Working extensively together in recording and touring, Japanese experimental sound artist Takuji Naka and Canadian ex-pat Tim Olive living in Kobe, Japan, recorded thise seven improvisations in the studio in Kyoto, 2019, using lo-fi electronics, distressed cassette tape and self-made instruments to create a unique sound in unusual dialogs of mysterious sonic motion.
"Olive and Naka's collaboration pairs two musicians working with lo-/mid-fi sonics and modified/self-made instruments. Through extensive recording and touring, the duo has honed a patient aesthetic, allowing each other's sounds to unfold with minimal, sure-footed interactions, akin to moving along a path up the mountain for which this release is titled. Naka's sources here consist mainly of "long loops of sagging/distressed cassette tape winding into and out of similarly distressed portable tape players, with real-time analog processing." Olive uses magnetic pickups and analog electronics. This leads to sounds of uncertain provenance, playfully emerging from a thick analog haze, building toward surprising, subtle crescendos. This is work that results from, and produces, an active semblance of stillness."-Notice Recodings
"Minouragatake is the sound of two musicians who know each other incredibly well just going for it. Takuji Naka and Tim Olive have toured extensively honing their sound, and ability to know what the other will do next. This allows Minouragatake to go off in directions that might not have been possible. 'A3' is one of the standout moments on the album. Not a great deal happens, but it doesn't have to. This isn't that kind of album. Throughout there is a swaying, disorienting, feeling of being on a ship that is grounded yet is rocking with the motion of the water. As you explore this submerged sanctum you can hear the clink and clatter of dislodged pieces of metal knocking about. It's an absolute monster of haunting minimalism. The real joy of 'Minouragatake' comes from when Naka's sagging tape loops start to wind in out time, giving the songs a lurid vibe, yet Olive's electronics help keep the music grounded in reality, rather than the ether of dreams."-Vital Weekly