Vapor Curve

Beautiful modern Japanese Ambient from Tokyo 2025

Composing primarily with the piano, he creates music for a variety of visual media, including commercials and short films. Influenced by the composer Toru Takemitsu, he places importance on the “silence” and “”ambience”” of sound, aiming to create works where the music quietly depicts a scene.

Kotaro Maruyama’s first solo album, “Vapor Curve” is constructed entirely from the sound source of the OP-Z digital synthesizer. Notably, he avoids the concept of harmony for a single tone, instead pursuing a unique “woven harmony” created by intricately layering multiple independent melodies. Using only the OP-Z, and recording everything in a single take without using a computer, Kotaro Maruyama’s “Vapor Curve” is distinguished by its uncompromising production style. The minimalist melodies that are layered to create an ambient soundscape, along with the incidental noise that gives an organic texture to the inorganic electronic sound, showcase the raw appeal of sound that is imperfect.