The Gate

Joji Hirota’s work with the Real World label began during the 1992 Recording Week at Real World Studios, when he collaborated with Clannad founder Pól Brennan and Chinese flautist Guo Yue to record Trísan, an album which won that year’s Tower Records Critics Award in New York for Contemporary Instrumental music.

Capturing the mastery and rhythmic grace of this outstanding multi-instrumentalist, The Gate is Joji Hirota’s 1999 solo release with Real World. Its epic tracks describe expanses of sea and sky conveyed with heart-stopping emotion; there is joy and exaltation, sorrow and yearning, and always virtuosic artistry, resulting in a deeply meditative and breathtaking listen.