In 2003, Australian public broadcaster SBS aired a 6-part documentary series titled "Subsonics," which profiled experimental musicians from around the world. The show featured a number of artists from Japan, including Otomo Yoshihide, Masonna, Ai Yamamoto, Sachiko M, and others. Here are a few clips...
- Ai Yamamoto: Glimpse -- This segment features the abstract electronic melodies and digital animation of Ai Yamamoto, who says she started making videos to give the audience something to look at during her live performances. (From Subsonics, Episode 2.)
- No Input -- This clip looks at the work of Sachiko M and Toshimaru Nakamura, two prominent figures in the so-called onkyo ("reverberation of sound") movement, whose artists place more emphasis on sound texture than on musical structure. "No Input" is described as a form of music where the musicians play samplers, mixers and other electronic devices without any external audio sources -- the original sounds are created by plugging each device's output back into its own input to create a closed electronic feedback circuit. (From Subsonics, Episode 4.)
- Scanning of Modulations: Condition #4 -- The documentary ran several clips from "Scanning of Modulations," a collection of digital art videos by visual media designer Naohiro Ukawa. This video features the music of Kazunao Nagata. (From Subsonics, Episode 1.)
- Scanning of Modulations: Condition #1 -- More digital animation by Naohiro Ukawa, set to music by Hado-Ho. (From Subsonics, Episode 4.)
- The Many Moods of Otomo Yoshihide -- This clip focuses on Otomo Yoshihide, who, as an experimental musician, turntablist, guitarist and composer, has been one of the most adventurous and prolific artists of the underground Tokyo music scene since the '80s. (From Subsonics, Episode 6.)
- Masonna: God of Noise -- This segment profiles extreme noise musician and performance artist Masonna, whose intense live shows usually last under a minute and often end in injury. (From Subsonics, Episode 1.)
For clips on some of the other artists profiled, including Sun Ra, Sue Harding (who creates music from dot matrix printers), Jon the Dog (a mysterious Japanese singer/organist in a dog suit) and more, see the Subsonics videos uploaded by evilpaul (YouTube).
