Ken Ikeda

Sacred Offering

DRM4130

February 7, 2025

Digital

The idea of “The Savage Mind” that sinks to the bottom of modern consciousness is the basis of my expression. It’s at this level that I draw ideas and challenge myself to navigate was of making work.

One day, I watched a video of a traditional Ainu ritual, Lomante. It was a video of a hunted bear dedicated to a god, singing, and dancing. The image penetrated deeply into my inner being and transformed into an abstract shape and sound image. The image stayed on, I couldn’t lose it from my mind’s eye.

As it lingered I was drawn to respond to it. I first drew a picture using simple ink lines and gestures on paper. I then improvised while watching it.

For me, electronic music is a tool that connects the future and the past. It links them out of time, in a way that is beyond one or the other.

I drew more graphic scores while watching the video of Lomante many times. Then I recorded the sound of synthesizers while looking at the scores. Next, I put the recording on video and continued to write scores while watching it. And then recorded again. It was a process of iteration and transformation informed by this process and the ritual.

credits

releases February 7, 2025

Mastered by Lawrence English at Negative Space