Magnificent Little Dude Vol. 1, crafted by musical masters Chihei Hatakeyama and Shun Ishiwaka, is a groundbreaking album that will go down as the first-time collaboration between two musicians oozing with talent and experience — and the result is an epic and remarkable masterpiece.

First crossing paths in a radio program, Chihei and Shun eventually worked together on live performances and, ultimately, Magnificent Little Dudes Vol.1. With both musicians having an immense catalogue of individual work and collaborations with other artists, the synergy is immediately evident from the start of this album.

With the combination of Chihei’s skills in composing ambient sounds and Shun’s skills as a modern jazz drummer, Magnificent Little Dudes effortlessly displays the raw talent of both experts — with the entire album being improvised without any preparation before recording.

Inspired by genres such as Free and Spiritual Jazz, Chihei and Shun embarked on a daring project full of spontaneity and ambient ecstasy. Thriving in taking many interesting routes with every track belonging to the album, it goes without saying that the partnership between Chihei and Shun is simply fated.

With a series of tracks with alpha-numeric names, Magnificent Little Dudes Vol. 1 exudes an ethereal and sublime aura as the album gradually progresses in its journey.

Beauty is exhibited in the powerful and emotionally charged melodies of the songs. And there are several tracks in the album which perfectly embody these traits. One of which is the single “M4” which features a guest performance from the Japanese vocalist Hatis Noit.

M4 is riddled with a thought-provoking strangeness and sombre aura that can only be described as celestially majestic. Another song that displays the expert ability of Chihei and Shun to evoke emotions is the concluding song, “M7”.

Enchanting listeners with a sombre melody, M7 successfully wraps up a journey through unexplored territory. With all of the experimentations Chihei and Shun have boldly traversed, M7 is a wonderful finale to an album on a level of its own.