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01. Umeko Ando - Pekanpe Uk
02. Umeko Ando - Ihunke
03. Umeko Ando - Hutare Chui
04. Umeko Ando - Rewrew
05. Umeko Ando - Iyomante Upopo
06. Umeko Ando - Mukkuri 1
07. Umeko Ando - Yaisama
08. Umeko Ando - Mukkuri 2
01. Umeko Ando - Saraba - Iya Ko Ko
02. Umeko Ando - Sarorun Rimse
03. Umeko Ando - Battaki
04. Umeko Ando - Kusuep Kamuy
05. Umeko Ando - Herutun Rutun
06. Umeko Ando - Chup Kawa Kamuy Ran
07. Umeko Ando - Hekuri Sarari
08. Umeko Ando - Atuy So Kata (Ext. Version)
ARTIST
TITLE
Ihunke
FORMAT
2LP

LABEL
CATALOG #
PING 060LP PING 060LP
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
9/7/2018

2023 repress. Umeko Ando (1932-2004) was a folk singer from Japan. She was a representative of the Ainu culture on the Hokkaido Island in the north of Japan. Ihunke is her first album which was recorded with the Ainu musician and dub producer Oki Kano in 2000. It was released on CD in Japan only and is finally available on vinyl. Ihunke follows 2017's single Iuta Upopo (PING 058EP) which had been received with overwhelming enthusiasm and was quickly sold out. The 16 Ainu songs on Ihunke are delicate, natural gems. They are built on Oki Kano's tonkori patterns (a five-string harp), over which Umeko Ando develops her repetitive, mantric vocals, often in a call-and-response manner. Oki Kano is one of very few professional tonkori players who performs worldwide with his Oki Dub Ainu Band. The songs possess a mystical energy -- when crows call accurately with Ando's brittle voice in the first song, it seems like natural powers join in with her music. Her voice sounds like animals of the sky and the forest. Oki Kano: "It was a lot of fun to record with Umeko Ando. Many Ainu hesitate to break from tradition -- if Umeko hadn't been so flexible to work with the younger generation and recording technology, this album would never have happened. Our sessions were intense, and we were proud and happy about making such beautiful music." Only recently (in 2008) have the Ainu officially been acknowledged as indigenous people who are culturally independent from Japan. This record is an example of how their music has been passed on through generations in the underground Ainu communities while it was oppressed by the Japanese hegemony. It deserves a huge audience. Includes liner notes and download code.