I ONCE HAD A FRIEND ASK ME “why the hell would you listen to music if there’s no lyrics?” To be real, a younger me had no answer. As my music palette has “matured,” I’ve started to listen to artists who don’t use any vocals in their work. The more I listen to these artists, the better response to his question I’ve been able to develop. For me, it starts and ends with emotional connection. There’s a million examples of lyricists whose relatability through their word play can bring even the toughest to tears. What separates the emotion produced from verbal and non-verbal music is that lyricists often (not always) paint a picture for the audience that isn’t hard to interpret. On the flip side, anti-dialogue artists are much more abstract… every listener will decipher songs differently. So far in my “listening research,” I’ve yet to come across a more impressive musician than Uyama Hiroto.
Out of Yokosuka, the Japanese record producer has spent much of the last decade and a half building off of the incredible work he created with Nujabes in the mid 2000s. Before Nujabes’ untimely passing in 2010, the two were close collaborators, building a deep enough connection musically that from afar, appears as if Hiroto could almost be considered the protege to Nujabes’ role as master. In the years leading up to his death, the two linked up on six separate songs, each more impressive than the last, my personal favorite being their most upbeat connection, Gone Are The Days.
While Nujabes pioneered the Lo-Fi movement in the East, seamlessly blending hip-hop and jazz, Hiroto has built his career around Nu Jazz, producing some of the most beautiful and angelic music I’ve come across, paying homage to his mentor in the process. With the ability to wield multiple instruments, Hiroto’s work is some of the most cohesive I’ve ever come across. A combination of ambient-jazz and hip-hop, every single piece feels carefully calculated, no note leaving the listener questioning why it was added. Even if bars aren’t flowing directly into one another, they’re building up to something bigger, always for a greater purpose. I don’t know if there will ever be a perfect musician, but I swear Uyama Hiroto is damn near it.
Being a genius technician is nice, but what really blows me away about Hiroto’s music is how emotionally connected listeners can be to his work. Through his songs, Hiroto doesn’t paint pictures, write stories, or create movies, he builds an abstract emotional state that knows no boundaries. His music’s significance is limited only by the mind of the listener. It means what you want it to mean. It holds what value you need it to. No two people will appreciate his work similarly, just as no two viewers will react equally to a Kandinsky or Pollock painting.
With such a wide range of work, there’s no shortage of emotional variety to choose from in Hiroto’s catalog. Looking towards the future with a sense of optimism? Both Vision Eyes and One Day are fantastic choices. Moving forward, without a real sense of direction? Walk in the Sunset is the positive vibes you need. Mellowing out, and just hoping to clear your mind? Color of Jade, Just For You, and Into the Freedom are the ones to turn to. There’s millions of other emotions Hiroto’s work invokes and so many other songs I’d love to talk about, but for that, you’ll just hafta dive in for yourself.
I have yet to come across a song from the modern day master that doesn’t fulfill a purpose, a statement I wholeheartedly believe. Regardless if you’re into the genre or not, I believe there’s something for everyone in his catalog. Whether used as a therapeutic release or simply music to relax to, Hiroto lets his instruments do the talking for him, saying much more than any one voice ever could. I said it earlier, but I gotta double down: there may never be a perfect musician, but if there is one, Uyama Hiroto is it.
PERSONAL FAVORITES: Windspeaks, Walk in the Sunset, One Day, Waltz For Life - Song For Children, Relax Your Mind (feat. Pase Rock), Unconscious, Japanoia (feat. COMA-CHI)
Check out his IG where he regularly posts dope ass instrumentals.
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