Despite being a fraction of the size of Tokyo, Osaka boasts a long history of underground music that pushes boundaries.
The tradition is being kept alive by experimental musician Koshiro Hino. His newest project, "Geist," is a multisensory sound-and light-show that features 13 performers, live electronics and field recordings. It takes place in a pitch-black cube-shaped room with speakers on every side and layers of semi-transparent black mesh stretched across the ceilings and walls to play with the audience's sense of depth.
Upon entering the space, you can hear ambient field recordings that are taken from the surrounding nature of Hino's hometown in Shimane Prefecture. These sounds combine with the darkness of the environment to create a calm, albeit unsettling mood. Within minutes, the field recordings are gradually accompanied by long sustained notes played on synthesizers, brass and wind instruments by musicians who are concealed in the catwalk above the space. As the drones rise in volume and dissonance, cleverly positioned lights begin to illuminate the corners of the room, swelling with the growing waves of sound.