Dream Dolphin | Artist
Dream Dolphin was an ambient-techno musical project by the Japanese electronic music artist Noriko, born 1980 in Japan. Originally studying classic Italian songs as a child, Noriko became increasingly inspired by artists such as PIL, Yellow Magic Orchestra, KLF and movies such as ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ and ‘Le Grand Bleu’. The music she released under the name Dream Dolphin, from the age of sixteen, is unique and versatile in style, encompassing Ambient, IDM, Techno, Trance and even Drum & Bass, whilst fusing natural sounds with her own spoken word lyrics. Dream Dolphin released an incredible twenty albums in just eight years, mostly on Harry Hosono's FOA record label. In addition to her own projects, she has also done a number of fascinating compilations herself, as well as composing ambient music to be used in hospitals and other caring contexts. According to the inserts of various releases, Dream Dolphin members are: Noriko, WATER M.5., and FIRE T-1. The album Love Eating Alien from February 1996, which explored high-speed techno, was the first in a rapid-fire series of 19 albums over seven years. Just a month later she released a mini-album Tokyo Folk Music exploring harder trance music, followed by Cosmic Blue with trip-hop, jungle, and hardcore sounds. Closing out 1996 with the release Atmospheric Healing the artist heralded a shift towards a more new-age ambient sound. In the span of four months, Noriko went from a recluse shut-in at home to appearing on radio and TV as the unlikely icon of Japanese ambient pop music and releasing music that put her at the forefront of Japan’s club culture. At just 17 years old, she entered a period reflection which saw her step back from the European and American club music to go deeper into her own homeland’s folk and environmental music scene. Standout albums include Love Eating Alien (1996), Healing and Magic of the Sea (1998), Angel 13: From the Hyper Speed Forest (1999), and the 2023 compilation Gaia: Selected Ambient & Downtempo Works (1996-2003). The last (final?) release by the artist was the 2003 album Modern Blue Ambient. Noriko adopted the name “Dream Dolphin” in homage to her decidedly earnest belief that in her prior life she was a dolphin.
Artist Website: discogs.com/Dream-Dolphin
Featured Albums: Dream Dolphin
Related Artists: Noriko, Le Fou
