Coh - Midori Hirano
Sudden Fruit
Born in Kyoto and now based in Berlin, Midori Hirano creates minimalist, ethereal music where acoustic piano blends seamlessly with electronic textures. In the vein of Ryuichi Sakamoto's later works (Async, 12), Hirano explores, deconstructs, and reinvents the traditional frameworks of classical music, transforming every piano note into an introspective and immersive journey. She also produces more electronic, Ambient Techno/IDM-oriented works under her alias, Mimicof. It was, therefore, almost inevitable that Midori would one day cross paths with Ivan Pavlov. The Russian artist, now residing in France, is a key figure in experimental electronic music over the past 30 years. A former acoustic engineer in the Russian navy, COH is a free spirit with surgical precision. In the late 1990s, he emerged with avant-garde, precise post-techno before delving into glitch and later incorporating acoustic and ambient sounds into his sonic sculptures. His previous collaborations with Peter Christopherson (COIL), Cosey Fanni Tutti, and Abul Mogard (COH Meets Abul Mogard), as well as releases on esteemed labels like Raster-Noton and Editions Mego, underscore both his influence on avant-garde electronic expression and his remarkable ability to collaborate. With Sudden Fruit, COH and Midori Hirano deliver an immersive and chimeric work. From the very first track, "Wave to Wave," one can feel the delicate balance between the organic and the digital, the fluidity of nature, and the poetry embodied by Hirano's piano, juxtaposed with the low-frequency gravity of Ivan Pavlov's machinery. The album's third track, "Mirages," is a small marvel where every silence and every note played by Hirano becomes an invitation to slow down and immerse oneself fully in this new space. Certain tracks, like the title piece, Sudden Fruit, lean more toward Intelligent Dance Music than Ambient, and as the album progresses, Pavlov's sonic textures reveal a striking narrative power, imbuing the work with unexpected depth.