Spiritual soundscapes: The global influences of Hatis Noit

Hatis Noit’s strange, spiritual lullabies are steeped in mysticism. It makes sense: the Japanese singer fell in love with music during a mountain trek through Nepal, where she stumbled across a female monk singing ancient Buddhist chants. It doesn’t really get more mystical than that. “The sound moved me so intensely, I was suddenly aware of the power of the human voice,” she tells Huck. “It was so primal. I knew then I wanted to sing and feel that visceral connection myself.”

Noit, who hails from Shiretoko in north Japan, was only 16 when she heard the chants – but it was old enough for her to make a plan. Learning from opera singers, old Gregorian chanting and avant-garde vocalists, she began to teach herself to sing; creating an accomplished and ethereal sense of her own style in the process.

These sounds have now been shared with the world thanks to her new EP, Illogical Dance (released last week). The record – which was co-produced by Haruhisa Tanaka and Björk collaborator Matmos – aims to step into the listener’s subconscious, introducing them to a more magical, transcendental way of relating to sound.

For the latest Monday Mix, Noit reveals some of the influences that helped her reach that same point personally. “I ended up digging up lots of old music I haven’t listened to for a long time for this mix, so it has some nice memories for me from when I first started making music on my own,” she says. “I love music which makes us feel its player’s body. When I sing, I try to feel my whole body, because any sounds, emotions and memory, which is the source of my music, comes from my body. Physicality is quite important for music for me.” Listen below:

Masayasu Tzboguchi – ‘Trio Jigzoo Ballad’
Mujika Easel – ‘To be sure, it exists’
Astor Piazzolla – ‘Milonga De La Anunciación’
菊地成孔 (Naruyoshi Kikuchi) – ‘ルペ・ベレスの葬儀’
Colin Stetson and Sarah Neufeld – ‘The Rest of Us’
Hatis Noit – ‘Angelus Novus’

Hatis Noit’s Illogical Dance EP is out now.

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