Mu-sic: negative space in Japanese Electroacoustics

Nobuyuki Tsugata has a theory about Japanese animation. It concerns the main difference between American and Japanese animation styles. The American style, that style pioneered by Disney, relies on a process known as ‘continuous motion’. It’s fairly simple to understand, it’s actually all in the name: it is a style whereby there is constant movement on screen. In contrast the Japanese style veers away from this concept with the focus placed on very little movement and still frames where motion may occur only in one section. Obviously these styles vary enormously and hence they have produced very different canons of work. However despite the more pragmatic factors, such as cost and the amount of work involved, Tsugata believes there is a deeper reason behind the conservation of movement and the use of space in Japanese animation.

Tsugata believes that it is a reference to, and hence a contemporary use of, the Japanese notion of Mu. Mu is the idea of ‘negative space’; it is an ambiguous term which is hard to translate but you might describe it as “space where other things are not present”. This idea is derived from Chinese and Japanese Zen brush paintings, typically of landscapes, where some detail may be portrayed but the space above, below or around it is empty. Whereas this may be perceived as blank canvas it can also be interpreted as ‘negative space’. Space in which there may be air, wind, sound, smell, something visually unrepresentable but most importantly undefined. This ‘negative space’ therefore is just as crucial to the understanding of a work as anything that is illustrated. It adds texture, depth and extra sensory dimensions which are ambiguous enough to be filled by any interpretation.

So this then is the central concept of Mu. Naturally enough this idea of negative space, has cropped up in several different cultures in various ways over the centuries, however it is its use in modern Japanese electroacoustic composition that proves it is a fascinatingly malleable traditional technique. Although it may or may not be evident to composers such as Yuichiro Fujimoto, Akira Kosemura, Motohiro Nakashima and Daisuke Miyatani, to name a few, their explorations in electroacoustic soundscapes incorporate a facet of enduring Japanese art: the use of negative space.

What then do we mean when we talk about negative space in terms of aural rather than visual representation? Well despite the confines of text let us attempt to create an impression through description. Let us take for example Yuichiro Fujimoto’s ‘Drawing of Stars’ from his 2005 release Kinoe. It begins with a single chord, on keyboard, which is repeated metronomically. It is a constant. Gradually it becomes lazily punctuated by a sweet melody drummed out on acoustic guitar. This motif is cut up, and spliced in different forms and segments, not building, rising or falling, just playfully existing. A few glittering harmonics shine among these sounds. While the keys continue to pulse, the guitar deteriorates into muted scratching, until once again the melody returns before trailing off with the small death of the synthesized chord.

This then is a piece of electroacoustic composition. It may sound odd on paper; it certainly isn’t any less strange when heard. However if played solely as described above it would probably be interesting, maybe challenging, but certainly not great. There is however an element to the piece which was not revealed, and that is Fujimoto’s use of negative space. Throughout the track there is an organic static, maybe the sound of a microphone left on in an empty room, maybe the recorded sound of wind, gushing water or rain outside a window. Towards the end of the track it veers closer to white noise, the sound of someone pottering around and a plastic rattle disrupt the slight hypnosis that was created. What does this pervasive empty sound signify? What does it symbolize? It certainly isn’t the blank perfect silence of the mastered studio album. It is the deliberate use of empty space, negative space, to highlight aurally indefinable aspects of the work; maybe a certain time, place or feeling. Most importantly though it allows the listener to interpret all the other aural information they are presented with as they see fit. It injects an ambiguity into the track that emphasizes its musicality while simultaneously drawing attention to the empty canvas beyond.

The concept of Mu is therefore present in the music. It is used masterfully by Fujimoto on Kinoe and his peers make effective use of it in their own unique ways. Just like contemporary animation, contemporary Japanese electroacoustic composition is therefore just as inflected with traditional Zen artistic concepts, and it would probably not be too much of a stretch to locate them in different mediums. Nonetheless in Japan a great wealth electroacoustic works have been created that should not pass anyone by.

Some of the best:

Akira Kosemura – It’s On Everything
Daisuke Miyatani – Diario
Motohiro Nakashima – The Sandhill
Tenniscoats – Totemo Aimasho
Yuichiro Fujimoto – Kinoe

You can listen to some sample tracks from these albums here.