Patrick Shiroishi is a Japanese-American multi-instrumentalist, composer & poet based in Los Angeles. Over the last decade he has established himself as one of the premier improvising musicians in the city, playing solo & in numerous collaborative projects. He has presented work & performed at the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Broad Museum, The Getty, commissioned by the LA Philharmonic & has toured around the world in various solo & band configurations including The Armed & contemporary classical ensemble Wild Up.
Ever since I was in middle school, around the time when I first was getting passionate about music, it wasn’t the act of playing but the discovery and the discovering of new music that really brought me so much joy. These artists here have made a huge impact on me ever since I first came across them with each of these tracks and records unlocking more wonder with each listen. If you’re unfamiliar with these musicians, or even if you do know them, I hope you can discover something new in them.
FEET by Hiroshi Yoshimura
How could the pioneer of ambient music in Japan not make it on this list? Somehow Yoshimura-san is always able to pick the most perfect sounds, whether it be for museums, train stations, or fashion shows. Not to mention the scores he would write … gorgeous. a huge, early influence to me on what a graphic score could mean, as well as being intentional with the sounds I am contributing to the music I make.
K.A. by MAGMA
My favorite record made by my favorite band: one 49 minute composition packed with riffs, grooves, infectious melodies, operatic vocals sung in a made-up language with an incredible arc and conclusion that just can’t be beat. The first real band I was in, Corima, is a total Zeuhl worship band & I’m sure little bits of MAGMA still subconsciously appear in my playing.
Ghosts by Albert Ayler
Yes, Coltrane is the god, but there’s something about Ayler that cuts through to me deeply … the emotion and pure rawness in his tone is just undeniable and sooo inspirational to me. I’ve been chasing this feeling that he gives me when I listen to his music for years (and even covered Ghosts a few times), but I hope to play as vulnerable as Ayler everytime I touch the saxophone.
“The Mangrove, The Preserver” by Yellow Eyes
Yellow Eyes were part of the initial black metal bands I first encountered that really captured my heart, and they still do. They are masters of songwriting & make every single second count … plus one of the first black metal bands (at least that I’ve discovered) that has used field recordings in such a meaningful way. I don’t know if they directly influence what i create in my solo practice, but I am actively listening to their music at least several times a month.
String Quartet No.5 – II. Adagio molto by Béla Bartók, Performed by the Vegh Quartet
All six quartet compositions to me are perfect. I listened to all of them a looooot when I was getting ready to write my saxophone quartet for Wild Up. Everything about his decisions and how he developed each movement as part of the bigger composition still blows my mind. To me, this is the goalpost as a composer.
The Dead Flag Blues by Godspeed You! Black Emperor
i still remember where i was when i first heard Godspeed You! for the first time – it was my sophomore year of college, ripped from soulseek via a recommendation from a blog. they’re able to combine so many things – field recordings, melodies, clips of people speaking, politics, being dynamic & not afraid to stretch out – into something that is so them. they were also the first band where I realized you could have a political message in your music, not just through song & album titles.
20220123 by Ryuichi Sakamoto
it was difficult for me to choose which piece of music from Sakamoto-san to highlight – there are so many records that have made me feel things – but the biggest gut punch had to have been 12. the context behind the album (made when he knew he was dying) to the music itself, so patient & full of life. hearing him breathe on all of the tracks just made it that much more vulnerable. Opus, the film that his son shot before Sakamoto-san passed, is also essential.
“Fourth of July” (Version 4) by Sufjan Stevens
i’ve been a fan of Sufjan’s work since Michigan & have always loved his ability to convey his message whether it be through a maximalist approach or with a banjo and voice. Yes, the Illinoise cycle was crazy, but my favorite is at his most vulnerable – namely Javelin as well as Carrie & Lowell. I didn’t think the songs could get any better, but the demos included on the 10th anniversary might be better than the final versions?? Regardless, the extended version of “Fourth of July” put me deep in my feelings the first time I heard it.
序章: 三叉路 by Boris
This band is so influential to me in the sense that they can do it all – they are so fluid between so many genres, from metal to drone to rock to pop to feedback … and they do it all well!! I strive to do the same.
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