maya ongaku detail upcoming album, Nothing Space Music

Tsutomu Sonoda, Ryota Takano and Shoei Ikeda formed maya ongaku in the seaside towns surrounding Enoshima, southwest of Tokyo, drawn together by a spirit they describe as 自然発生 (shizen hassei), or "spontaneous occurrence." Drawing inspiration from 1960s and 1970s experimental rock, Japanese folk and psychedelia, they approach music as a way of exploring relationships between people, nature, sound and consciousness.

Nothing Space Music is said to mark the deepest realisation of the band's maya ongaku's vision to date, following their 2023 debut Approach to Anima. It comes from the band's desire to reconnect with silence after a period of extensive international touring, with "Astral Echoes" landing as the first taster of the album.

Speaking about the track, the band say: “‘Astral Echoes’ explores the moment when art comes into being – when inspiration quietly enters the mind. I believe inspiration is not something to be chased or seized, but something that emerges when we patiently wait for its arrival in silence.”

In order to make Nothing Space Music, the band built their own recording environment near a seaside shrine in their hometown. Over several months, they transformed a large soundproof building into Nothing Space Studio, where they recorded, performed, mixed and designed the album in near-total isolation. It plays as one immersive composition, reflecting the band's belief that deep connection exists beyond the things that divide people in modern life.

Nothing Space Music artwork

Nothing Space Music tracklist

"Vanishing Waves"
"Astral Echoes"
"Thinkingscape"
"Flowing"
"Hisoku Blue"
"In Nothing Space"
"You are Silence"
"Permanent Waves"