Japanese multi-instrumentalist Hiroaki Kusano signs Happy Sad project to Epictronic label

The connection started, as Kusano tells it, from an unprompted comment. “It all began with a comment from Mr. Carlo of Epictronic on Hiroaki’s music,” he said. “The partnership took shape from a shared vision and a clear understanding of the idea of ‘music that paints the landscapes of the heart.’”

Bellotti was drawn to the project’s emotional sincerity. “What immediately captured my attention was not only the quality of the music itself, but the depth, sensitivity, and artistic identity behind every composition,” he explained. He called Happy Sad “the kind of artist that today has become incredibly rare: authentic, cultured, emotionally honest, and deeply devoted to the creative process in all its forms.”

The World is Grand When We See gathers recent compositions designed to evoke imagery through sound. It moves through neoclassical string arrangements, lo-fi textures, trip-hop undercurrents, world music flourishes, and alternative rock structures – and is sequenced to mirror an arc from heaviness towards clarity. The album’s title, the label notes, points to the idea that meaning comes from direct observation and lived understanding, not second-hand perspective. That outlook was shaped in part by years of travel across ten countries, where Kusano sought out local instruments and recorded the sounds he encountered.

Kusano already has a substantial career away from his solo output. As a sound designer and audio director for video games, he has held senior roles at NetEase Games, FunPlus, NHN PlayArt and others, contributing to more than 60 projects. In 2013, his track “Everyday” won the domestic DJ category in an MTV and Lenovo contest and became a finalist in the “CO:LAB” competition. Happy Sad remains his personal outlet – a project that has yielded seven albums and 19 EPs to date, rooted in soul, British rock, folk, trip hop, film scores and ambient music.

Bellotti stressed that the collaboration runs deeper than a catalogue signing. “For us, this collaboration is not simply a licensing agreement,” he said. “It is the meeting of two artistic visions connected by a shared love for emotionally powerful music, sonic exploration, and artistic sincerity. We genuinely believe HAPPY SAD deserves much wider international recognition, and we are incredibly excited to help bring his music to new audiences around the world.”