Dream Lesson (KIRIGIRISU RECORDINGS kgr052) by daborabo is sheer delight. Asuna Arashi, notable Toko sound artist, recounts how he went the extra mile in persuading this unassuming genius to even make this record; it seems she turned up regularly at his concert series and sat quietly at the back, leaving without making any remark. I like her already; quite the opposite of an ambitious “networking” type who makes fast friends and wants everyone in the room to know their name.
Turns out her real name is Miho Yamazaki and she makes video works using her own illustrations; the music she added to them might have been little more than an afterthought. On the strength of these 19 charming miniatures, we should all be so lucky to have such afterthoughts! At length Asuna managed to persuade daborabo to perform on stage, with her dolls and her objects, where she spontaneously created paintings and music right there on the spot. That spontaneity is one takeaway from this gorgeous album, but you’ll be returning to it time and again to share in her fleeting moments of fantasy, glimpses into a world of wonder that’s impossibly beautiful, and which vanishes in an instant.
It took ten years for daborabo to respond to Asuna’s request for her to make an album, and while I could happily own a box set of this kind of material, it’s also great that she’s not intent on flooding the world with “product”. Loving the simplicity, the directness of her approach; highly recommended. From 17/02/2025.