Japanese ambient, Environmental & New Age Music and it’s impact on homes, transient spaces and communal areas by Bec Kirby // Designer's Perspective
In 2018 I took a trip to Japan, which evoked an awareness to sound that I had never noticed before. Every traffic light crossing, train station and shop door opening had a sound. They jingled, tweeted and harmoniously blended into the environment as if it was naturally part of the world. Transient spaces such as airports, train stations and bus stops no longer felt stressful nor isolating – something which really stood out to me.
The East Japan Railway Co., or JR East, introduced its first hassha merodi (departure melodies) at various stations on March 11, 1989 and thirty years later the jingles still exist as part of peoples commutes. They were first introduced to tackle the problem of stress – however sound designer, Hiroaki Ide stated that ‘creating a melody that could stand out from the general humdrum of a station without simply adding to the existing noise wasn’t easy’. He was faced with a task of creating sound that was neither cheery nor sombre – instead, a neutral sound that would blend organically into peoples day-to-day commutes. The trend of the departure melodies continued and sound was introduced to almost every public space and interaction in Japan, from pedestrian crossings to bin-lorries.
The compilation, Kankyō Ongaku – which translates to ‘Environmental Music’ features a variety of Japanese artists that have created sounds that are otherwise known as, ‘Furniture Music’. These sounds were made with the intention of intermingling with the sounds and environments of everyday life and have been changing people’s experiences in Japan since 1980. As a designer, experiencing these sounds first hand made me question how we in the West approach sound in spaces. We find ourselves ticking the boxes when it comes to visual appearances, haptic senses and memorable touch points – although, sound can be overlooked, when in fact, the role it plays is paramount. Similar to the JR East project, where departure melodies were introduced to reduce stress amongst commuters, sound can alter a persons experience, feelings and emotions when they visit a space, be it a restaurant, a hotel or a museum. To put this into perspective, a good example of the need for sound is a Wetherspoons. Have you ever sat in a Wetherspoons and thought, ‘It feels odd in here?’. I have, and it’s because there is no music, nothing to take your mind off the monotone-hum of kitchen and bar.
To summarise, I believe we can learn a lot from the East and their approach to sound in space. In terms of design, the subconscious impact it has on our experiences could be the reason you do or don’t return to that restaurant. As designers, we focus our efforts on ensuring we design a visually pleasing space, with memorable touch points, accompanied by incredible, bespoke scents, ticking the boxes – although sound can usually sit last on the list, when in reality, the effect it has on the consumers experience sits up top, with the other elements.
Words by
Bec Kirby