Transmuting the past and the future:
an alchemy of sound; a new music born from the fusion of celtic and blues.
Harmonica Creams draw from electro, rock, and their modern Far Eastern sensibilities with their latest album. Infused with their deep love for the Celtic music and blues-influenced instrumentation, they bring a brand new take to the Celtic soundscape. Gathered in Spain, they collaborated with 6 artists in the recording of this album, including Brian Finnegan (tin whistler of Flook), Calum Stewart (bagpipe), and Eamon Rooney (four-time Irish bodhran contest winner), etc… Already on an upward spiral, Harmonica Creams is poised to break into the next musical level.

▼Very interesting. Japanese musicians who had completely absorbed Celtic music and are playing such a high level. I can’t believe it…
Brian Finnegan ( Flook )

▼Harmonica Creams is a great surprise for the Celtic music in Europe. And especially in Spain that the song and the company worked. It’s a great band that incorporate the different things of the Celtic culture and Japanese culture, and it’s very very interesting for me; it’s different view of Celtic music.
Marcos Valles ( Actos Management )

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Album Information
HARMONICA CREAMS
FUTURA ANCIENT ALCHEMY
NIP-6811 11songs 2016.4.3 released.

Songs / Guests
01. AXIS MUNDI　/Yuji Tanaka

02. SAINT SEBASTIEN　/Brian Finnegan, Yuji Tanaka

03. TEN DAYS TEN MONTHS　/Brian Finnegan, Eamon Rooney, Yuji Tanaka

04. GARAGE DE ROME　/Brian Finnegan, Calum Stewart, Xabi Aburruzaga, Pablo Vergara

05. KAPREKAR # 6174　/Yuji Tanaka

06. ASTURIAS WIND　/Calum Stewart, Yuji Tanaka

07. DANCE OF QUADRA　/Calum Stewart, Yuji Tanaka

08. ARRIBA　/Eamon Rooney, Yuji Tanaka

09. TIME THIEF　/Brian Finnegan, Yuji Tanaka

10. MY SONG　/Brian Finnegan, Xabi Aburruzaga, Pablo Vergara

11. FREESIA　/Yuji Tanaka

Musician
Yoshito Kiyono: Harmonica
Aiko Obuchi: Fiddle, Vocal ( # 6 )
Koji Nagao: Guitar

Guest
Brian Finnegan: Tin Whistle
Calum Stewart: Uilleann Pipes
Xabi Aburruzaga: Accordion
Eamon Rooney: Bodhran
Pablo Vergara: Bodhran
Yuji Tanaka: Drums

Composed ( song # ):
Aiko Obuchi ( 1, 5, 7, 9 )
Koji Nagao ( 2, 4, 8 )
Yoshito Kiyono ( 3, 10, 11 )
Aiko Obuchi & Koji Nagao ( 6 )
Lyrics: Aiko Obuchi ( 6 )

All arrangement by Harmonica Creams

Recording at Xabi´s Road Studios ( Zamudio, Spain )
Sound Engineer: Iñigo Escauriaza
Mix & Mastering at Erson Studios ( Asturias, Spain ) by Marcos Valles & Daniel Gonzalez
Produced by Marcos Valles ( ACTOS Management )
Supported by Arts Council Tokyo, Japan Foundation
Label: Alter-pop
Distributed by Meta Company Limited

Illustration: Sosei Sato
Design: Aï Akiyama
Translation: Ulysses Hsiúng-Luó

Thanks: Ikuo Mitsuhashi, Koji Uemura, Masahiko Ebihara, Mikako Tamamushi, Miki Kagami, Ryuji Seto, Sogen Ichizumi, Toshi Motooka, Ulysses Hsiúng-Luó, Yuka Nakafuji

An afterword:
We went into studio for this album in 2014, but the idea was already seeded way back in 2013. I could not have been more pleased when talks started on the chance to collaborate with musicians from around Europe — among my long admired Brian Finnegan (of Flook, Northern Ireland), as well as new encounters like Calum Stewart (Scotland), Xabi Aburruzaga (Basque), Eamon Rooney (Northern Ireland), Pablo Vergara (Galicia), and Yuji Tanaka (Japan).

Through infusion of their deep-rooted celtic sensibilities, juxtaposing with our own perspective, we sought to bring out an original style. Like an alchemist’s experimentation, what emerged from the material is a mixture of qualities hitherto unknown.

Moreover, not only did this encounter take place in Spain, but everything from recording, mixing to post-production, was all helmed by Spanish hands. The ancient alchemists achieved their creation through mixing ingredients mundane and mythic, physical and spiritual. We, as musical collaborators, created through mixing new sounds, tastes, cultures, and ways of thinking. As we pushed each other’s boundaries musically, it also catalysed our mutual bonding. This crystalised into not only the tracks we created together, but also in the musical partnership, the friendship that will last long after the last note fades.

In addition to the songs created then in 2014, we’ve also collected new studio recordings of tracks from our 2013 live album tokyo live smokin’, for a total of 11 tracks. As we put the final touches on the album, we’ve gone through so much transformations that this feels truly like a new beginning in Europe.

Lastly, a word of thanks for the wonderful people who have supported us in these two and a half years, who have fostered this album to its fruition. To the our crew, guests, my dear friends: you have my deepest gratitude.

Yoshito Kiyono