https://soundcloud.com/suss-musik/mawaru-disquiet0268
Suss Müsik recalls reading an interview with Ryuichi Sakamoto, another Japanese legend who had a strong affinity for walking. Sakamoto mentioned his dislike for automobiles and admitted that he had never driven a car in his life; however, he enjoyed the sounds that cars make while in operation.
Walking is a solitary activity that lends itself to mind expansion. We rarely concentrate on the destination or even the process of getting somewhere. Rather, we remain lost in our own thoughts as images and sounds blend into the background, superseded by the bitter noise within.
For this short, quiet piece, Suss Müsik consciously investigated “the space between” while walking. A simple piano motif replicates the heavy, soft footsteps we heard during our nocturnal stroll: thalum-thum, thalum-thum. In the background is the sampled sound of a distant train, manipulated beyond recognition, which accents the phased piano.
A strange thing occurs just after the two-minute mark, where it sounds as if nothing is happening even though the mix appears rather busy. That moment operates, perhaps, as a metaphor for how the mind travels while not thinking of anything in particular.
The piece is titled Mawaru, a Japanese word meaning to “wander about.” It can also mean to feel dizzy. The image is the rear plate of a plastic timepiece — we liked the little arrows.
