Calm already has an extensive and well deserved reputation with two album releases in his native Japan (Shadow of the Earth and Moonage Electric Ensemble). Additionally he has featured in releases on Ubiquity, Compost, Yellow Productions and on Francois Kevorkian's Wave label. Calm is also much in demand for his mixing skills having successfully completed mixes for Arto Lindsay, Modaji and Femi Kuti in recent months.

Calms first UK release was Number 3 in the exceptional records Sky EP series. The release revealed three exquisitely crafted tracks, resulting in some heavy weight support from the likes of Mixmaster Morris, Rainer Truby, Gilles Peterson, Ross Allen and Patrick Forge.

Calms first full length album in the UK, Introducing the Shadow of the Earth is full of surprises and subtle delights. It uses elements such as ethereal flutes and deceptively simple piano and percussion patterns which are woven together to produce hauntingly effective music that sucks the listener in with its charm and beauty. Tracks like Aesthetics of the Simple Chords are pure percussive deep house heaven with its subtle rhythmic shifts and plaintive flute.

Later in the album the FarrAway edit reworks the track with burbling electronic bass that hints of the classic era of Detroit Techno, whilst tracks like Running on the Sand from Somewhere to Anywhere hark back to classic Mr Fingers and early Carl Craig with emotional synths, a subtly tweaked break beat and a simple piano line.

Sitting on the Beach is an uptempo jazz number, followed by a reprise of Journey to the Shadow of the Earth, in which the piano comes to the forefront and the beats open up whilst White Breath recalls the fragile beauty of cold early mornings as the day starts from nothing and builds up.

The album also includes brief interludes like Welcome Back to the Real World and the aptly titled A Little Silence before the Memories of the Early Works! The final track is the sublime Fortunately Unknown which manages to incorporate military snares into a lullaby!

"Shadow of the Earth" is certainly an album to relieve the strains of modern urban existence, ideal to unwind to and forget the discord and tension of a bad day. Refreshingly simple and simply refreshing, this album will surely bring this beautiful music to the attention of a much wider audience.

Calm — Discography
1996
Calm EP (Pure Sand)

1998
Shadow of the Earth (Raft Music)

1999
Moonage Electric Ensemble (Lastrum)

2000
Shadow of the Earth (Lastrum)

2001
Sky EP No 3 (exceptional)

Shadow of the Earth (exceptional)

Compilations
2000
The Returning Sun(zi-koo/Lastrum) ..... "Midnight Sun"

First filtration of the duplex brains (Beams) .....

Child Food (Bonjour Records) ..... "Sitting on the beach"

Kyou-Gen (Speed Star) ..... "Boss the MC Meets CALM Creation Delight "

1999
Future sound of jazz vol.5 (Compost) ..... "Running on the Sand"

Blue (Toshiba EMI) ..... "Quo Vadis"

Nowhere Rain (ze-koo/Lastrum) ..... "Samidare"

Serve Chilled vol.2 (D.I.Y) ..... "Night Ride to home"

Bossa Tres Jazz(Yellow production) ..... "People from the Sun and the Earth"

New Latiners vol.2 (Ubiquity) ..... "Donde Sale El Sol"

1998
Soundcolors (X:Tream) ....."White Breath"

Remixes
2000
FEMI KUTI "Beng Beng Beng" (Polydor)

Modaji [Boosa Tre's Jazz ] "Aracaju " (Yellow Pro.)

Arto Lindsey "Prefeelings" (Avex)

Port of Notes "More than Paradise" (Crue-L)

Erotica "Atsui-Tameiki"

Shinji Gumi "Fade to Black "

SR SMOOTHY "Memories" (For Life)

SAKURA "Heart of Gold"(Toshiba EMI)

1999
Nuetanz "Symphonic" (timepieces)

Modaji "Aracaji" (Yellow pro)

Sinjyu-gumi " Fade to Black" (Artefact)

Tracks by Calm available on the exceptional Jukebox:

Asthetics of the Simple Court
Running on the Sand

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Titles available on exceptional by Calm:

Aesthetics of the Simple Chords - 12"
Introducing the Shadow of the Earth - 12"
The Shadow of the Earth - Double LP
The Shadow of the Earth - CD

Calm Press Cuttings:

IDJ Magazine
Jockey Slut
DJ Magazine review