Marihiko Hara + Polar M
”ECHOS”

  • ECHOS

  • Music Composed by Marihiko Hara & Polar M
    Violin: Asano Mekaru

    Photography: Marihiko Hara
    Designed by Masumi Muranaka

  • Year: 2023
    Label: ADAGIA
    Digital

Marihiko Hara + Nao Tsuda
”Stella - Music for Writing Letters”

  • Side A

    1. 7 + 1 (piano solo I)
    2. Improvisation I
    3. 7 + 1 (piano solo II)
    4. Improvisation II
    5. Aurora

    Side B

    1. Mille Regretz
    2. Mille Regretz(variation)

  • Music Composed by Marihiko Hara (Side A)
    Piano & Mixed by Marihiko Hara
    Mastered by Chihei Hatakeyama

    Photography by Nao Tsuda
    Designed by Yuri Suyama

  • Year: 2022
    Label: ADAGIA (ADLP-01)
    Vinyl 33rpm

  • 《Stella - Music for Writing Letters》は手紙を書くための音楽です。音楽家・原 摩利彦と写真家・津田直のインスタレーション作品《7 + 1 / 舞い降りてくる星辰、光を放つ》を起点にしており、その中で設けられた手紙を書くための場所「手紙処」にて、オリジナルの便箋と封筒、葉書とともに発表されました。その後、再構築され音源リリースに至りました。

    ADAGIAは、原 摩利彦が2019年に立ち上げたレーベルです。世界の格言を集めるように様々なプロジェクトに参加し、生まれた音楽を中心に発表しています。

    -

    “Stella ‒ Music for Writing Letters” is music created for people who write letters. Its origin was the installation work “7 + 1 / Look up at the Stars; Dawn of a New Day” (At Noseden Art Line Festival 2021) by Marihiko Hara, musician and Nao Tsuda, photographer. , a Japanese-style room with a good mountain view for writing letters, was located at a venue of the art festival. There the music was presented with writing paper, envelopes and post cards made exclusively for that occasion. The project began during the covid- 19 pandemic as a place of comfort for people who couldnʼt meet loved ones. Later the music was recreated and we have come to release it.

    https://www.marihikohara.com
    https://tsudanao.com

  • Buy: PAPIER LABO.

    Buy: night cruising

    LETTER SET: PAPIER LABO.

Marihiko Hara & Polar M
”Our Season” EP

    1. Take A Leap

    2. Reflected

    3. Into The Landscape

    4. Our Season

  • All songs written & produced by Marihiko Hara & Polar M

    Mastered by Chihei Hatakeyama, WPM Mastering, Tokyo.

    Cover designed by Euseng Seto

  • Year: 2022
    Label: mü-nest
    Digital

  • Four years since their last album in 2016, Marihiko Hara & Polar M return with a breathtakingly beautiful 4-tracks EP. The duo has been travelling and working together a lot before the pandemic strike. However, since April in 2020 like many of us, they have been staying at home most of the time.

    During a challenging time like this, listening and composing new music has again become a sanctuary for them. Although physically separated, both started to share some musical sketches and ideas via file swapping. Before long, a brand new EP was born.

    This EP, entitled 'Our Season', is the 1st instalment of the 'Music for Home' series curated by mü-nest label - a series that focuses on home-listening music that reflects the mood and feelings of our daily life during this unprecedented period in pandemic. And what a great way to start the series, with the duo's exquisite music reminding us about joy and hope in life.

    These 4 tracks, crafted with the duo's signature elegant piano notes and heartfelt guitar lines, resemble the state of their minds during the pandemic period - delicate, quiet, but ready to rise whenever the time comes.

    'They are like the preserved energy in the soil, ready for the next spring,' the duo added. The current challenging time may continue for a while. While we are leaning against the wall, Marihiko Hara & Polar M's music resembles a window, for us to see and imagine the landscapes beyond, and remind us that our season will come again, for us to share and cherish.

    This EP was mastered by Tokyo renowned mastering engineer / recording artist Chihei Hatakeyama.

Marihiko Hara & Polar M
”Dance”

    1. Duo

    2. The Season Changes

    3. Ray of Light

    4. Monologue

    5. Dance

    6. Ocean of Night

    7. Beryl

    8. Asia

    9. Gone Gone Gone

    10. On The Silent Way

  • Composition, arrangement & mixed by Marihiko Hara & Polar M

    Track 5 : spoken words by Mia Cabalfin

    Mastering: Chihei Hatakeyama

    Photo: Ken Furudate

    Design: Seitaro Nishioka

  • Year: 2016
    Label: mü-nest
    CD&Digital

  • “Laughing, singing, dancing

    Laughing, singing, and dancing

    Howling, sobbing, shouting

    Howling, shouting, sobbing

    Laughing, singing, and dancing

    Dancing.”

    After releasing their critically acclaimed debut album “Beyond”, Kyoto-based Marihiko Hara and Polar M (Masumi Muranaka) have embarked on a series of live performance around Asia region, including Korea, Malaysia and many places in Japan. Each time they performed together, the sense of how their individual sounds complement each other grew stronger. And with these live performances, their interweaving sounds have underwent subtle refinement – they become even more profound and exquisite, and far more interconnected.

    While touring, the duo was also actively collaborating with dance choreographers. In early 2016, the duo was again commissioned to compose new pieces for a dance performance. It was during that time, their brand new 2nd album “Dance”, was conceived.

    Through their interactions with the talented dancers across Asia, these two very gifted musicians started to explore the meanings of “dance”. Gradually, they have come to realised that, everything in our daily life can be regarded as “dance” – the rhythm of the changing seasons, the subtle movement of time, the weight of words, the shifting of emotion, the cycle of life, all parts that form our lives, are indeed in themselves – a “dance”. And in this gorgeous new album, using their ever delicate sounds, the duo graciously illustrated this aesthetic interpretation of “dance”.

    Musically, the duo picked up where they left off in their very successful debut album - traces of refined post-classical, melodic folktronica, floating ambient, and glimpses of jazz, continued to be found in this 2nd album. What is more apparent in this new album is that the guitars had taken a more prominent role. As such, the sound textures and melody movements have become much richer and more diverse, which impeccably reflect the refinement that underwent for the musical style of Marihiko and Masumi.

    The duo’s good friend, Mia Cabalfin - a renowned contemporary dancer from Philippines, who lent her wonderful voice in the debut album, continued to feature in this album by performing the hauntingly beautiful spoken words in the album title track. This album is tastefully mastered by Tokyo’s renowned musician and sound engineer, Chihei Hatakeyama, and features photo by Ken Furudate, and design by Seitaro Nishioka. In addition, the artist management for the duo is supported by the excellent people from Kyoto’s label and event organiser NightCruising.

Marihiko Hara & Polar M
”Beyond”

    1. April 15th

    2. City Variations

    3. Tide

    4. Dream Bird

    5. Modern Tales

    6. Elsewhere

    7. Leaves

    8. Lost Constellation

    9. Morning Path

    10. Beyond

  • Composition, arrangement & mixed by Marihiko Hara & Polar M

    Mastered by Chihei Hatakeyama

    Photography: Marisa Shimamoto
    Design: Itsuka Sato

  • Year: 2013
    Label: mü-nest
    CD & Digital

  • “As I sit here

    Waiting and wanting

    Surrounded by the ambient blur of the city lights

    Waiting at a stop sign

    Wanting to go beyond.”

    It is exactly this longing to go beyond, beyond the solitary musical journey, that brought these two very gifted artists from Kyoto to cross each other’s’ paths. Marihiko Hara and Masumi Muranaka (Polar M), the 2 seasoned musicians from Kyoto, after 10 years of admiring each other works, decided to take on a voyage together, and sailed beyond the charted territories of their music. And thus, the beautiful result from this wonderful voyage - a special collaboration album entitled “Beyond”, was born.

    In this album, both artists went beyond their own borders, over their perceived views, across existing ideas and ways of thinking, to allow their emotions to flow freely in the music making process. As a result, Marihiko, with his gorgeous piano touches, and Masumi, with his heart-felt guitars, jointly crafted the 10 delicate, and breath-takingly beautiful music pieces.

    Traces of elegant post-classical, sweet-sounding folktronica, dreamy ambient, and even blue-ish jazz, can be found in this sound-rich album, with all elements masterfully blended together to create an exquisite music listening experience. Piano melodies that drifted in like fireflies at night, layers of guitars that painted the backdrop soundscapes, drips of tiny electronics, spaces between the notes…. The exquisiteness in music that created by Marihiko and Masumi’s wonderful talents are simply beyond words.

    Mia Cabalfin, the renowned contemporary dancer from Philippines, who befriended the artists when they composed the music for her residency performance in Kyoto in 2012, lent her beautiful voice in spoken words for 3 amazing tracks. The album is mastered by Tokyo’s renowned musician and sound engineer, Chihei Hatakeyama, and features photos by prominent Japanese photographer Marisa Shimamoto, and designs by Itsuka Sato of sonihouse.