The Kyoto Connection

Argentina’s ambient Japan-o-philes return to Australia’s Temples of Jura label for a final part of a trilogy inspired by the country’s ‘80s sound; a suite of perfumed atmospheres in homage to the OG environmental music movement.

The 15-part album sways on the mind in cutely puckered parts of harmonised, hyaline rhythmelody and shimmering new age-y synth washes that tick off all the cliches in its waft from the awning choral pads of the title piece to the winks at Ryuichi Sakamoto’s ‘Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence’ in ‘Kyoto Sound Logo’, and time-keeping FM synth doorbell pulse of ‘Seiko’.

“The album unfolds as the imagined soundtrack to life in a quiet rural village, where nature and tradition shape the rhythm of everyday existence. Across 15 evocative compositions, The Kyoto Connection captures the essence of Japan’s ever-changing seasons, weaving together delicate melodies and immersive soundscapes. With contributions from friends and fans in Japan, Four Seasons in Kyoto is both a tribute and a transportive listening experience from producer Facundo Arena, the composer and producer behind The Kyoto Connection.

With Four Seasons in Kyoto, Facundo Arena continues his deep exploration of Japanese ambient and environmental music, blending his long-standing admiration for Kyoto’s cultural heritage with a sound that feels both nostalgic and timeless. While Postcards was an instinctive homage and The Flower, The Bird and The Mountain drew from real Kyoto field recordings, this final chapter in the trilogy leans further into the imagined, an intimate portrait of an unseen yet deeply felt Japan.

Organic soundscapes and drifting melodies mirror the slow change of seasons, evoking the impermanence central to Japanese aesthetics. The result is a record that seamlessly bridges the natural and the synthetic, memory and imagination, a fitting conclusion to a journey that began with an algorithmic discovery and blossomed into a rich sonic world of its own. 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of The Kyoto Connection and also their first tour of Japan where they will be visiting Tokyo, Okinawa and of course Kyoto collaborating with local musicians and playing live.”