Zen Hanami

Spotlight by Severine, We7 PR Guru

Zen Hanami is a new project produced by Ingo Ito (Camouflage/Rain On Bamboo). Influenced by musicians like Brian Eno or Harold Budd, this new series of ambient music is specifically composed and produced for those listeners who want to create for themselves an atmosphere of tranquillity - ideal for contemplation and meditation or just for relaxing from the daily rush.

The interview

You are part of several bands and music projects (Bamboo Industry, Zen Hanami, Camouflage...), how do you manage all of them?
I have been member of all these bands, but at the moment I'm only busy with Zen Hanami and projects under my own name, Ingo Ito, so this is not too complicated to handle. This year I have worked a lot on remastering old tracks for online download as well as getting unreleased songs of my old bands into shape and this was rather time-consuming.

When you started as a sound engineer, did you already have in mind to be an artist?
Yes. I started making music when I was 10 years old and did the first recordings of my songs when I was 12 - bouncing mono tracks on an old tape deck, thus developing devotion for music and recording. When I later started my 2 years of apprenticeship at the famous Hansa (by the wall) Studios in Berlin I hoped, that someday I'd be recording there myself, and eventually I did - 6 years later, doing the first Bamboo Industry single with producer & engineer Gareth Jones (Depeche Mode/Einstürzende Neubauten).

You produce music both as a solo artist and as a member of a band. Do you enjoy working with people more or working alone? Why?
I do enjoy working both ways and I really can't say, which my preference is. It depends on the music, I guess. Working with the musicians on the Rain On Bamboo album "Sleep & Poetry" for example was a great pleasure and though I had written all the songs beforehand, it finally was their contribution whilst working together in the studio, which made it a special record. But for Zen Hanami I prefer to work alone, because this music has a more intimate character.

Which artists or albums had the biggest effect on you when you were growing up?
I really enjoyed listening to all kinds of music when I was a teen - from Rock (The Who/Led Zeppelin) to Classical music (Vaughan Williams/Sibelius). The Beatles had always been one of my favourites and when "Revolver" came out, I played the record from dusk till dawn.

The biggest influence on my first steps as a musician had been King Crimson. I loved the mixture of fuzz guitar sound, classical elements, beautiful voice melodies and then improvisational and sometimes dissonant instrumental parts. All through the years KC and their guitarist Robert Fripp had been very influential. I also was a big Roxy Music fan and loved Brian Eno's solo work, which was leading me to my first encounters with "looped music", namely Eno's "Discreet Music" and the Fripp & Eno records.

Some albums that had a lasting effect on me: The Beatles - Revolver/ King Crimson - Larks Tongues In Aspic/ David Bowie - Heroes/ David Sylvian - Brilliant Trees/ Brian Eno + Harold Budd - The Pearl.

Could you describe us a typical day of recording?
As I'm having my own studio at home, the boundaries between living and working become rather floating. With Zen Hanami I usually start around midday, first recording some basic loops with guitar or synthesizer into a computer. Then I start to randomly shuffle the loops around in the recording software, listen to the new results and if I'm lucky the music itself creates a magic moment where one feels that this is something good. Either I leave the new track at this stage and start with another looped background, or I try to improvise some notes above the basic recording, but no defined arrangements - first takes only. This continues for several hours - then a break and later more recording during the evening. After a few days of recording numerous tracks this way, I like a break of 1-2 weeks before continuing with some more listening and overdubs. Then another 2-3 weeks break and finally mixing.

Of course a recording day in a booked studio or with a complete band would be completely different.

What did you have in mind when you did the album?
When I started with the Zen Hanami project I mainly intended to create music to accompany sessions that my girlfriend, a natural healer, is conducting. But soon the music developed its own quality and though I still see a major aim in this practical use, I also think that Zen Hanami's music is an enjoyment for all listeners throughout.

What brought you to produce ambient music and not any other electronic music such as techno or house?
Since I discovered the ambient work of Brian Eno in the 70's I had a great affinity to this kind of music. Whilst being with Camouflage I started to use looping equipment live and in the studio to create background textures for their songs, and when I started to do exhibition music I loved the way these soundscapes, in the best case, became a part of the real environment. Moreover I like the tranquillity and the slowness of sound development in ambient music.

What was the best moment in your career?
That's a difficult question... there have been numerous moments which, at their time, were all great ones and I wouldn't want to miss them, but to pick one... maybe the moment I decided to become an artist in itself was the best one.

You have been in the music industry since the 70's, how do you feel about the growing influence of the Internet in the way of promoting and distributing artists?
I simply love it! Now artists have a chance to get their own spot on one of the many music platforms on the web and there is so much talent to discover! Especially music, which generally has a small attendance, like avant-garde, experimental or looping music, profits from the possibilities of the web. I hope, that more and more people will get into platforms like We7, thus creating a greater acceptance for downloads with the average listener. This way, independent artists have a good chance of reaching a much bigger audience all around the globe - which is usually very unlikely with a conventional record contract.

I had several contracts with record companies, from major to independent and though at least the independent years were good ones, I would never sign such a contract again. Now I can make my own decisions about releases, promotion etc. and I can choose my business partners worldwide - that's fantastic!

What is next for Zen Hanami?
Within the upcoming weeks I will start recording new material for the album "Volume 2" and I hope to get everything ready to release until the end of this year.