Audiopile Review: We always seem to be waiting for Hiroshi Yoshimura. Arguably, the Japanese ambient music genius cannot be held personally responsible for this, as he sadly passed away in 2003. But a lot of people are complaining that his ghost is distinctly tardy. We’re not saying that, but a lot of people are. We get it, of course. Take the case of his most recognized classic album, ‘Green’. YouTube discoveries of ‘Green’ formed a vital catalyst in the ongoing revival of all things ambient and new agey. And it was largely responsible for introducing the west to ‘environmental music’, Japan’s equivalent of ambient or new age (as showcased on the entirely essential ‘Kankyō Ongaku’ compilation). But it must have racked up a billion blissed-out streams by the time we finally got a vinyl reissue. And this new edition of ‘Soundscape 1: Surround’ has been endlessly delayed. But that only makes its arrival all the sweeter. So, when it finally arrived, we just had to make it album of the week. And who can get mad at a ghost who chooses to haunt exclusively with crystalline synth washes and heart-breaking melodies? Ah yes, the melodies. You see, something that’s often overlooked about Brian Eno’s early ambient releases is their melodic beauty. Go listen to ‘Sparrowfall’ for evidence. Only one figure in the ambient genre ever matched Eno’s knack for melody. And that was Hiroshi Yoshimura. The title ‘Soundscape 1: Surround’ may suggest free-flowing washes of sound, and there’s certainly plenty of that here. This album is not lacking in spaciousness or atmosphere. Far from it, dude! But it is anchored by the presence of elegantly simple themes and refrains. Opener ‘Time After Time’ manages to beguile and enchant absolutely while deploying only a bare minimum of notes. This is truly unhurried music, and you can see why it provides a balm to so many in these nervy and distracted times. But it is not merely functional chill-out music. This is actual, y’know, art that communicates a fearless capacity for wonder and awe. Like all of Yoshimura’s work, it is timelessly beautiful, endlessly listenable, and able to complement almost any mood or environment. Most definitely worth waiting for.

“If Surround can be listened to as music that’s as close to air itself, allowing us to enter each listener’s sound scenery, or as something that exists within a new perspective, expanding the middle ground between sound and music, and transforming it into a comfortable space, it would be much appreciated.” — Hiroshi Yoshimura

Temporal Drift proudly presents the long-awaited, first-ever reissue of Surround, Hiroshi Yoshimura’s sought-after ambient classic.

Originally released as an album in January 1986, Surround was recorded by Yoshimura as a commission from home builder Misawa Homes, intended to function as an “amenity” designed to enhance the company’s newly built living spaces. A pioneer in the field of environmental music, Yoshimura’s previous works included Music For Nine Post Cards (1982), originally produced to be played back inside a museum space, and designing sound environments for public spaces and subway systems. Surround was recorded almost concurrently with the acclaimed and popular GREEN (1986); the two albums are described by Hiroyoshi Shiokawa in his liner notes as being Yoshimura’s yin and yang.

In his original notes for the album, Yoshimura recommends that Surround be placed in the same family of sounds “as the vibration of footsteps, the hum of an air conditioner, or the clanging of a spoon inside a coffee cup.” And, as he suggests, “with the addition of city noise from outside the window,” you may hear Surround in a completely new way.