The Dialogue of The Night

RIQUO

Ⅰ~Ⅸ　<2007-13>

by RIQUO

feat.Jun Kawasaki

Introduction

The Dialogue of the Night

It was long, long time ago, around the beginning of the 14th century and in an isolated country, maybe resembled France as ​we know it today, or somewhere else.

The princess was living alone in the small room on the top of the very high tower.

The bugs were anxious about her living all by herself and flew into the room occasionally to see if she was fine.

Although she disliked them, the ugly bugs, when she was a child, as she grew up she became fond of them gradually.

Years later, when she was on her way to death, it might have been only the bugs who were her friends.

She loved the music so much and lived a life with her singing each and every time.

It was a sacred song for life

without words,

without notes and

without lyrics.

She was living with speaking words without sounds and believing only the world she could not see.

When it was late at night every time, at night close to dawn,

while flowers and bugs were deep in sleep,

It came into the world.

It is so small, secret and what nobody knows.

The song.

The music.

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The Dialogue of The Night I - IX, the final, 2007 - 2013 　TotalTime 43'08"　　　　

Listening corner

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When does an artist know how to obtain a way of sound which comes home to his/her heart, like reflecting himself/herself on ​a mirror? Is it when an artist become anxious about a landscape in front with a music losing its freshness? Or is it when an ​artist recognizes only his/her own shadow in the scenery without any cloud and shadow after he/she chases a favorite music ​like shadow tag? Or is it when an artist knows there is a shadow he/she never can step on or a shadow only others can step ​on? A movement he/she repeats everyday, a color he/she chooses unconsciously, his/her unconscious repetitive finger ​movements to look for pleasant sound. Everyday life of an artist might be series of actions to trim off his/her shadow from ​others. However the irony is that you cannot see or trim off your shadow from the direction of the sun casting othersʼ ​shadows but you can do only by looking away from the sun. No one knows when an artist switches or should switch the ​direction of his/her eyes. One form of music, we could simply call it cadence. Itʼs like Charlie Parkerʼs music was brought by ​double nature of blues and German (rhythm change) cadence. Itʼs a form of music which shows that overlap of diaspora ​between Judea and Africa created bebop.

I am not sure other people have the same feeling but at least I feel that here is one music presenting one definite form of ​music in Riquoʼs music. However it seems that she as a musician unconsciously feels that she would not be willing to admit it ​clearly. She would feel that such a form would be too much uncomplicated like a naked body. But I am fascinated by her honest ​expression of music as it is. How was this form of music born and grown up in her?

She does not hesitate to produce her sound shattering such the notion. It is completely different from her music. She ​introduces her own sound, where exhilarating sound with a dreamy feeling going up in the air is getting down to the ground. ​Does she feel that her form of music which gets glimpse of from a small gap of her opacified sound increases its brightness in ​the absurd? Everyone probably should feel that there is one intention, which makes her wish. It is a wish not relevant to a text ​showing up as song. I am not sure is it is a kind of music in the context of the music I feel. But It definitely should be her wish ​which she put in her music. We listen to her music as one form of music, which is composed of the entire scenery where it is ​overlapped with someone elseʼs sound, like halation. It comes to that I have anxiousness about one thing.

Do I fail to step on her shadow?

Kazuki Takami, March 2021

Jun Kawasaki (河崎純)

Composer/ Contrabass player/Theater director

https://www.biologiamusic.com/

Artwork and notion

I love red. It is associated with a negative image such as fights and warnings, contrary to a positive image it has, passion, ​affection and vitality. It makes me feel mysterious due to complete opposite images. I have tried disguising myself as a coccid, ​which is parasitic with cactaceous plants. A red pigment can be extracted from a female coccid. Recalling the time when I created ​this story in some vague way, I have tried to turn my thoughts accompanying this story to a color and something specific roughly ​but honestly.

A piece of work

This is non-fiction story (in my brain) derived from my universal everyday life, and a love song in darkness very close to an elegy. ​People often asked me why I did not play in Japanese. My answer was quite simple. It was too embarrassed to do in my mother ​tongue. By playing in English, which is difficult for my brain to understand, it is rather easier for me to reflect on myself. Itʼs been ​17 years since the inspiration and 11 years since the recording sessions. Though this slowness made me wimp out to apologize to ​Kawasaki-san and everyone involved, I do hope that the new perspectives of my sound will be spread out by outputting trajectories ​of my bold and sensitive sound. Itʼs a small world of little myself. Itʼs a micro but macro spiritual world of human beings, which is ​ugly, beautiful and sadly. Itʼs a spiritual dialogue with existing or non-existing, not-myself or someone else who might be myself, ​nature, something unseen, or everything imaginable. There is no something special though. Lastly, I am more than grateful for ​beloved everyone who was and is being with me, and everyone who I will meet up in the future. RIQUO, April 2024