downtown,” the most famous Japanese comedian duo, and the producers were Ryuichi Sakamoto and TOWA TEI. Urino Masao, a prestigious lyricist, wrote the lyrics for this track. His lyrics and Sakamoto’s sound were combined in this song. The original scenery of Japanese teenagers is reflected in these lyrics. This is rarely combined with the melancholy of the 90s, and it has become a great folk song at a high level.
Did you find your favorite song?
See you again soon on a journey of music, bye for now!
Check out other 2023 HENNGE Advent Calendar articles here.
