The excitement shared at a cinema, live performances where music and visuals become one, and background music at a sento bathhouse: in episode #001 of the podcast 「閑話動題」, hosts Kakka and Rio Okawa discussed the relationship between sound and space through everyday experiences.
Released on October 26, 2023, the episode touches on seeing the film 「君たちはどう生きるか」 at a cinema and on the music of 長谷川白紙 and 青葉市子. A casual conversation about what they have been doing opens into experiences that could only happen in a particular place.
Listen to 「閑話動題」 #001 (14 min 03 sec)
The Appeal of a Cinema Extends Beyond the Screen
Asked what he had been up to, Rio mentioned discovering the appeal of watching films at a cinema. The turning point was seeing 「君たちはどう生きるか」 on its opening day.
Rio Okawa: “Those visuals were worth seeing at a cinema, weren’t they?”
Without going into the film’s story, he first spoke about the appeal of seeing its imagery in a theater. The audience, too, had left a strong impression on him.
Next to him was someone who had come alone and chuckled during the screening. In the nearly full theater, very few people left without listening to the ending. People who had been looking forward to the film had gathered in one place, creating a sense of unity in the audience.
Looking back, Rio felt that this atmosphere was part of what made going on opening day worthwhile. Kakka agreed about what a cinema adds to the experience, citing the special atmosphere of a preview screening.
The Unity of Sound and Visuals in 長谷川白紙’s Performance
Kakka, meanwhile, shared that he had recently been attending music festivals for work. The conversation turned to Fuji Rock, and Rio spoke about a performance by 長谷川白紙 that he had seen on social media.
What caught Rio’s attention was the overall expression, including the VJ work as well as the musical performance. Seeing the music and visuals come together gave him the impression that the artist had reached another stage of development.
Kakka said he, too, had become interested after reading an article about 長谷川白紙. The conversation moved from exploring sound itself to the importance of the place in which it is heard. Connecting back to their discussion of cinemas, their attention turned toward the space in which something is experienced, as well as what is watched or heard.
Why 青葉市子 Fits a Sento: Thinking About Sound Through That Feeling
Rio experiences the relationship between space and music in an everyday setting. Selecting music at the sento where he works has led him to think more often about how songs fit a place.
A sparse arrangement is one factor, but it is not the only thing Rio considers. Sometimes, a song fits the space as background music when it does not make him strongly aware of a production process in which parts were made separately and layered together. He cited 青葉市子’s music as an example that matches his own sense of this.
Kakka offered the example of music heard while driving. There are already engine and other car sounds inside the vehicle. He suggested that there are moments when music layered over them fits perfectly.
This idea also fed into the sound design of the podcast itself. Kakka proposed adding sounds, while editing this conversation, at points where they would feel good to him.
Kakka: “I’ll put sounds that feel good into the places where I think, this feels good right here.”
Rather than inserting obvious sound effects to match the topic or a fixed jingle, he would look for sounds that suited each moment. The two went on to discuss the possibility of a podcast people would want to hear at a sento or sauna.
“It’s probably the nerdy conversations that will get us excited in the end,” said Rio. Moving between films, live performances and everyday music selections, they dig into the things they love. Their conversation can be heard in the approximately 14-minute episode.
This article is based on the conversation in 「閑話動題」 #001, released on October 26, 2023.
