Originally posted on The Vinyl Factory.

An intimate afternoon with the pioneering Japanese artist.

Though Midori Takada has been performing and creating music since the 1970s – releasing albums as part of her MKWAJU Ensemble and solo, collaborating with legendary theatre director Tadashi Suzuki, and teaching as a professor of music in Japan – for decades Takada remained relatively unknown to wider audiences.

Since her cult 1983 album Through The Looking Glass found a second life after gaining over 1 million views on YouTube, Takada has toured across the globe, with reissues of her similarly coveted albums – MKWAJU Ensemble’s KI-Motion, and Masahiko Sato collaboration Lunar Cruise – also reaching new audiences.

As she releases her first new music in 20 years, Le Renard Bleu – a collaborative 20-minute track with Lafawndah inspired by the mythological legend of The Blue Fox, The Vinyl Factory spent an afternoon with Takada at Union Chapel ahead of her London show.

Following an intimate rehearsal, Takada spoke about her unique approach to sound and performance, what inspires her, and what she would like to teach people about her music.

Watch the film above and check out the photographs from the Union Chapel performance at The Vinyl Factory.