HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Thank you for your support in 2025!
As 2025 comes to a close I can’t help but reflect on how much your encouragement and patronage has meant to me for all this past year. Because of you I was able to perform 35 shows in 29 venues across 27 cities in 5 countries across Asia, Europe and both of the Americas, Your support helped me to stay active even while in my – yikes – 70’s. So I really do thank you.
Here are some of the highlights for me in 2025 – I had a lot of fun and I hope you were among the people I could meet along the way.
World Premiere Daimatsu
December 11th saw the world premiere of my one-hour composition Daimatsu at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center (JACCC) in Los Angeles. Commissioned for the venue by curator Julie Lazar, Daimatsu blends field recordings captured across the United States and Japan into a soundscape shaped by the collision of ancient traditions and contemporary experimentation. It integrates shomyo chant recorded during a Goma Fire Ceremony at Koyasan Temple, Tibetan tingsha cymbals, instruments from Japan’s gagaku court orchestra, and the sound of water boiling in preparation for tea. These elements intertwine with everyday urban field recordings from Tokyo and Gifu, culminating in an atmosphere inspired by JACCC’s own Japanese Garden, which the audience could look out on while the music was being performed. I’m glad to say the audience reception at the premiere was extremely positive, and it is my hope to be able to present Daimatsu at other venues in the year to come.
Yasuaki Shimizu + Taketeru Kudo Collaboration
I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with saxophonist Yasuaki Shimizu several times over the years, starting with the Aichi Triennale in 2013 when we appeared together and performed a collaborative piece titled Just Breathing. Since then we’ve worked as a duo at various venues in Japan and shared a bill at the Barbican Center in London. November 1st was an exciting extension, when we were joined by the astounding butoh performer Taketeru Kudo for a one night show at Za Koenji Theater in Tokyo. It was gratifying to see positive notices from critics in Japan and even Mark Swed of the Los Angeles Times was in attendence and wrote a profile of yours truly, which you can read here if you are a subscriber and here if you are not.
Quantum Aria is born
Photo: Yasumune Morishige
I’ve been working with the Japanese singer Akaihirume since 2015 and released a track we co-composed and where she sang, on the title track of the Unseen Worlds release Himalaya in 2019. Our collaboration has matured over time, and after our very successful tour in the US in the Spring of 2025 we decided to formalize as a unit, with the name QUANTUM ARIA. Our first performances with the new moniker have been in Japan but we hope to bring ourselves to a city near you soon! You can watch a short video excerpt of a recent performance here.
On The Roads
Traveling to perform and meet audiences throught the world remains a top joy of mine, even if airports and overcrowded planes are not. It was so great to have a chance to play music in Italy, Chile, Kansai, Kyushu, Chicago and the East and West Coasts of the US this past year. Special thanks to tour organizers Osvaldo Sotomayor in Chile, Yoshitake EXPE in Kyushu, Veniero Rizzardi in Italy, Bonzo Party in New York, Cam Scott in Canada, Naut Humon in San Francisco and everyone else who helped along the way.
Releases
2025 saw four releases of some new music, including a few remixes. My collaboration with synthesist Ken Ikeda, recorded in two separate live sessions at Knock in Tokyo (August 2024 and January 2025) was released in cassette format under the title Oaken Tides on the mykesrhiza label in Japan. My remix of Cryptoman by Will Laut came out last August. My remix for the first full release by Componium Ensemble, an “indeterminate chamber music” ensemble helmed by Spencer Doran of Visible Cloaks was released for the CD version in October. At the end of the year my remix of the Kyoto based band Kukangendai was released on a limited edition 12″ Vinyl LP on the band’s own label. All of these releases are avaIlable as downloads as well as in their various physical formats.
Listen/Download:
Oaken Tides (w/ Ken Ikeda)
Cryptoman (Carl Stone Remix)
Componium Ensemble Block (Carl Stone Mix)
Kukangendai Fever was Good (Carl Stone Remix)
Collaborations
I was gratified to renew collaborations with so many great musicians during the year, including Yasuaki Shimizu, Miki Yui, Ayako Kanda, Tatsuya Yoshida, Samm Bennett, Ken Ikeda, Joseph Hammer, the Tokyo Phonograhers Union and the aforementioned and beloved Akaihirume. Plus, 2025 also offered the chance to work with wonderful new partners, including Reiko Imanishi, Ayami Suzuki, and suzueri (Elico Suzuki). What-oh-what does 2026 have in store? Let’s both stayed tooned to find out.
plus alpha
Thanks in advance for any of you following me on Bandsintown. You can also find me at Instagram, Threads, Facebook, and perhaps someday in the future on TikTok. You can send me messages on any of those places or by good ole email to carlstone@sukothai.com
Instagram & Threads: #therealcarlstone
Carl Stone Music Page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carl.stone.composer/
News/Schedule/Photos/Music Clips: carlsto.net/
Updates and links: linktr.ee/carlstone
Booking and representation for Europe, the UK and the Americas is now handled by Exoform (formerly Folk Wisdom). Are you a promoter or someone who wants to see a Carl Stone show in your area? Please write them at BOOKING@EXOFORM.NET
