A journey into the memory of the I – meditative sonic reflections from Japan and beyond
Sargasso proudly announces the release of I Am, a deeply introspective and immersive electroacoustic work by composer John Palmer. Commissioned by DeutschlandRadio Berlin, I Am unfolds as a metaphysical and sonic voyage, echoing Palmer’s personal journey through Japan in 2001, where the seed of this composition was first sown.
Spanning seven movements, I Am traces a dual narrative: an outer physical journey through the landscapes, sounds, and spiritual spaces of Japan, and an inward metaphysical exploration of identity, memory, and transcendence. These parallel strands converge in a soundscape that seamlessly blends original field recordings, traditional Japanese instruments, Buddhist chants, natural elements, and fragments of spoken poetry in English, German, and Japanese.
Palmer writes:
“This is a journey where the sensual and the spiritual, the physical and the metaphysical, move side by side… where the search for meaning is not a rational exercise, but a human challenge — something to be wrestled with, not passively attained.”
Central to the work are fleeting poetic texts—composed by Palmer himself—that appear as ephemeral reflections woven into the sonic texture. The juxtaposition of koto, shakuhachi, sho, and shamisen against environmental recordings (Kyoto temples, Tokyo cityscapes, Narita airport) and sacred chants evokes a liminal space between personal introspection and collective cultural memory.
I Am is not only a musical composition but also a philosophical meditation—a ‘sound diary’ of the self as it dissolves and reassembles through perception, time, and voice.
TRACK LIST:
- Three Memories [4:00]
- Flying [4:31]
- Narita [3:07]
- Fragments of Perception [8:31]
- Mirrors Uncertain [11:00]
- On The Margin [7:48]
- Return [12:05]
John Palmer: composition, production, voice, koto, sampling, English poems
Field recordings made in Japan, mixed at Vision Studio, London
Instrumental samples (shakuhachi, sho, shamisen) recorded and mixed at Vision Studios, London
Produced at Vision Studio, London-Stuttgart
Additional voices:
Kerstin Klinger (German poems)
Diane Hoffmann (Buddhist texts, English) Schoko Plötzki (Japanese voice & gong) Hiro and Ryoko (temple texts, Japanese) Musicians:
Yutaka Ono (shakuhachi)
Hiroko Sukawa (shamisen, sho)
Mark Willox (samples)
John Palmer (koto)
Buddhist chanting: Nichiren Daishonin Gokkai UK / Rokuon-Ji Temple, Tokyo
Photography: John Palmer
More info: www.johnpalmer.org
