Futura Resistenza / Belgium / 2025
Berlin and California-based composer and performer Michiko Ogawa presents her second solo album, Pancake Moon. It is a profound, meditative work that functions like a "warping of time and space," blending the ancient resonance of the shō (Japanese mouth organ) with the transparent textures of synthesizers, piano, and the nostalgic, gritty grit of a vintage Farfisa organ.
Recorded between the suburbs of Berlin and the desert landscapes of Joshua Tree, the album feels simultaneously vast and intimately personal. The music moves from the "pitch-black darkness" of tracks like ashimoto_no_uchu—which evokes a cycle of death and rebirth—to the warmth of shizukana_hikari, a piece that feels like floating through a forest.
The record is a "space like prayer without a deity," where chaos and silence coexist. It is highly recommended for listeners looking for music that connects tactile memory with deep, solitary inquiry.
FFO: Sarah Davachi, Midori Takada, Kali Malone, and the Japanese Environmental Music (Kankyo Ongaku) scene.