kawarisu
A collection of ballads and tunes mixed with samples and sounds patchworked into glossy, rusted, and occasionally noisy expressions. Hasunuma's work is greatly paired with Keiji Haino's echoey lyrics, which haunt the already ghostly instrumentals with a dense layer of fogginess.
Favorite track: 噴 Gush.
Haino sings. Hasunuma plays. It’s a minimal framework, but what emerges is a boundary-blurring sonic exploration. Across the album, Haino’s voice threads through Hasunuma’s layered soundscapes built from analog synths, electric guitar, piano, field recordings, and more. Haino entered the studio with only lyrics in hand, improvising melodies in response to Hasunuma’s evolving arrangements. The result is a work of deep trust, intuition, and sonic tension.
Keiji Haino and Shuta Hasunuma’’s creative connection began in 2017 with an impromptu performance in Shibuya—Hasunuma on a Buchla modular synthesizer, Haino responding with the Japanese national anthem, “Kimigayo.” That moment sparked their unlikely collaboration.
In 2018 Haino appeared at the Hasunuma-organized event “MUSIC TODAY IN KYOTO” at Rohm Theater, alongside Nobukazu Takemura, Manami Kakudo, Elena Tutatchikova, Kukangendai among others. In September 2021 during the pandemic, the two performed "U TA" for the first time at WWW in Shibuya. They began planning the album soon afterwards.
For the recording of U TA, Haino entered the studio with only the lyrics in hand, with no knowledge of what sounds Hasunuma would produce. Responding to Hasunuma’s music in real time, Haino composed the melodies and layered in his voice on the spot. With additional sessions at Hasunuma’s private studio and Haino’s preferred studio, the album was completed.
credits
released October 17, 2025
All melody and vocals by Keiji Haino
All instrument, written, played, arranged, mixed and produced by Shuta Hasunuma
Recorded by zak at st-robo studio, Shuta Hasunuma at Studio i.M.O and windandwindows
Mastered by Rashad Becker at clunk
Production Management: Eishin Yoshida, Kento Ono (windandwindows)
For Temporal Drift: Yosuke Kitazawa, Patrick McCarthy
Art Direction: Aiko Koike
Special Thanks to Toshihiko Kasai, Ryoichi Kiyomiya, zAk, Yumiko Ohno
Born 1983 in Tokyo. Next to performing live with his own “Shuta Hasunuma Philharmonic Orchestra” in Japan and abroad, his
diverse activities include contributing soundtracks to stage productions and movies, and producing and creating music that is mainly based on environmental and electronic sounds....more
Absolutely wonderful live set from these guys! I would say that this performance is the one that reminds me most of Yura Yura Teikoku. The production is superb (though I wish that the rhythm guitar was louder) and they did an awesome job of restoring this old bootleg. A suitably incandescent Flames of Ice and the ethereal Saw The Night In Your Eyes are just a few of the highlights of this amazing recording. I give this my highest recommendation! Might be the live album of the year for 2025! yakuzadog14
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