MONOCHROME - CD

Monochrome was composed and performed by Tatsuya Nakatani on seventeen Chinese wind gongs. Recorded and mixed by Tatsuya Nakatani at Nakatani-Kobo in Truth or Consequences, NM, USA during winter of 2018 through Spring of 2019. Mastered by James Plotkin. Cover image “Shadow painting 2/3/2020 Yokohama” and graphic layout by Erika Nakatani. The center label drawings are by Tatsuya Nakatani. 

MONOCHROME CD

The CD release includes seven compositions; five which are also included on the LPs, plus two long form additional compositions which are only available on the cd.   

I have been developing my understanding of the sonic range and potential of the bowed gong over the past 23 years of live performances. The compositions I am creating for my large ensemble bowed gong project, the Nakatani Gong Orchestra, are based in my idea of arranging the vibrations into formations. Silence, space and textures are key to my philosophy of making music. Working outside of academic theory and the Western note system opens many possibilities for me in sound. 

For these records, I created hundreds of separate recordings of each gong and all of their different voices (vibrations), then I arranged them on the computer to build the composition. Each sound maintains it’s true character, and is not digitally altered.