Midori Takada - MSCTY X V&A Dundee (2023)

Japanese marimba legend Midori Takada wrote this new trio of pieces for the V&A Dundee's main Locke Hall, working with architect Kengo Kuma to fill his space with magical wooden reverberations.

It's been gratifying to see Takada's music finally attract the attention it deserves. The Japanese ambient innovator has been working on her personal sound for decades, releasing two acclaimed albums with Mkwaju Ensemble in 1981 before she penned her enduring solo debut 'Through the Looking Glass'. And thanks to the mysterious power of the YouTube algorithm, that album captured the imagination of a new generation of listeners, helped by a legion of contemporary acolytes like Visible Cloaks, H.Takahashi and Chihei Hatakeyama. This surge of popularity led to collaborations with Lafawndah and Bottega Veneta, and a handful of new releases and reissues, and no doubt prompted this collaboration with V&A Dundee.

'MSCTY & V&A Dundee' is a suite of three new compositions for marimba, and is relatively restrained for Takada. The chilly, layered soundscapes of her last album 'Cutting Branches For A Temporary Shelter' are all but gone, and her bare percussion is left to ring into the void, something no doubt inspired by the space she was asked to respond to. The pieces were played in the gallery's Locke Hall, that's clad with wooden panels, so Takada's choice to use only woodblock sounds is canny. Even hearing it outside of its intended space, the music evokes a sense of humble awe. Takada's playing is deft and skillful, but never overwhelmingly technical. And her tuned, wooden knocks are perfectly fitting - for music originally designed to accompany a designated environment, it's an ideal commission.