Cycle, by H TO O

Cycle

by H TO O

supported by

	/

Streaming + Download

Pre-order of Cycle. You get 2 tracks now (streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the complete album the moment it’s released.

Purchasable with gift card

releases May 10, 2024

£6 GBP or more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Includes digital pre-order of Cycle. You get 2 tracks now (streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the complete album the moment it’s released.

shipping out on or around May 10, 2024

Purchasable with gift card

£19 GBP or more

1.	Inflation 05:17	buy track
2.	Nowhere
3.	Awake
4.	Earth
5.	Play
6.	Ever 08:46	buy track

about

Facta & K-LONE’s Wisdom Teeth imprint continues its busy schedule of 10 year celebrations with the debut LP by H TO O: a new collaborative project by Japanese ambient artists H. Takahashi and Kohei Oyamada.

Already an established name on the Japanese ambient circuit, Takahashi is well known for founding the much-loved Kankyō Records label and store in Tokyo’s Sangenjaya district, and for releasing a string of acclaimed solo LPs on revered record labels like Where To Now? and Dauw. Having been introduced to Oyamada through a mutual friend, the pair began recording together in 2019 as part of the live electronics group Atoris. Cycle marks their first release as a duo, and signals an exciting new direction for their creative work together.

Set across six distinct movements, the LP maps the different stages of the cosmic cycle through a series of dynamic ambient set pieces: from the exponential expansion of the universe in its infancy - here invoked by the bright, chiming album opener ‘Inflation’ - through to it’s inevitable collapse and rebirth, captured by the record’s driving, ominous closer, ‘Ever’.

The record started life in Takahashi’s hands, initially intended as a solo follow-up to his acclaimed 2018 LP, Escapism. He shared his early sketches with Oyamada, who began to play with the arrangements, taking the work in an experimental new direction. Naturally the project evolved into a cooperative effort, and its final form is the result of an honest and fluid back-and-forth between the two artists.

The collaboration marks a considerable shift in energy to the artists’ previous works - most of all in its foregrounded use of rhythm. Where Escapism was built from a series of gently lilting, dream-like vignettes, each movement of Cycle has a clear sense of forward momentum and purpose. Each composition builds from a set of sparse, meandering elements into something more dense, cinematic and, at points, discordant. Although this is at heart an ambient record, there is a club-informed feeling of forward motion running through the record, placing it in a similar sonic world to the beatless-but-rhythmic ambient techno of artists like Barker, Lorenzo Senni and Sunareht. Delicate and dramatic in equal measure, Cycle is a vital and exciting debut dedicated to the building of worlds - and to their eventual and inevitable dissolution.

Artwork: Alfie Allen
Mastering: Beau @ Ten Eight Seven

credits

releases May 10, 2024

license

about

H TO O Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo based music project by H. Takahashi and Kohei Oyamada

contact / help

Contact H TO O

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this album or account

If you like H TO O, you may also like:

Swells
by K-LONE

supported by 6 fans who also own “Cycle”

the tension is without stress, it's the feeling of being held by the beat. dream house not deep house, positive vibes. the sonic shimmer wash of the item shop, the mii plaza, or the ancient chill zone of the water temple. so a lot of sunshine headphone bobbers. a nice mixed feeling of electronic music and pop music done with electronic parts. reminds me of the octopus project or e vax. warm grooves in love with the buzz. give me those creative source 90s steppers Arpad Okay
go to album
Club Sentimientos Vol 2
by DJ Python

supported by 6 fans who also own “Cycle”

Couldnt even choose my favourite track they're all so wonderful. really beautiful. Saroor
go to album
In Parallel
by Salamanda

supported by 6 fans who also own “Cycle”

Addicted to the first track, and the rest becomes a really fun and engaging listen! A Strangely Isolated Place
go to album
Shrines
by Lachlan R. Dale

Post-rock musician and World Within Worlds label head Lachlan R. Dale returns with his debut full-length, a suite of ambient explorations. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 27, 2024
go to album
The Cloud Machine
by Andrew Heath

Inspired by the simple innocence of his own childhood, Andrew Heath composes soothing drones, rich in texture. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 22, 2024
go to album
touched by an angel
by Klein

featured on Bandcamp Radio Apr 9, 2024
go to album
9 Airs
by Leif

supported by 6 fans who also own “Cycle”

Another gem from Leif! JC
go to album