Haruka Nakamura - Shunju: Spring & Autumn LP

A soundtrack Light years project created by haruka nakamura for THE NORTH FACE Sphere, an ambitious new store building specializing in athletics that opened in Harajuku, Tokyo. The 2nd version, “those days”, will be released in October 2022. (The 1st summer version was released in August.)

This work is a soundtrack created in response to a request from THE NORTH FACE to create an album for each of the four seasons. It will be a project to produce four albums for each season over the course of a year under the title of “Light years”. “THE NORTH FACE Sphere” is THE NORTH FACE’s new challenging concept building. WHITELIGHT is in charge of the acoustics in the store, which just opened in July in 2022, and uses taguchi speakers. From the basement to the upper floors, this work flows in a space that is particular about the multi-layered feeling of sound.

In 2020, haruka nakamura released the album “Still Life” recorded at home with an upright muted piano. It is an album that is close to daily life, and has gained a lot of sympathy and support under the unexpected corona disaster. And at the end of 2021, she announced “Nujabes Pray Reflections”. This album, which was completed at the request of Nujabes’ bereaved family, broke new ground. After producing the Nujabes album, haruka nakamura made a natural return to “beats” and “samplers” for the first time in ten years. Following that is the “Light years” project, which started in the summer of 2022. The title of the second album is “those days”. The light-like piano was accompanied by a beat for the first time in a long time, and the music was fascinated by a new brilliance. A new sound is constructed with various materials such as acoustic guitar, Rose, Woolly Tour, bass, sampling, and chorus. Also, during the production of “Nujabes Pray Reflections”, haruka nakamura moved to the northern country. This work also strongly reflects the influence of returning to the scenery of his hometown, and a Northern Lights sound is born. Harmony where nostalgia and newness coexist. No guest musicians, complete solo works.

This work is scheduled to be released on cassette tape as well as distribution. The production period is from August to September 2022. It will be released this fall in a timely manner without losing the freshness of the newly born sound. The affinity between the melody and the beat has evolved even more than in the first installment, and the content is already close to the climax. In the future, we plan to release one album each in winter and spring.