The Future Eve is a project featuring the experimental Japanese sound artist Th (Tomo Akikawabaya) and sonic partner Takaaki Han-ya. Having recorded together as Beata Beatrix in the 80’s, the pair took on their new moniker when they began working with the legendary British musician Robert Wyatt (Soft Machine). Wyatt retired from music in 2014, but discussing their collaboration in 2013, he explained that Tomoyasu had contacted him “towards the end of the 20th century” wondering if he had any new pieces of material to work on collectively. Wyatt explains:
“I did have. Brian the Fox was an un-placed,
un-worked basic idea I had.
unusual for me in that it had no strict tempo, and the words were an attempt to write a text even shorter than a Haiku!
(I just recorded it directly onto tape at home, on cassette, no “production”.)
the music ending was improvised. the delay before the final chords was me trying to choose the final few chords”
Th received the tape “Brian the Fox” from Robert Wyatt in 1998 and it contained four takes. Choosing one, he began overdubbing layers of sound to it before passing it off to Han-ya for further work. The piece underwent a steady transformation until it was completed two years later. At this point, Th explains: “I became aware of more possibilities for the piece sometime after we finished the work,” and this would begin the “long journey” of creating the 2xLP KiTsuNe / Brian The Fox due out March 22nd via Flau Recordings.
Originally inspired by the haiku-like simplicity of Robert Wyatt’s lyrics on “Brian the Fox,” Th would also go on to see something similar to the Buddhist notion of impermanence expressed therein. Using Wyatt’s original recordings as a launching point, The Future Eve have employed a tightly conceptualized approach to uncover the hidden places and ghosts inside the original.
During the process Th would experience the loss of his mother, launching a new wave of activity referred to as “Ring Version“–a second LP described by the artist as “a suite with a story (eight takes).” These new recordings would find him “reflecting upon thoughts and structures of reincarnation” echoing those notions with an approach that utilized effects processing, improvised synth work, and overdubbing on the original to create droning works that seem to echo and resonate from other dimensions.
The track “04.08” concludes the “Ring Version.” On it, Robert Wyatt’s plangent voice rings out with a spiritual intensity as a chorus of vocals seem to pillow his with golden resonance. Eventually, Wyatt’s recording gives way to this chorus before the voices disappear into a vaporous stream. The effect is captivating and it’s no wonder Wyatt’s four recordings have launched The Future Eve on a mission to uncover the hidden mysteries inside.
