The Legacy of Noise Music in Japan

Source: Far Out.

Noise music takes everything we think we know about sound and flips it on its head, as the sounds that famous noise artists have created consist of completely inaccessible and un-listenable… well… noise. Despite the chaos, though, it has a rich history, one made up of political unrest, rebellion and, in some senses, sadism. Japan has always been a frontrunner when it comes to innovative – and sometimes psychotic – artists brandishing the static and shattered banner of noise, to the point that bulldozers and highjacked planes have been cited as inspiration in the music made.

It’s worth noting that noise music didn’t begin in Japan; it was Luigi Russolo who is credited as being the founder. In 1913, Russolo published a manifesto called The Art of Noises, where he spoke about the changing landscape of the world brought on by the Industrial Revolution and how that would impact the music we listen to.