Ambient-electronic producer and film score composer Mattia Cupelli has released his latest single, ‘Mono No Aware’ via MC Records. Accompanying the single is the music video, which you can watch below.

“Mono no aware (物の哀れ) is a term used in Japanese culture, literally meaning “the pathos of things.” It describes an awareness of impermanence, the bittersweet feeling of seeing things change – and the human realisation that we too are as transient as the changing of the seasons or the waxing and waning of the moon. Thus, Cupelli’s ‘Mono No Aware’ is centred around this concept, and speaks of nostalgia – the wistfulness of the passing of things that are no longer. A Japanese flute, or Shakuhachi, plays seductively with wind-soaked drones creating a beautiful symbiosis of the organic and digital.”

While the influences of Western music upon Japanese music since the end of World War II are well-known, the reverse, while less acknowledged, has also been strong. Other artists whose albums were influenced by Japan in some way include AIR with Talkie Walkie, Grimes with Visions, and Weezer with Pinkerton.

Cupelli also draws influences from a variety of musicians including American-Chilean composer Nicolas Jaar, German musician Nils Frahm and Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto.

Follow Mattia Cupelli:

Website  –  Facebook  –  Twitter   –  Soundcloud  –  Youtube  – Instagram – Spotify

By Sarah Britton