Jun Fukamachi — Quark (1980)
Jun Fukamachi (深町 純) jazz-fusion composer, pianist and pioneering synthesiser player has had a long career with multiple credits, producing albums way up till his passing in 2010. Recognised as a piano playing prodigy early in his childhood, he would grow to be a multi-faceted artist involved in musicals, movies and TV music productions.
Those experiences led his work to span across multiple genres covering pop, rock, jazz, classical and ambient. His debut album was a pop, jazz-rock album where he sung and played the keys. Dubbing him as one of Japan’s first piano singer-songwriters.
Lately there have been a resurgence in interest in Japanese ambient works which prompted compilations and a reissue of his holy grail album by WRWTFWW.
Though I’ve yet to fully go through his discography, Quark is the first album of his I’ve heard. Unfortunately this album is hard to come by, there’s only a singular copy on Discogs at USD$184 (!). However, I did find it on YouTube channel Terminal Passage which has an unbelievable collection of rare albums online.
Quark released in 1980 is an avant-garde, jazz-fusion album with splashes of prog and ambient. Each track is a 10+ minute long epic that takes you on a journey through oscillating textures and sounds.
The first track “Quark” is truly reminiscent of the 1980s, beginning with a grand synth opening that reminds me of Dragon Quest on the Super Nintendo. It feels like you’re leaving for a grand adventure and progressing through building tension in its composition. It culminates in a soothing rhythm before rounding back to the head and onto the next stage.
“Perpetual (Movement)” is more of a night drive through Tokyo. An ever modulating synth line powers through, changing in intensity and volume. While strings and piano clashes create textures, emotions that bring about melancholy and loneliness. Leading onto “Desillusion” reaching the closest to standard piano jazz with electronic elements pushed to a minimal role.
Minimal track “Insight” brings to mind sci-fi film 2001: A Space Odyssey. A slow pulsating beat guides you past splashes of glittering electronic garble and shimmering synths. Till reaching an end where all that’s left is that heartbeat fading to nothingness.
It’s clear the album was set up to be listened through in a single sitting as Fukamachi’s prior movie experience allowed him to masterfully create cinematic themes spanning across the tracks. In terms of samples, there’s definitely usable synth sounds for beatmakers considering how rich the created textures are.
Jazz-fusion from the 1980s and ambient are genres I don’t explore quite as much so it was a nice change listening through this entire album and experiencing it. Check it out and hope a reissue comes along sometime!
Tracklist:
1. Quark
2. Perpetual (Movement)
3. Desillusion
4. Insight
Credits:
Composer, Keyboards, Producer: Jun Fukamachi (深町 純)
Executive Producer: Shoro Kawazoe
Engineer: Mitsuo Koike
Engineer: Atsushi Saito (斉藤 篤)
