Ogurusu Norihide Modern

In the white room with white curtains, ogurusu norihide patiently and steadily works on his distinctive techno-folk hybrid. His studio of white walls and hardwood floors is as clean and single-minded as his musical vision. Ogurusu Norihide’s Modern is part of the burgeoning “laptop folk” scene alongside fellow Carparkers Greg Davis and Takagi Masakatsu. But to limit his music to this tag would do Ogurusu a great injustice. His music follows its own path, informed as much by contemporary Japanese culture as by the ancient religious and cultural institutions of the Shinto faith. For Ogurusu Norihide is a certified Shinto priest. Having completed his studies in Tokyo last year, Ogurusu has returned to his hometown of Kyoto to concentrate fully on music. Kyoto , where centuries-old temples and gardens sit side by side with the offerings of new Japan, complements the music of Modern well. The sounds of religious rites (hand claps, bells) rub up against digitally-produced rhythms which are integrated with acoustic guitar and piano. Instantly familiar and totally abstract, Modern is informed by so many musicians but sounds like none of them. Like all great artists, Ogurusu Norihide completely reshuffles your ideas and preconceptions and deals them out in a way you didn’t think was possible.