Masashi TAKASHIMA – Yuma TAKESHITA – Yuji ISHIHARA – Atsushi ARAKAWA – Fiona LEE
“Ftarri Jam”

It’s been five years since Ftarri, an online CD shop and record label specializing in improvised music, opened a physical store of the same name in Suidobashi, Tokyo. This is the second title in a four-CD series celebrating the store’s fifth anniversary. The single 33-minute track is a group improvisation by all five musicians who appeared at Ftarri on May 5, 2017, performed at the end of the concert. Masashi Takashima (drums, electronics), who lives in the city of Koriyama in Fukushima Prefecture, is a talented composer as well as a drummer. He participated as a composer and player on the CD Astrocyte, which was released on the label Meenna in 2016. Atsushi Arakawa (electric guitar), who also lives in Koriyama, is a member of RedTemple, a rock trio which gained attention on the improvised music scene for its LP release in collaboration with Otomo Yoshihide. Yuma Takeshita (remodeled bass guitar) and Yuji Ishihara (drums) perform together frequently, mainly in Tokyo. For the past several years they have been performing as the duo project Tumo. Fiona Lee (self-made electronics, objects) is a Hong Kong-based sound artist who has recently been gaining widespread recognition. She has performed in Japan several times, including at the Asian Meeting Festival 2016, and this was her first appearance at Ftarri. The concert that day was probably the first and last by this rare combination of musicians. The many sounds produced by each of them overlapped and combined in an organic way in this lively and impressive performance. Limited edition of 200, consecutive numbering.