Into The Cosmic Forest

Description

Stone Music returns with Into the Cosmic Forest, a deep and patient journey into open-air improvisation. The group was founded in 2022 by Tokio Hasegawa, a core member of the legendary Taj Mahal Travellers, and brings together a wide circle of musicians from Japan’s ambient and experimental scenes. While the name is new, the spirit continues. Stone Music extends the free-form, site-responsive approach that defined Taj Mahal Travellers — music shaped by environment, duration, and collective awareness rather than fixed structure. Into the Cosmic Forest consists of two long-form pieces, each exceeding 20 minutes, both recorded live outdoors. Side A was captured at Japan’s Off-Tone Festival. It unfolds slowly and organically — layers of voice, strings, electronics, wind instruments, and percussive textures gradually forming a shifting sonic landscape. Side B was recorded on the grounds of Mithila Museum in the mountains of Niigata, an art space managed by Hasegawa himself. More intimate in atmosphere yet equally immersive, the piece centers on voice and subtle interplay, allowing space and silence to become part of the composition. What you hear is direct and unpolished: air moving, sound resonating, musicians responding to each other and to their surroundings in real time. Following tours in India during 2023–24, with performances in national museums and universities, Stone Music continues to explore music as shared space rather than spectacle. Into the Cosmic Forest invites listeners into that space — unedited, unhurried, and fully alive.