April 2014 - March 2018

An entirely new music scene, born from exchange between artists from countries across Asia

The idea behind Ensembles Asia was to present new possibilities in music, and deepen mutual understanding between people across Asia by way of music, by connecting all kinds of individuals that enjoy working with sound and operating on the frontline of musical expression, in a network without any hierarchical structure that anybody is free to join.  
Three individual projects, hosted by The Japan Foundation Asia Center, and with musician Yoshihide Otomo as artistic director, were implemented with the aim to facilitate cultural exchange between Asian countries. The P3 office has been functioning as head office for the project since April 2015.

Asian Meeting Festival (formerly “Asian Music Network”)
The festival has been held since 2014, curated by a team that includes Yuen Chee Wai from Singapore, and Hon Kong based DJ Sniff. It gained a reputation as a leading festival in the field of experimental, improvised and noise music in Asia.
http://asianmusic-network.com

Asian Sounds Research
Led by the musician Sachiko M as project director, this project focused on research with the ultimate goal to exchange information on novel musical expression and experimentation in Japan and other parts of Asia, and to discover new forms of expression “between” music and fine art that combine characteristic aspects of both. The exhibition “Open Gate” was shown at Penang, Malaysia (2015), Aichi Triennale (2016), and the Sapporo International Art Festival (2017).
https://www.soundsresearch.com

Ensembles Asia Orchestra
Musicians, photographers, sociologists and visual artists conducted field work to explore “music without musicians,” for the purpose of forming an “orchestra without musicians.” Activities included workshops and performances practicing the format of a free-form orchestra; various research in the Philippines, Indonesia and Myanmar: and events in Chiang Mai, Hanoi, Miyakojima and Indonesia.
https://m.facebook.com/EnsemblesAsiaOrchestra/