Tokyo Ambient Collective
Tokyo Ambient Collective

Artist Profile

Tokyo Ambient Collective

Tokyo Ambient Collective is an ambient music project established by Tokyo-based international artists; Takahiro Kido, Kenji Azuma, and Sami Elu. Takahiro Kido is a member of Anoice, RiLF, and Films, who takes charge of their films and commercial advert compositions. Kenji Azuma is a percussionist who plays several kinds of instrument such as the steel tongue drum made of iron or stainless steel and tuned at an unusual frequency. Sami Elu is the world's only player of the pixiechord, a handmade wooden string instrument made up of scrap materials, dispensable chopsticks and strings for piano. Tokyo Ambient Collective started when Takahiro Kido and Kenji Azuma met by chance in the woods, but this is non-fixed member project and several artists join the sessions irregularly. In 2020, Tokyo Ambient Collective released the first album 'Healing for Damages' recorded by improvisation at Ricco Label Office and mixed by Takahiro Kido carefully. It includes three tracks featuring the airy and beautiful sounds recorded with GANK Drums, Karimba, Pixiechord, Synthesizer, Glockenspiel, etc. which they each brought. In 2021, they released their second album, 'Scattered Light', recorded at a Buddhist temple located at the foot of a forest. Yuki Murata, a pianist/composer, who is also a member of Anoice, RiLF, and Films, joined the improvisation sessions. For this album, as well as using the GANK Drums, Karimba, Pixiechord, and Synthesizer, which featured on their debut album, the group also enlisted heavily reverb effected electric guitars, a Black Raven, which is a Russian ocarina which supplies double notes, and a Koshi Chime, which is a French chime tuned with chords. Additionally, you can hear the beautiful sound of a vibraphone consistently throughout the album. The third album 'Glow in the Dark Moon' released in 2022 was produced by two of the founding members; Takahiro Kido and Kenji Azuma, and recorded by improvisational performances over a three-day period. For this recording, they were not only joined by fellow founding member, Sami Elu, the world's only player of the pixiechord, and Yuki Murata, a pianist/composer and a member of Anoice, RiLF, and Films who participated in the second album, 'Scattered Light', but also by two new musicians; Keiji Takeda, a violinist who is also active as a countertenor, and Maryse Dumas, an ambient musician from Canada who plays several kinds of flute and singing bowl. By having been recorded by a total of six players, the GANK Drums, Karimba, Pixiechord, and Synthesizer which were featured on their previous album were accompanied by some new instruments such as Violin, Flute, and Singing Bowl. As a result, the album is assorted by various colours of sounds. The singing voices from the new two players, Keiji Takeda and Maryse Dumas, is one of the biggest key ingredients which characterizes the mystical sounds flowing though the whole album.

Genre: Ambient
Active area: Tokyo

Takahiro KidoPiano, Synthesizer, Melodion, Guitar, Glockenspiel, Percussions
Kenji AzumaGANK Drum, RAVVAST, Hand Pan, Karimba, Synthesizer, lyre, Percussions
Sami EluPixiechord, Vibraphone, GANK MINI, Percussions
Yuki MurataOrgan, Celesta, Vibraphone, Karimba, lyre, Glockenspiel, Harmonic Pipe, Percussions
Keiji TakedaViolin, Vocals, Whistle
Maryse DumasFlute, Bowl, Tuning Fork, Vocals

Ricco Label