Crispy Moon by Yama Warashi

Yoshino Shigihara came into 2019 needing a change. The Japanese artist had been based in Bristol ever since co-founding the now defunct Maloya-infuenced raucous psychedelia collective Zun Zun Egui. She then blossomed on her own across an EP and two albums of more meditative but no less territorially transcendent records as Yama Warashi. As in her music, though, Yoshino has always had a sense of wanderlust and it was perhaps no surprise that she’d eventually want to move again – this time to London.

“Moving to London gave me the chance to work with more diverse musicians” Yoshino says. “And I wanted to be here too because of the high creative energy, the diversity of the music and art here and the people who live here.”

The first material to come out of her relocation is a bold advancement of her sound, her third album Crispy Moon. Recorded at the Total Refreshment Centre in London with Kristian Craig Robinson, with most of the mixing coming from Hannes Plattmeire and mastering by Zun Zun Egui guitarist Stephen Kerrison, there are new contributing members, as well as some older friends. Compared to the more lo-fi, homespun feel of early releases such as Moon Zero and Moon Egg, there’s larger brush strokes at play, a bigger sound and an understated but self-assured grandeur.

The album started to come together at the increasingly legendary Total Refreshment Centre - a choice in-part due to how much Yoshino enjoyed the sound of Rozi Plain’s album What A Boost which came from sessions there, as well as Kristian Craig Robinson’s other work there. Her friend Alabaster de Plume is also a resident there. Yoshino also threw herself into creative London life, working at Café Oto and becoming absorbed by the frequently eclectic and varied improvised jazz that dotted their programming, joining the global psychedelia-inspired 30-piece choir Haha Sounds Collective and making friends with the likes of Trash Kit and Vanishing Twin.

Yama Warashi is formed by London based Japanese artist. Her music has a dreamy evocative sound with a shadow of moon cake, inspired by Japanese folk dance music, Bon Odori(盆踊り), free jazz and African music with a slice of electric psychedelia.

Yama Warashi (山童) means a small child-like spirit which lives in the mountains.

yamawarashi.com