The 101 strangest records on Spotify: Somei Satoh - Sun-Moon

Japanese composer Satoh has long been searching for new meaning in traditional instruments. The back cover of his 1986 album with the brilliant Margaret Leng Tan describes him as someone, “whose hauntingly evocative musical language is a curious fusion of Japanese timbral sensibilities with nineteenth century romanticism and electronic technology”. Well, that goes for pretty much everyone apart from Olly Murs and Manowar, no? In practice this means fantastically pure and minimalist pieces, as can be witnessed on this classic album from 1994. Three tracks - nothing under 10 minutes - of shakuhachi, the Japanese flute, and koto, the country’s national instrument. What happens? Stillness, mainly. How does it happen? Very, very, very gradually. All three pieces have long periods of near silence with a few rapid bursts of fire that burn out above an ocean of quiet contemplation. Clear your room of all unnecessary furniture and imagine you can see Mount Fuji through your picture window. Then let Satoh’s exploration of the vibrating echoes of nothingness do the rest.