Michael Ranta
American percussionist (born 1942 in Duluth, Minnesota) based in German. From 1973-1979 he was prolific with concerts, recordings, sessions and other works. Since 1979 he settled down as the resident composer, percussionist, and instrument handler, at Asian Sound in Cologne.
American percussionist (born 1942 in Duluth, Minnesota) based in German. From 1973-1979 he was prolific with concerts, recordings, sessions and other works. Since 1979 he settled down as the resident composer, percussionist, and instrument handler, at Asian Sound in Cologne.
The Great Wall / Chanta Khat
* Original 1991 edition on Ranta's own Asian Sound Records imprint * Michael Ranta has collaborated with Takehisa Kosugi, Toshi Ichiyanagi, Jean-Claude Eloy, Conny Plank, Mike Lewis, and Hartmut Geerken, just to name a few. He was also assistant to Harry Partch and performer in the Gate 5 Ensemble in the 1960s. Additionally, Ranta performed in Stockhausen's ensemble during the 1970 World Expo in Osaka. Ranta's resume also includes recordings by Helmut Lachenmann, Herbert Brün, Toru Takemitsu, Jo…
Azabu
Edition of 500. CD and 8 page booklet in gatefold cardboard sleeve * Even though only being fully terminated 50 years after its conception, 'Azabu' can be regarded as the starting point of Michael Ranta’s creative self-discovery. The recordings that form the base of 'Azabu' were mostly made in the Tokyo district with the same name (Azabu-Juban). Next to abstracted field recordings 'Azabu' is also pervaded by a rich variety of percussion, string and wind instruments, all played by Ranta himself.
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MU V / MU VI
Original 1984 copy of self produced studio album from 1984. Recorded and mixed at Conny’s Studio. Insane instrumentation, expanding the boundaries of percussion. Michael Ranta is an american percussionist based in Cologne since early seventies. Known for his one off collaboration with Toshi Ichiyanagi, Takehisa Kosugi, live performances with Hartmut Geerken and his own improv group Wired. This one is a solo recording of Ranta playing Sha-tik, Mu-yu, Mok-eo, Mu-ban, Bamboo Tubes, Bungkaka, Tongat…
Improvisation Sep. 1975
**Ltd. 300 copies, perfect replica of the original packaging and newly remastered for optimal sound.** Toshi Ichiyanagi, Michael Ranta and Takehisa Kosugi originally got together in the summer of 1975 for an open-air concert in Sapporo. The concert felt like a great success but was unfortunately not recorded. As the desire arose to record together, they managed to arrange a studio session in the NHK Studio in Tokyo, with presence of sound engineers. What was supposed to be a soundcheck for this …
Mu
** Last copies... ** Previously unreleased studio material from 1970 recorded a few months after the legendary Wired session. Hardboard linen CD box contains 2 CDs and a 28 page booklet with biography, text and notes (in Dutch, German and English) from Michael Ranta.The only time this ensemble got together before was for the singular and legendary Wired session recorded in 1970 and published on the Deutsche Grammophon box set Free Improvisation in 1974. The Wired session also included Karl-Heinz…