Originally released as an album in January 1986, Surround was recorded by Yoshimura as a commission from home builder Misawa Homes, intended to function as an "amenity" designed to enhance the company's newly built living spaces. A pioneer in the field of environmental music, Yoshimura's previous works included Music for Nine Post Cards (1982), originally produced to be played back inside a museum space, and designing sound environments for public spaces and subway systems. Surround was recorded almost concurrently with the acclaimed and popular Green (1986); the two albums are described by Hiroyoshi Shiokawa in his liner notes as being Yoshimura's yin and yang. In his original notes for the album, Yoshimura recommends that Surround be placed in the same family of sounds "as the vibration of footsteps, the hum of an air conditioner, or the clanging of a spoon inside a coffee cup." And, as he suggests, "with the addition of city noise from outside the window," you may hear Surround in a completely new way.
