3rd Edition of Midori Hirano – And I Am Here

These are the ten copies of Midori Hirano’s cassette release for staaltape, And I Am Here. It is the third edition. And this one is entirely made by Midori, the artist edition. I have no idea what you have to pay for it. As I can judge from the picture alone, this tape goes beyond any standard cassette release. Write to Midori and find out for yourself. The tapes shown in the picture will not become available at the staalplaat shop in Berlin.

I am very glad Midori proposed to produce one edition by herself. It adds a new quality and character to staaltape. The deeply rooted connection with Berlin is ensured as well. If the possibility arises I will surely encourage other artists who appear on staaltape to make an artist edition.

Said this, I can announce that work on my own fourth edition of Midori’s tape has started. The tape will arrive at the shop in Berlin by the end of July.

 

Some titles from staaltape are still available.

Midori Hirano – And I Am Here reviewed: “Wonderfully Poetic”

On 30. January Midori’s tape became available. The staalplaat shop received four orders within ten hours. Of the twelve copies Midori received only a few are left.

I will start working on a new edition, probably with slightly different artwork. Pictures of that ongoing process will be published on staaltape’s twitter account, appear also in the sidebar at your right.

FdW wrote a review in Vital Weekly:
“Midori uses here field recordings from Europe and Japan, which she uses as a backdrop to her piano playing, and that piano is a found object itself, so it detuned a lot over the years. It makes it all wonderfully poetic and intimate music. You hear some birds twitter outside and down the hall someone is playing this detuned piano.”

“It’s a bit like one of those releases on the Japanese Flau label, but with an even more lo-fi approach when it comes to recording. Nothing about this is perfect but that’s the beauty of it. Like someone recorded this on a cassette over some time, sticking random events together. Excellent release, so let’s hope there will be a second, bigger edition.”