Austrian diggers extraordinaire Edition Hawara shift their focus away from their homeland, casting their net wider, globally, with a new offshoot imprint, Hawara International. The label’s first release finds them visiting Japan, and exploring Woorell Records’ “Sun Tan Club” series. During Japan’s `80s economic bubble, Woorell was one of many subsidiaries of electronics giant Yupiteru Industries, and this run of 4 LPs was part of a 1984 promotional partnership with Florida-based sun care company, Hawaiian Tropic. The music contained within was intended as BGM for leisurely sun worshipping. There was “Dark Tanning” – a compilation of Hawaiian artists – “Professional Tanning” – the work of Dutch-Indonesian singer / songwriter Daniel Sahuleka – and “Ultra Tanning” – a reggae collection. However, Hawara have gone for the inaugural edition, “Light Tanning”,  produced by Takashi Shima of Piper, a popular city pop band.*

The set is comprised of 6 tracks that serve as a sonic oasis, located somewhere between Kankyu Ongaku and jazz fusion. Everything showcases Shima’s keyboard virtuosity and versatility. The sound defined by the machines of the time, and sharing similarities with those of then contemporary new age. Both musics likely due to a boom in home experimentation and recording made possible by the sudden availability of affordable technology. Aside from Shima’s Fender Rhodes, Roland Jupiter 8, Sequential Prophet 5, Yamaha DX-7 and E-mu Drumulator – the last 2 brand new back in 84 – sampled surf is a major instrument here. It’s used not just as a means to seamlessly, serenely segue between tracks, but, instead, actually makes up a large part of many of the pieces. The ambient stretches of gently lapping, turning tides, lasting not seconds, but several minutes. “One Day In Summer” is just the sound of the ocean, with Shima’s notes playing like light reflected on its surface. It’s pretty, pizzicato patterns and little whistles, Prokofiev / “Peter & The Wolf” like, kinda describing a beach, and its creatures, waking at sunrise.

The 10-minute “Afternoon Dreamin’” introduces a faux accordion melody, and closes with a cute carnival dancing in its distance. “Harbour Line” picks up this carefree, synthesised Latin lick, while “Glory” is all rolling waves, twinkling tones, tiny bells and chimes. Everywhere Larry Heard’s adage / aesthetic, “Sceneries Not Songs”, applies. 

*Piper’s “Summer Breeze” has become a sought after set in certain circles, and was reissued a few years back by Light In The Attic. 

Takashi Shima’s “Sun Tan Club For Light Tanning” can be ordered directly from Hawara International.