The permanent exhibition "Shiosai RADIO" features playlists curated by musicians and DJs, all inspired by the ocean.

Volume 1 features DJ and musician COMPUMA. He has a career deeply connected to "water," having incorporated the sound of waves into his music on his 1st album "A View," drawn inspiration from Lake Ezu in Kumamoto Prefecture, his roots, on his 2nd album "horizons," and being invited to various festivals and events as part of the DJ crew "Akuma no Numa" with Dr. NISHIMURA and AWANO.

The theme of the music selection is "Seascapes, Marine Science, and the Sound of the Sea." The first 11 tracks are a selection of general music, while the 12th track onwards are carefully selected field recordings (recordings made outside of a studio) related to the sea. To commemorate the opening of the "Museum Connecting the Sea," we are presenting a special extended version of the playlist, running for 2 hours and 29 minutes (future playlists are planned to be around 60 minutes). In addition, illustrator Masahide Oki has created artwork for the jacket of each playlist that is linked to the selection of songs.

Whales, seals, and ecosystems with electronic sounds

—How have you interacted with the sea throughout your life so far, COMPUMA-san?

I live in Tokyo now, but until I was almost 20, I lived in Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu. When I was in elementary school, every summer vacation my father would drive us to Amakusa—an inland sea about an hour and a half to two hours by car from Kumamoto City—and I always looked forward to swimming in the sea, trying fishing from a boat, and spending a few nights at a guesthouse or inn there.

How have things been since you came to Tokyo?

Thinking about it again, I realize that since moving to Tokyo, I've lived a life that's almost completely devoid of any connection to the sea. A long time ago, a friend took me for a drive to Enoshima and Yuigahama (both in Kanagawa Prefecture) as practice for driving, but I'm a complete novice driver myself... Other than that, in recent years, when I performed at Enoshima "Oppara," I took a walk around the area. However, since my son was born, I've remembered how my father used to take me to the sea in Amakusa when I was little, and since then, I've started going to the Izu Peninsula (Shizuoka Prefecture) and the Miura Peninsula (Kanagawa Prefecture) during summer vacation.

—It's easily accessible from the Tokyo metropolitan area, isn't it?

When traveling to the Izu area, I enjoyed taking the limited express "Odoriko" train, gazing at the coastal scenery and the horizon of the Pacific Ocean. I immersed myself in the travel experience, enjoying not only swimming in the sea but also fishing and hot springs.

I was really into exploring tide pools for a while. There are all sorts of things in tide pools (puddles of water that form in the crevices of rocks at low tide). I would catch tiny crab-like creatures I'd never seen before, sea anemones, insects, and fish... I would put them in a clear case, grin as I looked at them from different angles, and then, after thanking them, release them back into the sea.

—I think that looking at things from various angles is what makes COMPUMA unique. This time, we asked you to create a playlist because we believe you've listened to "sea music" from various perspectives, including as a DJ, musician, and buyer (selecting products for a record store).

It was a great honor, and I was grateful to be able to work on it. When I heard the request to "select music that evokes the image of the sea," the first thing that came to mind was field recordings of the ocean.

During the 1990s and early 2000s, when I worked as a buyer at Shibuya WAVE and Tower Records Shibuya, I was in charge of the New Age/Others section. At the time, there was a boom in healing music, and many CDs featuring natural and environmental sounds such as waves, babbling brooks, dolphin and insect sounds, and alpha wave series were being released.

I checked out various kinds of records, partly as part of my work, and as I listened to more and more, I gradually began to see the labels and artists that I liked. And in that process, I encountered a work that was epoch-making and symbolic for me. It was a CD called "Antarctica" (1998) by Douglas Quin, a leading figure in field recording.

This is a recording of marine life in Antarctica, captured using underwater microphones. The sounds (calls) of penguins and seals communicating underwater are surprisingly cool, almost like an electronic music sound piece, and I was truly shocked. However, the tracks on this CD are not available on Apple Music or Spotify (because they haven't been uploaded), so I decided not to include them this time, but it's one of my most cherished works.

Have records and CDs of natural sounds like these been around for a long time?

Since the 1940s and 50s, it seems that the practice of recording and releasing natural and environmental sounds as audio materials has become widespread, extending from the folkloric approach of recording and collecting world ethnic music rooted in race, country, and religion, as exemplified by Hugh Tracey, a leading figure in the research and study of African ethnic music, and organizations like "Smithsonian Folkways" and "Ocora," which can be called 20th-century music libraries. From there, I believe it has evolved into a unique genre, gradually incorporating elements of sonic artistry and relaxation.

And speaking of the ocean, which is the theme of this discussion, I personally have a strong impression of the record "The Song of the Humpback Whale" (1970), which captures the ecology of whales off the coast of Bermuda in the North Atlantic through sound. It comes with an art book-like booklet and also has a Japanese translation. This record was a huge hit all over the world at the time and is a monumental record that led to increased attention to environmental issues related to whales. In the playlist, track 15, Frank Watlington's "Solo Whale," is included on "The Song of the Humpback Whale."

—Is that the sound of a whale? It sounds like irregular electronic sounds echoing, and it's very beautiful.

The 14th track, Glenn Edney's "Tonga Whales," is also a recording of whale behavior, and I selected it from the CD "New Songs of the Humpback Whale" (2015). Decades have passed since "Tonga Whale Songs," and even in this modern age with improved equipment, there are many whale recordings, but I think this CD is particularly wonderful... This is purely my personal opinion, but I would say that "Tonga Whale Songs" and "New Songs of the Humpback Whale" are my personal bests, old and new, of whale behavior sounds.

The 13th track, "Bowhead Whale and Bearded Seals," is said to be a recording of a bowhead whale and bearded seals, and the rumbling descending sounds are indeed like communication sounds. These nature sound CDs often come with explanations or booklets, so you can probably learn about the background of the recordings as well.

My interest in sound led me to read the recording data and explanations for each album, and to pull out picture books from my bookshelf, such as "The Picture Book of the Seashore" and "The Sea" (both published by Fukuinkan Shoten), and "Bow the Bowhead Whale's 200-Year Journey" (Shogakukan), and to look at them, while comparing them with my childhood memories, I was able to learn anew about the environment of the seashore and the ocean, and the issues surrounding whales.

—Knowing the background might change how we perceive the recording. "Was that whale's cry a heart-wrenching scream?"

It might just be a simple roar...it makes you think about the diverse possibilities. Incidentally, the 16th track, "South Pacific Migration Party," is the last work of Peter Zinovieff, the founder of the British electronic instrument and synthesizer manufacturer Electronic Music Studio (EMS). It meticulously recreates the sounds of blue whales as an electronic soundscape using computers and synthesizers.

—Is the 12th track, "Dolphins Into The Future 'Observations through the halocline of the world, II'," a field recording of dolphin sounds?

Dolphins Into The Future is an alias used by Belgian field recording and ambient synthesizer/electronic music artist Lieven Martens Moana. Under this alias, he creates music that blends dolphin behavior, ocean sounds, natural sounds centered on the sea, synthesizers, and electronics—a work that could be called the ultimate study of psychedelic dance music that transcends rave and ambient music. This track is one such example. In recent years, under his real name, Lieven Martens Moana, he has been actively releasing more stoic, tape-music-like field recording works using cut-up, collage, and montage techniques.

I think this song serves as a bridge from the music-centric worldview of the first half to the field-recording-like worldview of the second half... I chose it here while reminiscing about the times we've performed together on tour in Japan, and when I performed at the Meakusma Festival in Eupen, Belgium, we met in Brussels and he let me stay at his home...

—"Waves of Jamaica" is also included in the selection.

There's a famous record called "Surf Break From Jamaica" (1977) that features the sound of waves in Jamaica. In my personal opinion, among the many records that record waves, this one has some of the most soothing soundscapes. I couldn't find this song on Apple Music or Spotify, so I chose something similar.

A calm seascape and PACIFIC 231

—Including the first half, which could be described as more conventional music, what was the overall image you had in mind when selecting the songs?

Perhaps it's "seascapes." Rather than focusing on a specific aspect of the sea, I tried to select songs that evoke distant views of the ocean, mental images related to the sea, gentle waves, the horizon, the lifestyles of people living by the sea, and so on. It's not a dramatic development, but rather a prayer for peace, a wish that nothing happens, that peaceful everyday life continues. With Robert Wyatt's "Shipbuilding" (themed around the Falklands War) and the following song, "Dad's Sea," I also reflected on the peace and tranquility of family through my song selection.

This was the only song by Shigeomi Hasumi available on Apple Music and Spotify ("Penguin Cafe Single"). Hasumi's presence was, for me personally, an underlying theme in this selection. With his unit "PACIFIC 231" with Takamasa Miyake, he released many wonderful works of exotic marine music (on labels such as Haruomi Hosono's "DAISYWORLD DISC" and Kazunao Nagata's "TRANSONIC RECORDS"). When I think of "sea music," Hasumi is the first person that comes to mind. I also felt that it would connect to the marine soundscapes in the second half, so I chose it to be the last song in the first half.

As for the playlist as a whole, I tried to create a flow that wouldn't tire the listener out too much... but I don't want to explain too much and come across as pushy (lol), so I hope you can enjoy this playlist as music that evokes a peaceful seascape.

—I'm sorry for asking so many questions...Thank you so much for today!

TRACKLIST

David Behrman – On the Other Ocean
Bill Evans Trio – Seascape
Tracey Thorn – Seascape
Alessi Brothers – Seabird
Bob Marley & The Wailers – High Tide or Low Tide – Jamaican Version
Robert Wyatt – Shipbuilding
Yoshio Kimura – Oyaji no Umi (Father's Sea)
Ste Surprise Wonder – Ebb Tide
ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM – Wave
GABBY & LOPEZ – Tide Away
Shigeomi Hasumi – Penguin Cafe Single
Dolphins Into The Future – Observations through the halocline of the world, II
Bowhead Whale and Bearded Seals – Bowhead Whale and Bearded Seals
Glenn Edney – Tonga Whales
Frank Watlington – Solo Whale
Peter Zinovieff – South Pacific Migration Party
Sound effect – Jamaican waves (Natural sounds Series-2 WAVE from New Caledonia & Jamaica)
Dolphins Into The Future – Culatra Island

Profile
COMPUMA Computa

Koichi Matsunaga was born in Kumamoto. After his activities with ADS (Asteroid Desert Songs) and Smurf Otoko Gumi, as a DJ he has collaborated with and supported numerous artist DJs both domestically and internationally, exploring a fresh and unique, genre-crossing, imaginative musical world in diverse locations throughout Japan. From his own project SOMETHING ABOUT, he has attempted a new approach to mix CDs with the "SOMETHING IN THE AIR" series, and is actively involved in DJing, music production, and remixes as part of the collective "Akuma no Numa". In 2022, he released his first solo album, "A View," followed by "horizons" in 2024. He has also expanded his activities internationally, performing at Berlin Atonal 2017 and Meakusma Festival 2018, and providing mixes to European radio stations. On the other hand, drawing on his many years of experience as a record and CD buyer, he is active in various spaces related to art, fashion, sound, and music, primarily focusing on background music selection, in addition to compiling the compilation CD "Soup Stock Tokyo's Music." He is affiliated with Newtone Records and El Sur Records.
IG:@compuma_km/

Interview and text by Hanazawa Ou
Illustration by Oki Masahide
Photo by Masayuki Shiota (provided by SOMETHING ABOUT)