Sudden Fruit by Midori Hirano & CoH

Like a fruit ripened in the shadows, Sudden Fruit represents an alchemy between two artists: Japanese pianist and composer Midori Hirano and sound architect Ivan Pavlov, known as COH. Their collaboration has given rise to a work suspended between the acoustic and the digital, capturing the fragile moment where nature and artifice merge, as though time itself hesitates between blossoming and vanishing.

Born in Kyoto and now based in Berlin, Midori Hirano creates minimalist, ethereal music where acoustic piano blends with electronic textures. In the vein of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s later works (Async, 12), Hirano explores, deconstructs, and reinvents the traditional frameworks of classical music, transforming each piano note into an introspective and immersive journey. She also produces more electronic, Ambient-IDM works under her alias MimiCof. It was, therefore, natural that Midori would one day cross paths with Ivan Pavlov.

The Russian artist, who now lives in France, is a key figure in the experimental electronic music of the last thirty years . A scientist with a background in mathematics and acoustics, COH is a free spirit with surgical precision. In the late 1990s, COH initially made his mark with avant-garde post-techno before delving into glitch and later integrating acoustic and ambient sounds into his sound sculptures. His previous collaborations with Peter Christopherson (COIL), Cosey Fanni Tutti, and Abul Mogard (COH Meets Abul Mogard), as well as releases on notable labels like Raster-Noton and Editions Mego, highlight not only his influence on avant-garde electronic expression but also his exceptional ability to collaborate.

With Sudden Fruit, COH and Midori Hirano offer an immersive and chimeric work. From the very first track, Wave to Wave, one feels the subtle balance between the organic and the digital—the fluidity of nature and the poetry embodied by Hirano’s piano juxtaposed with the gravity of Pavlov’s low-frequency machinery. Mirages, Memories, the album’s third track, is a small marvel where every silence and note from Hirano becomes an invitation to slow down and fully immerse oneself in this new sonic space. Certain tracks, like Sudden Fruit, lean more toward Intelligent Dance Music than Ambient, and as the album progresses, Pavlov’s sonic textures reveal a striking narrative power, imbuing the work with unexpected depth.

Perfectly aligned with the ethos of the Mind Travels collection, Sudden Fruit transcends genre boundaries and defies classification. In symbiosis, Midori Hirano and COH create a hybrid work that is both singular and universal. Sudden Fruit is a bold sonic exploration—an uncharted territory that promises to resonate deeply with those who dare to venture into its realm.