Kaoru Watanabe - The Arch *Pre-Order

Release Date Friday 18th September 2026
All pre-orders will be dispatched/made ready for collection on that day.

Created in deep collaboration with Grammy-Award Winning producer William Brittelle, alongside executive producer Shahzad Ismaily, over the course of a year at Figure 8 as part of its Open Residency program, The Arch is a cathartic celebration of a life in music, of transformation and self discovery. The collaboration with Brittelle, who encouraged Watanabe to dig deep into his personal musical history, opened the floodgates for Watanabe and to use all of the tools at his disposal during the creation of the album. He explains, "William opened things up for me and encouraged me to put everything on the table. I began to experiment with sounds, instruments, and compositional tools I normally would not have. This process really allowed me to explore the entirety of my musical being." 

Across the 10 tracks on the record, Watanabe places the vibrant timbres of traditional Japanese instruments (shinobue and ryuteki flutes, taiko drums, narimono percussion instruments, and koto, a 13-string zither) in compositions and jazz improvisations. These traditional instruments are contrasted by the many layers of acoustic and electronic instruments—piano, synthesizers, tenor saxophone, soprano and alto flutes, and harp, all played by Watanabe— which he uses to create a unique and shifting soundworld, never quite settling in one place or time but buoyed by his singular artistic vision.

TRACKLISTING:
A1 The Arch
A2 Kazekaoru Gogatsu
A3 Whirlpools
A4 Hiraeth
A5 RUBICON
B1 Kitsune No Yomeiri
B2 Activities of Daily Living
B3 Kumo No Ito (The Spider’s Thread)
B4 Wood Snake
B5 Unadorned

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