Name: Satomimagae
Nationality: Japanese
Occupation: Composer, sound artist, songwriter, vocalist, producer
Recent release: Satomimagae's new album Taba is out April 25th 2025 via RVNG Intl.
Recommendation on the topic of sound: David Toop's book Ocean of Sound has given me new perspectives on working with sound.

If you enjoyed this Satomimagae interview and would like to stay up to date with her music, visit her official website. She is also on Instagram, and Soundcloud. 



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

Often a view comes to mind. Also there are times when it doesn’t come to mind. In those cases, I just see the movements of the hands and mouth of the person playing it.

It is better to close my eyes, but when I am really concentrating, I feel that the scenery in front of me is not in my mind as information - even if I keep my eyes open.

How do listening with headphones and listening through a stereo system change your experience of sound and music?

With headphones, it sounds more three-dimensional. You can also hear a better separation between the left and right channel. It is easier to focus on the fine spots and hear them.

The whole picture is more audible on a stereo system.

Tell me about some of the albums or artists that you love specifically for their sound, please.

The American Analog Set: The Golden Band



The Notwist: Neon Golden



The instruments are clearly audible without being jarring or harsh. The vocals are very subdued and blend beautifully with the instruments, yet are clearly audible.

[Read our The Notwist interview]

Do you experience strong emotional responses towards certain sounds? If so, what kind of sounds are these and do you have an explanation about the reasons for these responses?

I do experience strong emotional responses but there are no set sounds. Sometimes it’s very intense music, sometimes it’s slow and gentle music.

The reasons would be because it's a new feeling that I haven’t experienced before, or I feel strong emotion from the music.

There can be sounds which feel highly irritating to us and then there are others we could gladly listen to for hours. Do you have examples for either one or both of these?

I have a hard time with squeaky sounds or sounds that have a rhythm that is difficult to grasp, or sounds that sound filthy.

Rough or gurgling sounds of the sea or machinery are calming.

Are there everyday places, spaces, or devices which intrigue you by the way they sound? Which are these?

When I was little, I used to speak or sing with my ear on the surface of a slide in a park to hear the magical reverb it made.

Have you ever been in spaces with extreme sonic characteristics, such as anechoic chambers or caves? What was the experience like?

Unfortunately, I have no recollection of such a special space. But in my area, when it snows very occasionally, the way the sound resonates outside is more quiet and beautiful.

I think there is a special sonic characteristic that can only be felt when it’s snowing and there is snow on the ground.

What are among your favourite spaces to record and play your music?

I think it's my room.

Do music and sound feel “material” to you? Does working with sound feel like you're sculpting or shaping something?

Sound feels like a material when I make music. I try to create the space / flow as a goal, by sculpting, shaping, rearranging, and embellishing the materials.

How important is sound for our overall well-being and in how far do you feel the "acoustic health" of a society or environment is reflective of its overall health?

It’s very difficult to think about how sounds affect people and society, considering that the actual “sounds” we hear are very few, while there are sounds around us that we are not consciously aware of, or that are inaudible to the human ear.

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds?

When I went to record the sound of a device called Suikinkutsu at a shrine in the past, there were chickens being raised on the shrine grounds.

When I listened to the recording, I heard the sound of the Suikinkutsu mixed with the sounds of the chickens, also people talking and birds that I had not noticed at the site, creating a surrealistic acoustic world that sounded like music.

Many animals communicate through sound. Based either on experience or intuition, do you feel as though interspecies communication is possible and important? Is there a creative element to it, would you say?  

I think it’s possible based on my experience although it’s difficult to understand each other deeply.

I think I never considered it important. I just think it's a very natural thing. I think communication is creative as it’s the act of building new relationships.

Tinnitus and developing hyperacusis are very real risks for anyone working with sound. Do you take precautions in this regard and if you're suffering from these or similar issues – how do you cope with them?

I have rarely been bothered by them.

But the people around me with such problems seem to have been listening to music all their lives, either loudly, near speakers, or with earphones or headphones, sometimes even in order to get sleep. I try not to do these things too much.

We can surround us with sound every second of the day. The great pianist Glenn Gould even considered this the ultimate delight. How do you see that yourself and what importance does silence hold?

It’s said that babies hear loud sounds inside their mothers' bodies from the time they are in their bellies. So I feel that being surrounded by sound is equal to the feeling of being “alive,” and that makes us feel relieved.

I personally feel “true silence” is inherently unnatural and is just important when you want to record / hear / play only the sound you are aiming for.

Seth S. Horowitz called hearing the “universal sense” and emphasised that it was more precise and faster than any of our other senses, including vision. How would our world be different if we paid less attention to looks and listened more instead?

I think our definition of what is beautiful would be different from what it is now. There would be more “noise” and we may have to live more carefully.