Harukaze Freedom

Miobell Records, an Japanese independent label based in Tokyo, is releasing the fourth single "Harukaze Freedom" by Kiyotaka Sugimoto - formerly of orangenoise shortcut, who celebrated the 20th anniversary of his CD debut last year and continues to be highly active - in a "Heisei retro-style Tanzaku CD package that has been generating a buzz.

The release features three tracks: the new song "Spring Breeze FREEDOM", which reinterprets 1980s technopop with a contemporary twist; "Highway Star Chaser", a high-energy number previously performed live; and the ballad "Kiminokotobani", sung with heartfelt emotion. Whilst the latter two tracks had previously been released as demos, this marks their first official release as studio recordings.

The recording features bassist Norimasa Nagata, a familiar face from their live shows, drummer Koji Yamada, and Keiko Tanaka on backing vocals. Mixing was handled by Seiki Sato of Microstar, whilst mastering was undertaken by veteran engineer Machiko Suzue, who has worked on a wide range of domestic and international projects, including Flipper's Guitar. This release marks the 37th anniversary of the "Tanzaku CD" format.