Artist: XLII
Title: Like Dew In The Sun
Format: Digital / 7” Vinyl
Label: Raid System
Cat #: RSD011 / RSV004
Release Date: January 27, 2016
iTunes
https://itunes.apple.com/jp/album/like-dew-in-the-sun-ep/id1074937819
Vinyl Pre-Order
xlii.bandcamp.com/
Tracklist:
1. Shards (Vinyl / Digital)
2. Incursion (Vinyl / Digital)
3. Barricades (Digital)
4. Apocalyptic Freedom (Digital)
5. Soul and Body (Digital)
– ENGLISH DESCRIPTION BELOW –
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XLIIが得意とするメランコリックなメロディーとロービート
単なるクラブミュージックとは一味違う《聴かせる》EP
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Like Dew In The Sun / 日に照らされた露のように
平和は幻影。
毎日家に帰れる事、ご飯が食べられる事、学校にいける事、電車に乗れる事、友達と遊ぶ事、友達が生きている事、大学卒業して就職する事、入学できる事、海外旅行できる事、年金をもらえる事、結婚する事、子供を育てる事、深夜出かけられる事、街路灯がある事、電気がある事、お湯が出る事、道路に穴がない事、マンホールにフタがある事、給料もらえる事、歳とる事、未来がある事、警察にお金とられない事、人間として認められる事。。。そんな、現代の日本では改めて考える事もないような小さな「当たり前」が当たり前ではない国ウクライナ。政治家はマフィア、警察は人殺し、一般人は奴隷、国はチェス盤、国民の命はチェスの駒。
チェスの駒が、その”小さな当たり前”を手にするために、立ち上がった。
2013年11月21日から2014年2月23日まで同国で続いた真冬の「善意の革命」に捧げるサウンドトラック「Like Dew In The Sun/日に照らされた露のように」。 タイトルは、ウクライナ国歌の１節「敵は日に照らされ露のように消える」から引用されたものだ。「敵」は、全人類が抱える悪意という欠陥。１粒の水滴が太陽に照らされて蒸発するように、人々に組み込まれていた「悪意の遺伝子」が蒸発して消え去るとき、人類はようやく幼年期の終りを迎える。
今作の隠されたメッセージは「争わない」こと。競争社会が戦争へと追い立てるのなら、それに抗う唯一の手段。「争わない」ことを意識して選ばれた現地のデザイナーMyroslav Fareniukによるアートワーク、穏やかなマスタリングと自営のプレス工場。超少量生産の150枚限定で発売。
収録曲の全てが、何かしらのシーンに影響を受けて生まれたのだというXLII。インタビューも近々公開！
Temporarily stepping away from the maximalist, buoyant swagger that his productions are best known for, Tokyo-based XLII’s latest excursion for the Raid System collective is a deeply intimate and introspective take on the events that unfolded in Ukraine in winter of 2014. Originally a light-hearted take on the peaceful protests in Kiev, planned for release in spring 2014, the EP then transformed and mutated as the triumph of toppled dictatorship was cut short by an armed incursion in the country’s South and East. The EP is finally set for release on January 27, 2016 to applaud the de-escalation of conflict and the progress in the dialogue towards peace.
“Like Dew In The Sun” is a profoundly personal project borne from these circumstances, a sentiment that is strikingly relevant to people not just in Ukraine, but those across the world. The EP is inspired by the hope that the “weak gene” within all humankind, that prevents us from co-existing peacefully as one species, will one day evaporate “Like Dew In The Sun”.
In line with the concept of peace, the EP consciously removes itself from the “loudness war” with softer mastering, featuring minimal post-Soviet cover art by a Ukrainian designer Myroslav Fareniuk and pressed at a small, privately run pressing plant in Europe.
Shards is a melancholic slow-burner for a nation that became a trading chip in the power gamble between bigger external forces. Calm and leisurely with dreamy folk chants and cinematic chord progressions.
Incursion – A masterfully orchestrated puzzle of unusual time signatures and genres. A futuristic off-kilter piece that resolves itself into a coherent whole upon several listens.
Barricades is cold and unrelenting. A collage of real world instruments and a mild feeling of nostalgia propelled forward with upbeat determination.
Apocalyptic Freedom weighs up the cost of freedom life for life. Horns and frenetic percussion intertwined with a sense of liberation and burning tires. Brash sound design and arrangement add to the sense of turmoil.
Soul and Body – The EP’s final track returns to a spirit of melancholy and even optimism. A quiet exploration of hope and unity captured in simple chords. Warm and reassuring, with a soft nod to the beats music of yesteryear, it concludes the EP on a positive note of calm resolution.
The limited 7” Vinyl will be available on XLII’s Bandcamp and will start shipping on January 27, 2016. It features 2 alternative versions of lead tracks from the digital EP as well as download codes for the full EP.