With Bird Ambience coming out on May 28, Japanese vibraphonist, multi-percussionist and composer Masayoshi Fujita makes a lateral leap from his signature instrument the vibraphone to the marimba, which takes centre stage on his new album alongside drums, percussion, synths, effects and tape recorder. The balletic arabesques of his third single Morocco show both instruments unite and dance from twinkling filigree, to a cascading crescendo.

“The way of playing the marimba is similar to the vibraphone, so it was kind of a natural development for me and easier to start with, yet it sounds very different”, explains Masayoshi. “The marimba bars are made with wood and it has a wider range than the vibraphone, which gives me a bigger sound palette with more possibilities. I play the instrument with bows and mallets, and sometimes manipulate it with effects.”

· listen to Morocco via Soundcloud
· stream it elsewhere
· pre-order Bird Ambience on 2LP · CD · DL