Tokyo, Japan
Acclaimed Japanese musician Keigo Oyamada is pleased to announce ‘Bad Advice/Mind Train,’ a new three-song Cornelius EP, to be released via Like LTD on August 21st. The first single coincides with the thirty year anniversary of his making music under the moniker he famously borrowed from the classic film Planet of the Apes. It follows 2023’s ‘Dream In a Dream‘ album, and his breathtaking recent collection of new ambient tracks ‘Ethereal Essence’ – which caused Brooklyn Vegan to gush, “[his] creativity shines through, while [maintaining] his unique essence.”
Poignantly, though generally not one to make a fuss about such things, Oyamada found that he was actually “deeply touched” by having reached the thirty-year milestone.
“I never thought I would be able to continue making music for so long,” he humbly acknowledges.
Fittingly, the EP’s first single “MIND TRAIN” is an epic, nine-plus minutes of gorgeously ethereal spacepop, with its sleekly styled minimalist sonic structures breaking into moments of exhilarating chaos. Influenced by the music of his longtime hero Yoko Ono, it’s very much meant to inspire inward self-reflection.
“MIND TRAIN” symbolizes a spiritual journey or inner exploration,” he explains. “It is intended to provide an experience for the listener to explore the inner self.”
The video, by renowned visual stylist Keita Onishi, also feels like journeying into another dimension, with its stunningly realized retro-futuristic graphics leaving viewers to imagine their own individual interpretation.
Oyamada enthuses, “Keita’s works are intended to evoke images and sensations rather than to convey a specific story or message, and to express the structure and texture of the music.”
The EP also features a remix of ‘Dream In a Dream’ track “Sparks” by Canadian multi-instrumentalist Joseph Shabason, as well as the new song “BAD ADVICE”, notably featuring vocals by New York No Wave legend Arto Lindsay – and meant as an homage to the latter’s revered 80s experimental duo Ambitious Lovers.
“I love Keigo’s description of how collaborations work when he says that his influences are ‘strongly indirect’”, Lindsay raves of their ongoing creative partnership. “That phrase is a great description of how the best music works on us.”
Another recent collaboration for Keigo is with the widely celebrated Japanese sound designer Yuri Suzuki for “THE AMBIENT MACHINE – Cornelius edition” for the Japanese furniture label E&Y. This innovative project aims to enrich home environments through customizable ambient music. Suzuki’s original design is enhanced with eight distinct sound sources contributed by Cornelius, offering users a way to replace everyday noises with soothing environmental music. This provides an innovative auditory experience ranging from sine waves to electronic sounds. The vibrant orange color of this edition symbolizes its dual nature as both a device and an instrument. Yuri comments, “Cornelius’s work transcends music, encompassing live stages, record artwork, products, and publications. His outstanding creations have significantly influenced my journey as a creator.’ This collaboration goes beyond Cornelius’s new music piece; it offers a unique tool to shape and enhance environments. The result is a special sound experience that embodies our shared vision of ambient sound‘. To learn more about this project, read here in Design Boom.
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