Sometimes two things or people come together to create something greater than the sum of the individual parts. Think peanut butter and jelly, Simon and Garfunkel, or alcohol and bad decisions. So it is with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Christian Fennesz — they just go together.
Following up on their 2005 live EP Sala Santa Cecilia and the 2007 album Cendre, Christian Fennesz and Ryuichi Sakamoto will release another collaborative album via Touch on December 6 titled Flumina.
After three years without a release, Sakamoto found himself pondering another collaboration with Fennesz. With this idea in mind, Sakamoto set out on tour, opening each performance with a piano piece played in a different key. After 24 performances, Sakamoto had a set of compositions and improvisations comprising all 24 steps in the Western tonal system; the groundwork for another melding of music had been laid.
Next, Sakamoto sent the piano recordings to Fennesz, who played with the pieces, adding in guitar, synths, and electronics to transform them into something altogether new. The two finally met up in New York to mix the album together and Flumina became the end result.
Flumina tracklisting:
Disc 1:
01. 0318
02. 0319
03. 0320
04. 0322
05. 0324
06. 0325
07. 0327
08. 0328
09. 0330
10. 0401
11. 0402
12. 0404
Disc 2:
01. 0405
02. 0407
03. 0409
04. 0411
05. 0415
06. 0417
07. 0419
08. 0423
09. 0424
10. 0425
11. 0428
12. 0429
• Ryuichi Sakamoto: http://www.sitesakamoto.com
• Christian Fennesz: http://www.fennesz.com
• Touch: http://www.touchmusic.org.uk
