HATIS NOIT Illogical Dance

“She’s got serious pipes” — Matmos
Japanese vocal performer Hatis Noit will release her enigmatic EP Illogical
Dance via Erased Tapes worldwide on 23rd March 2018. The arresting 4-
track record creates unique song-worlds with transcendent vocal
interpretations that at once deconstruct and recombine Western Classical,
Japanese folk and nature’s own ambience atmosphere. Illogical Dance also
features Björk-collaborators Matmos, who were so impressed with Hatis Noit’s
recordings, they volunteered to edit the lead track Illogical Lullaby.
Hailing from the distant Shiretoko, a small town in Hokkaido, which is the
largest island in north Japan, Hatis Noit’s accomplished range is astonishingly
self-taught, inspired by everything she could find from Gagaku — Japanese
classical music — and operatic styles, Bulgarian and Gregorian chanting, to
avant-garde and pop vocalists. The sounds she created on Illogical Dance, coproduced
by Haruhisa Tanaka and Matmos, bring to mind the experimental
vocal patterns of Meredith Monk with the attentive production of Holly
Herndon.
It was at the age of 16, during a trek in Nepal to the Buddha’s birthpla­ce,
when she realised singing was her calling. While staying at a women’s temple
in Lumbini, one morning on a walk Hatis Noit heard someone singing. On
further investigation it was a female monk singing Buddhist chants, alone. The
sound moved her so intensely she was instantly aware of the visceral power of
the human voice; a primal and instinctive instrument that connects us to the
very essence of humanity, nature and our universe.
The name Hatis Noit itself is taken from Japanese folklore, meaning the stem
of the lotus flower. The lotus represents the living world, while its root the
spirit world, therefore Hatis Noit is what connects the two. For Hatis Noit,
music represents the same netherworld with its ability to move and transport
us to the other side; the past, a memory, our subconscious. It is the same for
Illogical Dance, a set of transformative songs that taps into our most primal
instincts.
“The human voice is our oldest, most primal yet most powerful
instrument. I use it to describe nature’s many sounds, a language that isn’t
logical. Yet it forms a beautiful conversation that isn’t restricted to words like
the human language is. I want my music to remind us of that.” — Hatis Noit
Wanting to interpret and mimic the sounds Hatis Noit hears in nature, Illogical
Dance is as unpredictable, beautiful and mysterious as the world around us.
Each track is made up from multi layers of vocals, all improvised and without
words, before being carefully pieced together. Astonishingly no samples are
used throughout, even the sound of crushing leaves came from Hatis Noit’s
own vocal chords. The result is a stunning array of sound sculptures that see
her switching between multiple styles with great ease. From the sweet
operatics on Illogical Lullaby, the manipulated vocal loops duplicating
electronic production on Anagram c.i.y. to the primordial chanting call to arms
of Angelus Novus, a 10-minute odyssey that features whispering and leaves
crunching, it showcases Hatis Noit’s full range and introduces a truly original
artist.
Previously only available in Japan, Illogical Dance will receive a worldwide
release on 23rd March 2018 including a first edition on 12” vinyl.
After participating in a memorial and appreciation ceremony tailored to the
withdrawal of the evacuation area in Fukushima on 31st March 2017, Hatis Noit
collaborated with renowned visual artist Nobumichi Asai on a project titled
INORI (prayer) which they premiered live as part of an Erased Tapes showcase
at Mutek Japan in Tokyo.
Having recently moved to London and performed a first string of UK shows,
followed by a special live performance at the Milan Fashion Week, Peter
Broderick has invited Hatis Noit to support him at the Jazz Cafe on April 15th.
She’s also been announced as part of this year’s Sea Change Festival lineup,
and asked