Open Reel Ensemble

{{Infobox musical artist

| background = group_or_band

| name = Open Reel Ensemble

| native_name = オープンリールアンサンブル

| native_name_lang = ja

| image =Open Reel Ensemble, 2012.jpg

| image_size =

| image_upright =

| landscape =

| alt =

| instruments = Open-reel recordings

| caption =Open Reel Ensemble performing in 2012

| alias =

| origin =

| genre =

| years_active = {{Start date|2009}}–present

| label = {{hlist|{{notatypo|P-Vine|Sony Music Japan}}

| spinoffs =

| spinoff_of =

| current_members = Ei Wada
Haruka Yoshida
Masaru Yoshida

| past_members = Kimitoshi Sato
Takumi Namba

| website = {{URL|openreelensemble.com}}

| module =

| module2 =

| module3 =

}}

{{nihongo|Open Reel Ensemble|オープンリールアンサンブル|Ōpun Rīru Ansanburu|lead=yes}} is a Japanese band known for their use of open-reel recordings to create music. Formed in 2009, it consists of members Ei Wada, Haruka Yoshida and Masaru Yoshida. The band originally also included members Kimitoshi Sato and Takumi Mamba, who departed in 2015.

After experimenting with open reels in his teenage years, Wada and his friends established the band following a university assignment for a performance presentation. The band garnered acclaim with performances at the NTT InterCommunication Center and Ars Electronica, earning them recognition and an award from the Japan Media Arts Festival. Their works have been used for Issei Miyake's fashion shows. They have released three albums, Open Reel Ensemble (2012), Tape and Cloth (2013), and Vocal Code (2015).

History

File:Open Reel Ensemble at MTM03, 2009.jpg

= 2009–2012: Formation =

Ei Wada had been experimenting with old tapes to create sounds since his teenage years. He received a pair of tape recorders from a friend of his father, who worked at a radio station. One day, while handling them, he accidentally tripped and attempted to fix the reels with his hands. This led him to realize that manipulating the reels could turn them into musical instruments.{{cite web|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2015/09/05/music/open-reel-ensemble-gives-mechanical-sounds-warmth-vocal-code/|title=Open Reel Ensemble gives mechanical sounds more warmth on 'Vocal Code'|date=September 5, 2015|author=Kikuchi, Daisuke|website=The Japan Times}}{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2018-07-26-open-reel-ensemble-magneticpunk.html|title=The Japanese ensemble making music from old tape reels|date=July 26, 2018|author=Summers, Nick|website=Engadget}} This incident, along with a family trip to Indonesia during his childhood where he witnessed a gamelan performance, inspired him.{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/this-japanese-band-makes-music-with-e-waste/|title=This Japanese Band Makes Music With E-Waste|date=January 20, 2016|author=Jozuka, Emiko|website=Vice}}

He and the other members, Haruka Yoshida, Masaru Yoshida, Kimitoshi Sato, and Takumi Mamba, had been friends since their teenage years, attending junior high and high school together. The group would gather at Wada's home, where he played the reel-to-reel in front of them.{{cite web|url=https://ototoy.jp/feature/20110608|title=Open Reel Ensemble|date=June 8, 2011|website=OTOTOY|language=ja}} They later attended Tama Art University in Tokyo, where Wada studied programming but continued experimenting with using reels as instruments.{{cite web|url=https://ascii.jp/elem/000/000/218/218142/|title=オープンリールを「楽器」として再発見──和田永氏|language=ja|date=March 15, 2009|website=ASCII.jp|author=Matsumura, Taro}} During university, Wada received an assignment for a group performance presentation. To brainstorm ideas, he brought the reel-to-reel machine, and the group began experimenting with it, connecting the open reel to a computer and cutting wires.{{cite web|url=https://www.shift.jp.org/ja/archives/2011/12/open_reel_ensemble.html|title=オープンリールアンサンブル|date=December 2, 2011|website=shift.jp.com|language=ja}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-25/the-musician-el-wada-makes-music-out-of-e-waste|title=Rock Out to the Music of Electronic Garbage|date=January 25, 2016|author=Marshall, Aarian|website=Bloomberg News}} This project ultimately led to the formation of the group in 2009.{{cite web|url=https://jp.ra.co/features/1627|title=新たな音楽手法を探る若き5人組が、オープンリールとテープを通じて見る独自の世界観について語る。|language=ja|website=Resident Advisor|date=September 6, 2012}}

That same year, the band won the Excellence Award in the Student CG Contest Interactive Division of the Japan Media Arts Festival. Their performances at NTT InterCommunication Center and Ars Electronica garnered attention, prompting them to transition from a purely visual project to a combined visual and audio one. They began experimenting with incorporating their ideas into songs, using trial and error to create songs that effectively captured the feelings of the reels.{{cite web|url=https://tower.jp/article/interview/2012/07/02/ora|title= オープンリールアンサンブル |language=ja|date=June 29, 2012|website=Tower Records}}

= 2012–2015: First releases =

File:Ei Wada with Open Reel Ensemble, 2012.jpg during an Open Reel Ensemble performance in 2012]]

On June 27, 2012, they released their debut album, Open Reel Ensemble, featuring collaborations with artists like Yukihiro Takahashi, Etsuko Yakushimaru, Money Mark, and Gota Yashiki.{{cite web|url=https://natalie.mu/music/news/68519|title=話題のオープンリール楽団、初CDに幸宏、やくしまるら参加|language=ja|date=April 27, 2012|website=Natalie}} Released on Ryuichi Sakamoto's label {{notatypo, the album includes the track "Joseph Voice 9.5 cm/s," which features a sample of Franz Joseph I of Austria's voice from the world's oldest surviving magnetic recording by Valdemar Poulsen.{{cite web|url=https://clubberia.com/ja/news/2985-Open-Reel-Ensemble/|title=Open Reel Ensembleがファーストアルバムをリリース|date=June 19, 2012|language=ja|website=clubberia}} Their music began to be featured in Issey Miyake's Paris Collection for multiple seasons.{{cite web|url=https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2012-ready-to-wear/issey-miyake|title=Issey Miyake Fall 2012 Ready-to-Wear|date=March 3, 2012|author=Blanks, Tim|website=Vouge}}{{cite web|url=https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2013-ready-to-wear/issey-miyake|title=Issey Miyake Fall 2013 Ready-to-Wear|date=February 28, 2013|author=Blanks, Tim|website=Vouge}} On July 17, 2013, they followed up with their second album Tape and Cloth.{{cite web|url=https://natalie.mu/music/news/95175|title=Open Reel Ensemble、パリコレ提供曲をCD一挙収録|language=ja|date=July 17, 2013|website=Natalie}}

= 2015–present: ''Vocal Code'' and Sato and Namba's departure =

In May 2015, the band announced the departure of Sato and Namba, who planned to focus on their own band, Mother Tereco, starting in September.{{cite web|url=https://natalie.mu/music/news/147163|title=Open Reel Ensemble、メンバー2人脱退＆自主イベント開催|date=May 14, 2015|website=Natalie|language=ja}} On September 2, 2015, the band released Vocal Code, an album centered around the theme of "voice." It featured collaborations with various artists, including Tavito Nanao.{{cite web|url=https://aramajapan.com/news/newrelease/open-reel-ensemble-release-short-pv-for-kuchu-tokkyu/22227/|title= Open Reel Ensemble Release Short PV for "Kuchu Tokkyu" |website=amara! Japan}} The album was chosen as the theme for the Nippon TV show News Every and aired for three months that year.{{cite web|url=https://p-vine.jp/news/20150826-151257|title= 9/2発売、Open Reel Ensemble待望のニュー･アルバム『Vocal Code』から「雲悠々水潺々」が日本テレビ系「news every」お天気コーナーのテーマソングに決定！またアルバム・トレイラー映像が公開！！|language=ja|website=P-Vine Records|date=August 26, 2015}} In October 2016, they performed at TEAC Corporation's warehouse following the company's announcement of two new concept audio models of CD player amplifiers.{{cite web|url=https://mainichi.jp/articles/20161019/gnw/00m/040/007000c|title=最新技術とデザイン性の融合! ティアックが新コンセプトのオーディオ2機種を発表|date=October 19, 2016|language=ja}}

By 2018, they had innovated new methods for utilizing tape recorders, including programming sounds directly onto them, toggling individual tracks, and even employing bamboo sticks for playing. In June of that year, they received an honorary mention at Ars Electronica and were honored with the Starts Prize, recognizing their work at the intersection of science, technology, and art.{{cite web|url=https://natalie.mu/music/news/286373|title=Open Reel Ensemble和田永の家電楽器プロジェクトが「アルス・エレクトロニカ」で栄誉賞|date=June 12, 2018|language=ja|website=Natalie}} The following year, the band unveiled a multimedia project accompanied by a video, marking their first international distribution.{{cite web|url=https://thevinylfactory.com/films/magnetic-punk-open-reel-ensemble/|title=Magnetic Punk - The tape innovations of Open Reel Ensemble|date=May 23, 2019|website=The Vinyl Factory}} On March 25, 2022, the Open Reel Ensemble launched a digital book alongside the song "Magnetik Phunk," followed by a live streamed performance at Ginza Sony Park on March 27.{{cite web|url=https://rollingstonejapan.com/articles/detail/37491|title=Open Reel Ensembleが語る、妄想ジャンル「マグネティックパンク」とは？|language=ja|website=Rolling Stone Japan|author=Mitsushima, Erio|date=April 13, 2022}}