By MC Galang
Just a few days ago, I was aching to hear a good collection of field recordings. I wrote, “I’d like to hope that in the absence of noise (especially for y’all in the cities), the stillness doesn’t frighten you.” A few days later, I came across this.
Wander Studio, the latest compilation from Filipino musician Escuri explores “the impact of architecture, urban environment, and soundscape quality of Koganecho, Yokohama and its neighboring places to the people around it, as perceived by the artist by composing music and sound notations through site-specific interventions,” according to his Bandcamp liner notes.
Created as a project for the Koganecho Bazaar 2018, a Japanese art festival that aims to revitalize the city through art, Escuri absorbed and documented city fixtures and ambience through sound design, specific to mood and memory rather than latent noise or nonnative elements.
“Hair Salon,” my favorite track, touches on math rock arrangements and twinkly synths, capturing the bustling liveliness of the space, and the immediate delight that often follows a job well done. There is almost a sacredness held in hair salons, where patrons—often women— congregate; as much as ministries provide spiritual rejuvenation to its congregates, so does salons which offer anyone who steps in for an uplifting fix. Escuri’s “Hair Salon” memorializes that joy glowingly.
Stream Hair Salon
