synfilums

synonym

Regular price $35.00

April 18th Release!! Pre-order now!!

88P Artbook + CD with special case

The duo ‘synfilums’ by Shin Kikuchi and Itoko Toma has completed their fourth album ‘synonym’.

Kikuchi finds a row of cherry blossom trees near his studio, and it is planted with various types of cherry blossom.  After he sees the name plates attached to every tree and become curious to research the origins of the various types and cultivars of cherry blossom, and his studies motivated him to produce the album.

There are many different types of “Sakura (cherry blossom)” in Japan, some trees are originally native to Japan, and some trees are brought from overseas, and some trees are cultivated which people have blended for ornamental process.

From the research about cultivars, Kikuchi sees the “Sakura (Cherry blossom)” as an artwork created by people (with hope and wishes), and he used the sound to express and create his own row of cherry blossom trees.  For example, “Somei-yoshino”, an iconic native cherry tree in Japan, is a mixed cultivar of Oshima cherry (C.speciosa) and Edo Higan (C.itosakura f.ascendens), and this trial and error process of cultivation is also put into the concept of music.

This album was started with a demo by Kikuchi’s image of a dreamy row of beautiful but ephemeral cherry blossom trees growing along the mountain path leading through the village, and a pianist Toma worked faithfully expressed, arranged, and performed this worldview.

All Music by synfilums
Produced by Shin Kikuchi
Arranged by Itoko Toma

Piano: Itoko Toma
Recorded, Mixed & Mastered by Hiroshi Iguchi (SALO | ROLLERS Inc.)

Piano Engineer: Makoto Kano
ALT.NEU.Artistservice Co.,Ltd

Photos, Artwork & Design: Shin Kikuchi

Production Management: 88 landscapes & SCHOLE INC.

Shin Kikuchi organises SCHOLE label with his finely honed sense of beauty, and his visual works expresses the deeper worldview with delicateness which attracts many fans with the sophisticated design. Besides photography, visual works, and paintings, he now attempts to produce music as another form of expression. A music duo “synfilums” formed with Itoko Toma, a modern classical artist whom composes an experimental and intimate musical works with her classical background, start producing music from 2020.
Sound creation with high-affinity in visually and auditory to be promised from their works.