Nina Fukuoka is a Japanese and Polish composer and performer based in New York City. She makes instrumental and computer music and uses various media and technologies to express extramusical meaning. Her works are focused on the contemporary world through the lens of horror aesthetics, video games, and feminist scholarship. Nina is Adjunct Lecturer in Composition at Peabody Conservatory and Lecturer in the Discipline of Music at Columbia University.
Hi everyone, my name is Nina Fukuoka, and I’m a composer and performer. For me, music is the closest thing to spirituality, and this is why I compose. I also enjoy music that brings me closer to an unexplained force and elicits deeper meanings. I like music that simply sounds good, and I like music that is interesting and makes me use my brain. So today, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite pieces and tracks that fall over many genres and come from different parts of the world. Still, the common denominator is the element of my personal, spiritual experience. I hope you will enjoy it!
In an Autumn Garden by Tōru Takemitsu
Recently, I went back to researching and listening to this piece for the Gagaku orchestra by Tōru Takemitsu titled In an Autumn Garden. The work showcases the beauty of sacred Japanese music and the composer’s deep understanding of its aesthetics and over a thousand-year history.
Dreaming by Jon Hassell
This track by Jon Hassell, Dreaming, is incredible because it is such a genre-bender, as is much of his oeuvre as a composer and trumpet player. I can’t get over the overlapping phrases and irregular meter that sweep me off my feet once I close my eyes.
Still Life by Oneohtrix Point Never
Still Life is one of my favorite tracks from Oneohtrix Point Never. I love how one is taken on a journey through space and time, while bathed in synth sounds and MIDI choirs. NSFW for those interested: there is also the infamous music video directed by the Canadian artist Jon Rafman.
“Inner City Life” by Goldie, Performed by Diane Charlemagne
This classic drum and bass track by Goldie is a symbolic example of my love for this genre. It reminds me of my late teens and early twenties, when I used to club in one of my hometowns, Łódź. Listening to “Inner City Life” is like imagining a utopian future that never materialized.
Suzanne Ciani at WBAI Free Music Store
This recording by Suzanne Ciani is something I go back to very often. I’ve been working with analog synthesizers in the past few years and appreciate the artistry of her performance and compositional sensitivity. Listening to this music takes me to another level.
Inner Voicings by Chiyoko Szlavnics
I am obsessed with how Chiyoko Szlavnics combined sine waves and instruments in her piece Inner Voicings. I could be listening to this music for hours. The microtonal waves and clashes demand total and complete attention to sound.
Hum by Sawako Kato
This last album is from the recently passed sound artist from Tokyo, Japan – Sawako Kato. There is something universal, yet intimate and private in her music, which I strongly relate to as a listener and a composer. Her music evokes so many images, yet is so grounded in sound itself.
I CARE IF YOU LISTEN is an editorially-independent program of the American Composers Forum, and is made possible thanks to generous donor and institutional support. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author and may not represent the views of ICIYL or ACF.
You can support the work of ICIYL with a tax-deductible gift to ACF. For more on ACF, visit composersforum.org.
