Oscilation Circuit

A mysterious entry in the canon of Japanese minimalism, Série Réflexion 1 was the debut and swan song of Oscilation Circuit, a short-lived ensemble helmed by composer Kenichiro Isoda. Released in 1984, the album was intended to launch a new series for Satoshi Ashikawa’s Sound Process label, whose Wave Notation albums had already heralded a new phase of ambient composition. Where composers like Ashikawa and Hiroshi Yoshimura took ques from Satie, Eno, and Budd, Oscillation Circuit’s interests lay in the minimalism of Riley, Young, Reich, and Glass, while also echoing the most impressionistic and nocturnal ECM jazz. With its hypnotic swirl of delicate electric piano and concentric sax, Série Réflexion 1 embodies the kind of peaceful, melancholic bliss perfectly suited to cold days and winter doldrums.