What does Hideaki Masago sound like?

Meditative flutes and chill out beats.

The review of ‘Jomon Journey’ by Hideaki Masago

Over the decades, healing music adventurer Hideaki Masago has often been found, flute in hand, crafting interesting music that gets to the heart of Japanese music. He created a label in the early 1990s to showcase mixtures of experimental electronic and folk music. For his 2024 album ‘Jomon Journey’, which I’ve only just discovered, his flute is front and centre, but so is healing folk artist Yae.

‘Jomon Journey’ is an album that sounds and feelings like a pilgrimage. The title track kicks off the album with mid-tempo beats, reflective flutes, warm panoramic synths, and Yae’s voice in full chanting-scat in the distance. It’s the kind of thing you might hear on the Shika Shika label because it straddles elements of Japan and feels of its own domain. There’s drive and steadfast resilience in the beats and percussion, and a softness and peacocking in the flute and voice. The album is all about mood, and the lengthy and expressive ‘To the Source of the Song’ is an ambient dream. Using Japanese forest noise and cricket chirps as a backdrop for flutes and sunset synths to drift in and out, a strange wooden drum bonks away to its own rhythm across the piece. Occasionally, a devotional-like vocal chant will fade in and out, and the whole thing feels like a warm hug.

‘Oceans of Stars’ begins with a thumb piano/kalimba solo, which slowly transitions across to an almost Latino acoustic guitar and flute duet. With only one track under six minutes, songs evolve and mutate, and this song transitions into a mystical waltzing dance. Yae’s voice soothes and intrigues, whilst Hideaki Masago’s flute commands your ears and emotions like a butterfly in the distance beckoning you nearer. With ‘Oceans of Stars’ feeling mysterious, ‘Under the One Sky’ is a traditional Japanese folk track. It’s the kind of Okinawan folk you might hear from Rikki Nakano, but softer and reflective. It’d be perfect for sentimental children’s books. ‘Tamauta’ is a drone-like percussion and bell piece that is draped in different flutes and whistles like bird calls. Distant rain and wind recordings paint a dewy, fresh morning vibe. It is a heavenly respite from the busy world.

Calm kindness and warmth shine through in the gentle ballad ‘The Place of Light’, which could have been pulled from any of Yae’s solo work. Her motherly voice and smiling tonality make Yae the perfect collaborator for such a restorative project. She isn’t present on all the tracks, but both Yae and the flute are the lynchpins upon which the album thrives. The kalimba also shines, especially in the glassy arpeggios of ‘Awanami’. This breezy track mixes electronic and hand percussion into a rural sway that the kalimba, flute, and acoustic guitar gently stretch their limbs out to. I’m reminded of the best PS2-era JRPG village themes in the best way. The album closes with two beautiful drone pieces. The first is the glassy bowed and tapped percussion and koshi chimes of ‘On the Riverbank in the Morning’. Everything is given a long tail reverb to jangle in slow-motion beauty. It is divine. The second and final track is more ceremonial. ‘Rock Altar’ could cross borders with the Native American plans. It’s stomp-shake percussion limps slow and low as the flute keeps a low, brooding tone. Meditative and ethereal, yet balancing wonder and grandeur. It’s a cool way to close out the album.

Anyone who enjoys calming, healing music (dare I say medicine music) will find a lot to love with ‘Jomon Journey’. Hideaki Masago has often taken the approach of merging different cultures and styles of folk together, creating a universal folk music to relax to. Whilst this album is decidedly very rural Japan in its flavour, Native Indian and West African elements creep in and out with the flute and kalimba to keep that universal theme alive. This is a perfect album to slow down to, whilst never becoming background music.

Recommended track: Jomon Journey

Support Higher Plain Music

Higher Plain Music is part of the Higher Plain Network – a one-man indie media project. If you like what I do, please consider supporting me via Patreon for as little as $1/£1 a month. In return, you’ll receive additional perks for supporting me, such as behind-the-scenes content and free downloads. You can also donate using PayPal. Sharing the website helps too or using the affiliate buy now links on reviews. I receive a few pence per Amazon sale. All your support will enable me to produce better content, more often. I’d love to make this a full-time media network and your support can make that happen. Thank you.