One Pattern (stylized as ONE PATTERN) is a 1986 album by P-Model and the last before the band's hiatus in 1988.

One Pattern
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 25, 1986 (1986-06-25)
Recorded1986
Studio
Various
Genre
Length39:27
LabelAlfa, Edge
ProducerAkiro "Kamio" Arishima
P-Model chronology
Karkador
(1985)
One Pattern
(1986)
P-Model
(1992)
Singles from One Pattern
  1. "Another Day c/w Zebra"
    Released: May 1986 (promo) ALFA-134

Background edit

After the end of the supporting tour for Karkador, P-Model was left without a bassist and a keyboardist. Frontman Susumu Hirasawa recruited Teruo Nakano and Yoshikazu Takahashi to fill the roles respectively, taking P-Model's sound in a new direction.

One Pattern's style follows closely after Hirasawa's work in Karkador, with Nakano as the main creative partner. Together, they employed varied musical styles, from orchestral to classic guitar work, while producing in a way as to create a lo-fi sound.

Production edit

Due to the rising prominence of digital technology at the time, artificial sounds were used on the album more so than ever before. The songs were recorded with a Casio CZ-5000's built-in 8 track sequencer, as the band could not afford a standalone. For reproducing the sound for live performances they relied on intuition and using the devices they had on hand.[1]

Hirasawa implemented a MIDI guitar on some songs, sometimes purposefully playing it "the wrong way" aiming to surprise the listener, though he struggled with the unreliability of the gear and its constant sound output delay. The complex basslines were played by Nakano on either a bass or on a keyboard. Takahashi took to heavy usage of samplers and using a cassette deck to play pre-recorded choral accompaniments, as well as having a hand in engineering. Drummer Yasuhiro Araki meanwhile, had his role in the band greatly diminished, with most of the drumming on the album handled by sequencers.

One Pattern was recorded under a strenuous schedule by a P-Model in low spirits,[2] with Hirasawa having his vision heavily imposed on by various circumstances, and he has since called this his least favorite P-Model album.[3] This was reflected in the album's title, "one pattern" being a Japanese phrase for "stuck in a rut".

Track listing edit

All tracks are written by Susumu Hirasawa, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."OH MAMA!" 3:56
2."LICORICE LEAF"Teruo Nakano4:04
3."Astro Notes" 3:31
4."Möbius band" (メビウスの帯 Mebiusu no obi)Nakano2:13
5."Drums" 5:53
6."Zebra" 4:23
7."Oyasumi Dog" (おやすみDOG) 3:13
8."Another Day" 3:08
9."Harmonium" (ハーモニウム Hāmoniumu) 5:28
10."Sunpaleets" (サンパリーツ Sanparītsu)Nakano3:39

Personnel edit

P-Model – Arrangements, Backing vocals on "Drums"
Guest musicians & production
  • Kayo "Kokubo" Matsumoto – "MAMA" Vocal on "OH MAMA!"
  • Suginami Junior Chorus [ja] (credited as "Suginami Jido Gassho-Dan") – "Sunpaleets" Voice
  • Masami Orimo (listed under special thanks) – Backing vocals on "Drums"
  • Akiro "Kamio" Arishima (AC Unit) – Keyboards on "Another Day", Production
  • Akitsugu Doi (Alfa Records) – Mixing, Engineering
  • Katsunori Takashima (Alfa Records) and Nobuo Namie (Freedom Studio) – Assistant Engineering
  • Mitsuharu Kobayashi (CBS-Sony) – Mastering Engineer
Staff

Release history edit

Date Label(s) Format Catalog Notes
June 25, 1986 (1986-06-25) Alfa Records, Edge Records LP ELR-28004
July 25, 1986 (1986-07-25) CD 32XA-79 First native CD release of a P-Model album.
February 21, 1992 (1992-02-21) ALCA-259 Released (alongside Karkador) five days before the release of P-Model.
December 21, 1994 (1994-12-21) Alfa Music, Edge Records ALCA-9135 Released (alongside Karkador) 20 days after the debut show of the "Revised" P-Model.
May 10, 2002 (2002-05-10)
July 4, 2014 (2014-07-04)
Chaos Union, Teslakite CHTE-0010 Remastered by Hirasawa. Part of Disc 6 of the Ashu-on [Sound Subspecies] in the solar system box set, alongside demos and bootlegs of songs originally meant for inclusion on Monster and a different arrangement of Kameari Pop (from In a Model Room) made for a "One Pattern Band" show (with Kera and former members). Re-released with new packaging by Kiyoshi Inagaki.
July 25, 2007 (2007-07-25)
April 12, 2012 (2012-04-12)
Sony Music Direct, GT Music MHCL-1137 Remastered, limited release (alongside Karkador). Packaged in a paper sleeve to replicate the original LP packaging. Re-pressing (without sticker to indicate packaging) sold only through Tower Records.
  • "Another Day" is included on the TWINS SOUND SAMPLER Vol.2~ROCK/POPS COLLECTION various artists compilation.
  • "OH MAMA!" is included on the TWINS SOUND SAMPLER Vol.4~TECHNO POP COLLECTION various artists compilation.

References edit

  1. ^ Takahasi, Kasiko (30 December 2009). "フリー・ソフトウェアとしての平沢進". MODEROOM (in Japanese). Fascination, inc. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  2. ^ Takahasi, Kasiko (2010) [1999]. 改訂DIGITAL復刻版 音楽産業廃棄物 [Music Industrial Wastes Rev.2.4] (in Japanese). Vol. P-Model Side – Open Source (3rd ed.). Fascination.
  3. ^ "RocketBaby's interview w/Susumu Hirasawa". RocketBaby. Neo Cosmic Industries. Archived from the original on March 3, 2001. Retrieved 11 November 2014.

External links edit