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arts&cultureJAPAN BEATS O N I CK A L E I D OS C O P EShuta Hasunuma’s musical polymorphismBY DAN GRUNEBAUMA revealing fact about Japan is that its avantgardearts scene is often more widely acclaimedabroad than at home. From butoh dance to noisemusic to the post-war Gutai art movement, thebiggest recognition often comes overseas.“It’s frustrating that Japanese culture is oftenbest presented, or artworks purchased, by Westernfans and collectors,” says young musicianShuta Hasunuma. “The Japanese art scene isfrequently late to recognize the value of movementslike Gutai. There was a lot of activity inJapan in the ’60s but it took American curatorsto shine a spotlight on it. Japanese galleriessimply follow in their wake.”Happily, that’s not the case for Hasunuma,a self-taught composer of intricate electronicand chamber music scores whose works areacclaimed both at home and abroad. Hasunumaspeaks from New York, where he’s on a sixmonthAsian Cultural Council study fellowship.“NYC has a greater variety and deeper historyof experimental music than Tokyo,” he explainsabout his overseas residency. “So I wanted toexperience it for myself.”Hasunuma had what he calls a typical upbringingin the home of a Saitama salaryman.There was no inkling of his progressive leaningsin his early studies on electone, or later fondnessfor J-pop and then American skate punk.“I never went to music school,” Hasunumasays about his background. “I thought aboutapplying to a music college—but there are goodand bad points to being taught. I felt like even if Iwent to a music college, I probably wouldn’t bea very good student, so I decided to do musicmyself. I did go to college, but I just had my nosein art books the whole time.”Hasunuma’s explorations gradually led himto electronic music and classical composers.Early recognition came for his subtle electroniccompositions, which are often constructedaround field recordings. “I listened to a lot ofsampled pop music, but I like the field recordingto remain prominent in the piece,” he says abouthis working process. “John Cage is definitely abig influence, and the ‘happenings’ of the ’60s.But I’m also influenced by what was happeningin Japan. Cage came to Japan, and there wasa relationship with Japanese composers likeToru Takemitsu.”More recently, Hasunuma shifted his focusaway from the laptop to live instruments. His PhilharmonicOrchestra strides a fine line betweenso-called “new music” and pop. The group hasgenerated substantial praise, mounting stagessuch as Tokyo Opera City and Spiral Hall.“I was approached with an offer to do a largescaleperformance,” he recalls. “I rearrangedall my pieces for live instruments. We wouldperform once a year, but as our repertoire increased,we ended up releasing an album anddoing a nationwide tour. As a composer, I’minterested in the pitches and timbres of instruments,and pushing the limits of instruments.Field recordings are limitless, but with my currentwork I’m exploring expression inside limits. Still,when you have a large ensemble, then you havea lot of colors to work with.”Hasunuma says if he has the means, he wantsto investigate as wide a range of expression aspossible. Given that his music strikes home withfans both of avant-garde composers like ToruTakemitsu and poppier figures such as RyuichiSakamoto, and that his talent has been recognizedwith an elite fellowship, those means lookincreasingly within reach.“For me, music teaches us how to live,” heconcludes. “I’m always learning from it, andit’s a way for me to know the world. It’s also mylivelihood. I feel really lucky.”www.shutahasunuma.com26