During the last five years of his life, Tomita devoted himself to the DENON: Isao Tomita Project, in an effort to completely remake his masterpieces from the 1970s in a form that he’d envisioned at the time but couldn’t realize, as well as add new creations to them. Rising Planet – Tomita’s Greatest Works of Space Music is a collection of 11 selected tracks from the seven albums he released as part of this major undertaking.
The main melody of “Rising of the Planet 9,” which was the last melody Tomita left behind, was first heard on the track “Itokawa and Hayabusa” in Planet Ultimate Edition, the first release of the DENON: Isao Tomita Project. This melody also appeared in important parts on subsequent albums, so it could be said to be the trademark phrase of the innovative musician’s late years. With this as a common theme, the new collection brings together the best of Tomita’s creativity, which he imprinted on the discs with an endlessly enterprising spirit during the last years of his life.
Furthermore, on “Night on the Galactic Railroad” from Symphony Ihatov, and his posthumous work “Rising of the Planet 9” from Doctor Coppelius, the visionary artist collaborated with the virtual singer Hatsune Miku to realize his longtime dream of having a machine sing on his compositions.
Flying Lotus, who professes to be influenced by Tomita’s music, shared a comment celebrating the new release: “The sound of Tomita has been part of me for many years, I’ve used it in many different scenarios especially sleeping, the music of Tomita has shown me colorful visions and lucid dreams,” says the Grammy-nominated music producer, who reveals that it was one of his inspirations for his recent soundtrack for the acclaimed Netflix animated series Yasuke. “These classical compositions are redefined and reimagined with such amazing sonics that, to me, are some of the most interesting sounds I’ve ever heard. Tomita was ahead of his time and I’m so glad that there’s a new generation of listeners interested in his magic.”
Rising Planet – Tomita’s Greatest Works of Space Music will drop on major streaming platforms including Spotify and Apple Music on Wednesday, July 21.
