Muting The Noise

Sami Elu: The pieces in 「kaze」 are all performed on the pixiechord and foot percussion. “風” [Kaze] (Wind) The opening passage of broken chords came to me at a nature park on the eastern mountain overlooking the city of Kyoto. The melodic lines came from playing it out on the streets, namely Kawaramachi station. Winds drove me to other places. A free section, mysterious drone beat, and a 5/8 pattern, improvised in the New York subway, came further into focus after performing off the cuff at a greenhouse art gallery in Tokyo with a dancer friend of mine, Kenjiru Bien (always an inspiration). It became a 20 minute extended piece. “For the People” is a staple song of mine that I’ve played probably hundreds of times since it was written in 2013. “Amrita” is a piece from 2019 inspired by a collaboration with a dancer and a filmmaker.