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When interviewing a musician, it is recommended to familiarize yourself with a significant portion of their work. However, Michiru Aoyama, a resident of Kyoto and fan of Ryuichi Sakamoto, has been releasing a new album every day since at least December 31, 2021. Despite listening almost non-stop for two weeks, I have only just begun to explore their vast repertoire.
I use the term “at least” because Aoyama has an abundance of releases. If you try to view his Spotify page, the system struggles and eventually crashes due to the sheer volume of his releases. His most recent album is titled Xyo, the one before that was Card, and the one before that was Moriko; the list goes on and on with hundreds of releases.
What is remarkable is just how good they all are: super-deep ambient pieces that drift and flow and shimmer and breathe and never outstay their welcome. Eight tracks of equal length with a total run time of 20 minutes and 27 seconds. These are micro-masterpieces of focus and restraint, and once you’ve worked or slept or driven or daydreamed to them, you might find it hard to look elsewhere.
38-year-old Aoyama vividly recalls the moment when he committed to releasing a new album every day. In an email, he explains that this decision was made in October 2019 while he was living in the outskirts of Fukuchiyama, Kyoto and relaxing in a public bath. As part of this project, Aoyama ensures that all of his recordings are released.
According to him, creating a song is similar to maintaining a diary. He shares both the pleasant and unpleasant moments, and crafting songs has now become an enjoyable daily practice. When it comes to ensuring quality, he admits that it involves a lot of trial and error. However, he is transparent and releases both good and poor sound quality without hiding anything.
Aoyama has created a specific style, which he refers to as a “compositional mould,” in which he uses his PRS McCarty guitar or Prophet-10 analog synth through a range of effects to produce a seemingly infinite array of soothing, womb-like soundscapes. In short, if you enjoy one of his works, you will likely appreciate them all.
“I acknowledge that my style may bear some similarities, but this is the sound I aim to create. While many artists in the ambient music genre produce lengthy tracks, I perceive them more as short stories. Therefore, songs one, three, five, and seven have a similar essence, while songs two, four, six, and eight share a common taste.”
Releasing a large number of albums is only possible through digital means, and this strategy was intentionally chosen to take advantage of the streaming algorithm. One year ago, Aoyama, who was previously a member of an indie rock band called Nicole during high school, had around 100,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. However, with his daily releases, this number has now reached just over 200,000 and continues to increase by approximately 400 per day. The majority of his income, around 90%, comes from the numerous playlists where his music is featured, such as “Weightless,” “Ambient Dreamscapes,” “Spa Treatment,” and “Attention Booster.” He shares these playlists with other deep ambient solo artists from Japan, including Chihei Hatakeyama and Akira Kosemura. The rest of his income comes from Bandcamp. Aoyama, who owns all of his music, now earns about £2,400 per month. He recently left his job at SoftBank, where he used to train new employees and plan events, in April of this year.
If you are considering the possibility of producing and publishing an album every day, like I am, you will need to establish a highly dedicated routine. Aoyama’s daily schedule begins at 5am with 30 minutes dedicated to catching up on European football. From 6am until noon, he focuses on composing. After a two-hour break for a walk and meal, he resumes composing until 7pm when he uploads the day’s sound files. This uploading process takes an additional two hours.
What happens next? “Following that, I do some studying,” he states, as if he had not already squeezed enough out of the day. “I usually go to sleep at 11pm.”
It’s strange to send an email to an artist while being aware that they are currently in the process of making a new album. However, since this artist is constantly working on new music, I continue to reach out. I inquire about the possibility of taking a break from creating, but the artist responds by comparing songwriting to a daily routine like brushing their teeth. They express discomfort with the idea of stopping.
If given the opportunity, the individual stated that he would engage in photography, drawing, or writing books. However, his ultimate passion lies in creating films. After expressing this desire, he retreats into obscurity, leaving behind another 20 minutes and 27 seconds of flawlessly crafted music ready to captivate a growing audience.
Source: theguardian.com
