Episode cover
Japanese Ambient Explorations
March 17, 2025 · 32 min

Support Night Clerk Radio on Patreon

You should know that this episode was divinely ordained. The Discogs article below was posted by a listener on our Patreon Discord at the precise moment Birk was listening to a related album and thinking about this episode topic. As a result, you have to listen to us work our way through the landscape of Japanese Ambient in the 80s and 90s. We talk about the music of the time and how it might have arisen from changing material and technological conditions, the importance of funding cool art, and its resurgence in popularity over the past few years.

Outro Sample

Seiko 3 from Music For Commercials by Yasuaki Shimizu

Read these Articles!

Exploring Japan’s Ambient Music Boom of the ’80s and ’90sThe Sabukaru Guide to Japanese Ambient MusicHow Japanese Ambient Music Became a Thing in AmericaKankyō Ongaku: Japanese Ambient, Environmental & New Age Music 1980-1990Kankyo Ongaku: A Brief History of Japanese Ambient MusicA Beginner’s Guide to ’80s Japanese Ambient MusicSpace and Certainty: On the Rise of Japanese Ambient Music

Credits

Music by: 2MelloArtwork by: Patsy McDowellNight Clerk Radio on Bluesky