Kohei Matsunaga does not see things like you and I see things. Take the 3-D glasses that he is rarely photographed without, for instance. Throwaway red-and-blue anaglyph paper frames from cinema's distant past, they have become an apt visual trademark for the Osaka-based artist, who delights in operating within different planes and dimensions to most people.
Primarily working in leftfield, even avant-garde strands of electronic and noise music, Matsunaga's discography dates back to 1998 when he released his debut on Mille Plateaux, the influential German imprint that had already released key works by the likes of Alec Empire and Cristian Vogel. Still a high-school student, he soon found himself rubbing shoulders with legendary Japanese experimental musician Merzbow — an intimidating prospect for most, but not for Matsunaga.
"I was booked for a live show in Kyoto that he was also playing at," Matsunaga says. "I told him that my album was going to be released soon and asked whether we could make music together — I think it was because I was a high school student that I felt like I could become friends with anyone."