In the canon of ambient and minimalist instrumental music, most faces are white and from the West. The work of Japanese artist Midori Takada challenges that, and her work draws the listener into different styles of composition and performance. After releasing two albums with the Mkwaju Ensemble in the early '80s, a Japanese group of artists who took the name from the Swahili word for “drumming,” Takada went solo and released her 1983 album _Through the Looking Glass. That record became a cult classic for decades, and was reissued on vinyl to widespread acclaim in 2017. Composed and performed in just two days, Takada used marimbas, reed organs, gongs, ocarinas, bells and found objects to create her minimalist, ethereal and multilayered soundscapes. A commanding live solo performer as well, Takada’s stage presence is that of a steely master: Her movements are precise yet fluid, making the air around her vibrate.
