Naoki Asai "GUITARISIA" CD

Singer-songwriter Naoki Asai, who attracted a lot of attention with the reissue of his legendary masterpiece "ABBA HEIDI," has released his first newly recorded album in 33 years, "GUITARISIA"!

The legendary, private guitar pop/neo-psychedelia self-produced album "ABBA Heidi" was released in 1988 by singer-songwriter Naoki Asai, who is known only to those in the know. It was rediscovered by collectors and DJs in Japan and abroad, and boasts miraculous quality despite its obscure presence. The album has attracted enthusiastic support from many fans, including the latest Japanese mono compilation album "Somewhere Between" by the US label "Light In The Attic," which is trusted by listeners around the world for its high-quality reissues such as "Kankyo Ongaku," which was nominated for a Grammy in 2020. Following the CD/LP reissue of the album, the mysterious artist Naoki Asai himself has suddenly attracted attention, and now he has released his second album, completely newly recorded. As a singer-songwriter, he has been steadily performing live, and in recent years has released songs online as a Vocaloid P (!), but this is his first original album release in 33 years.

The title "GUITARISIA" is a word coined by Asai, and it means "guitarist's disease". The dreamy and seductive psychedelic world of "ABBA HEIDI" is intact, but the one and only musical world is expressed by more mellow vocals and skillful songwriting/performance. The rich chaos that has been passed down in the underground scene for a long time emerges into the 2020s with its fleeting purity, along with Naoki Asai's dreamlike and surrealistic lyrics.

The recording included young musicians such as tamao ninomiya (vocals), a new generation home recording artist, takahashi santa (tp.) who is active in 1983, memicream (vocals) of the music unit jammymellow, and his close friend norio haga (bass) who also participated in ABBA HEIDI 33 years ago. The direction was by yuji shibasaki, the recording/mixing was by hajime miki, and the mastering was by soichiro nakamura, and the miraculous revival was completed.

■Track list