SHOGYOMUJO

The Tales of The Heike is a Japanese folkloric tale created in the 12th century depicting the Genpei war and the life of the Heike clan. This story is known as the first novel ever created by humans. The authorship of this novel has been attributed to many people but there is no certainty on who created it since the tale has been passed through oral tradition and has changed over time. Shogyomujo is an excerpt of this tale which translates to "Impermanence" and it is under this theme that Birdcage's debut EP for Shabu Recordings is based. Featuring the most emotionally powerful music released on Shabu yet, Shogyomujo is a three-part story that unfolds like a flower blossoming which isn't afraid to show its decay and its death. Shorea Robusta is the opener of this triptych; it starts slowly and continuously evolves from a cold and ambient-focused Techno track to a tear-jerking piece of beauty that injects parts of Gamelan music and violin. Following it, Atma is a serene and hypnotizing work that is somewhat nostalgic of Acid. Its pulsating and distorted synthline transpires a life that is slowly evolving into a new husk and shining as its own entity. OP-88 Transience puts an end to this sequence with a granular Techno piece that gets more and more anxious and delirious throughout its life to become a chaotic mass that dies on its own. To complement the previous acts, the previous trilogy is accompanied by a more dancefloor-focused trio of reworks. The alternate version of Shorea Robusta cuts back on the instruments to create a more rythmically tribal and blurry take that provides an uplifting sense of euphoria. It is this same euphoria that Avus' take on Atma captures; it strips down the original's nostalgia to make an assumed 7 minutes piece of Acid. Borealis' (a.k.a Jesse Somfay) rework of Shorea Robusta tops off this whole with a somewhat psychedelic work of Trance-oriented Techno that transforms the original into a 3 AM warehouse banger.