kehai by NRV

“In the harsh and stuffy summer of 2020, I came across drone works such as KMRU, Lawrence English and Stephan Mathieu.
I had heard drone previously and was impressed with the sound design so much. In that situation, it gave me the feeling as if time had stopped and a profound sense of relief.
I asked myself “Why am I fascinated by music without clear melodies, chord progressions, bass lines or beats?”
It was a significant encounter that changed the way I feel about music, like Bulgarian Chorus, King Tubby’s dub or Steve Reich had been to me in previous years.

It made me want to make that kind of music. Although I was confused by the difference in structure from the music I had been making, I was absorbed in the composition. In the meantime, I had almost 20 songs, so I sent demos to some labels. Fortunately, some liked it.

The word "kehai", which is the title of the album, is a Japanese word meaning "sign" or "indication.” I've been living with a lot of signs on my skin, signs of an invisible virus, signs of social fragmentation, signs that the seasons are moving slowly. This collection contains works made during such a period. And it still continues.

I always have been impressed with Buson Yosa’s Haiku (a short Japanese poem). Although most of his Haiku is a depiction of landscape or the scenes from everyday life, you can feel the image or emotion of the poet. Like Buson, I wanted to capture the natural landscapes and the sense of peace that nature brings with sound. I've only just started making drone and ambient compositions, so I tried to build the songs with simple layers of sound.

I would like to thank san from antennasia for her vocal contribution on the track "koe.", Lawrence English, for lifting the sound of the album to another level, Yosuke Sato for permission to use his beautiful photo and Tabula Rasa Record Company for giving me the opportunity to bring this album to the world. Also, to swans in the river Hirose who allowed me to record their voices.”

Lossless formats are 24-Bit/48kHz

NRV is the drone/ambient project by Sendai-based musician Nerve (antennasia/Jai Machine). The impetus behind NRV lies in a soft simplicity — inspired by everyday life and places, giving rise to emotional spaces. The project started in the lockdown summer of 2020, where he was able to take his time trying out various approaches and sonic experiments, ultimately forging his sonic identity.