Hatis Noit’s strange, spiritual lullabies are steeped in mysticism. It makes sense: the Japanese singer fell in love with music during a mountain trek through Nepal, where she stumbled across a female monk singing ancient Buddhist chants. It doesn’t really get more mystical than that. “The sound moved me so intensely, I was suddenly aware of the power of the human voice,” she tells Huck. “It was so primal. I knew then I wanted to sing and feel that visceral connection myself.”
Noit, who hails from Shiretoko in north Japan, was only 16 when she heard the chants – but it was old enough for her to make a plan. Learning from opera singers, old Gregorian chanting and avant-garde vocalists, she began to teach herself to sing; creating an accomplished and ethereal sense of her own style in the process.
These sounds have now been shared with the world thanks to her new EP, Illogical Dance (released last week). The record – which was co-produced by Haruhisa Tanaka and Björk collaborator Matmos – aims to step into the listener’s subconscious, introducing them to a more magical, transcendental way of relating to sound.
For the latest Monday Mix, Noit reveals some of the influences that helped her reach that same point personally. “I ended up digging up lots of old music I haven’t listened to for a long time for this mix, so it has some nice memories for me from when I first started making music on my own,” she says. “I love music which makes us feel its player’s body. When I sing, I try to feel my whole body, because any sounds, emotions and memory, which is the source of my music, comes from my body. Physicality is quite important for music for me.” Listen below:
Masayasu Tzboguchi – ‘Trio Jigzoo Ballad’
Mujika Easel – ‘To be sure, it exists’
Astor Piazzolla – ‘Milonga De La Anunciación’
菊地成孔 (Naruyoshi Kikuchi) – ‘ルペ・ベレスの葬儀’
Colin Stetson and Sarah Neufeld – ‘The Rest of Us’
Hatis Noit – ‘Angelus Novus’
Hatis Noit’s Illogical Dance EP is out now.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Latest on Huck
The party starters fighting to revive Stonehenge’s Solstice Free Festival
Free the Stones! delves into the vibrant community that reignites Stonehenge’s Solstice Free Festival, a celebration suppressed for nearly four decades.
Written by: Laura Witucka
Hypnotic Scenes of 90s London Nightlife
Legendary photographer Eddie Otchere looks back at this epic chapter of the capital’s story in new photobook ‘Metalheadz, Blue Note London 1994–1996’
Written by: Miss Rosen
The White Pube: “Artists are skint, knackered and sharing the same 20 quid”
We caught up with the two art rebels to chat about their journey, playing the game that they hate, and why anarchism might be the solution to all of art’s (and the wider world’s) problems.
Written by: Isaac Muk
The Chinese youth movement ditching big cities for the coast
In ’Fissure of a Sweetdream’ photographer Jialin Yan documents the growing number of Chinese young people turning their backs on careerist grind in favour of a slower pace of life on Hainan Island.
Written by: Isaac Muk
The LGBT Travellers fundraising for survival
This Christmas, Traveller Pride are raising money to continue supporting LGBT Travellers (used inclusively) across the country through the festive season and on into next year, here’s how you can support them.
Written by: Percy Henderson
The fight to save Bristol’s radical heart
As the city’s Turbo Island comes under threat activists and community members are rallying round to try and stop the tide of gentrification.
Written by: Ruby Conway