Percussionist & SSW Manami Kakudo to Release “Contact,” Her First Album in 4 Years

Percussionist and singer-songwriter Mami Kakudo will release her latest album “Contact” on January 24 (Wednesday).

Kakudo is a percussionist from the Department of Instrumental Music at Tokyo University of the Arts. He has been active in Japan and abroad with his free style of expression using marimba and other percussion instruments, his own voice, and music boxes. In addition to his own solo work, he has provided music and produced music for a wide range of commercials, films, stage music, dance works, and museum installations, including support for cero, member of Shun Ishiwaka’s SONGBOOK PROJECT, and participation in WONK’s Fumitake Ezaki’s solo album “The First Night”.

It has been four years since Kakudo released his first album, “oar,” in 2020, which included covers of Maki Asakawa’s “My Friday” and the Fishmans’ “Ikkareta Baby. It has been four years. The album was recorded with a band set consisting mainly of Mugi Furukawa (Gt/Cho), Akita Goldman (Ba), Wataru Mitsunaga (Dr), and Yumiko Iwao (Cello), who have been working together in recent years, and a wide variety of musicians from Japan and abroad. The album features Kakudo’s beautiful and fragile whisper voice, lyrics with a unique worldview that shows us nostalgic and unfamiliar landscapes, and playful sound-making, further blossoming her abundant talents.

The cover art was designed by Daisumi Takeda, and the dotted illustrations were drawn by Gerardo Vargas, a Mexican artist who is a close friend of Kakudo. The booklet also includes a photograph by Ryo Mitamura taken during the recording process. Prior to the release, “i o e o” will be distributed in advance on January 10 (Wed.).