‘Noumenal Eggs' by MIRA新伝統 soundtracks a post-human reality inspired by ill-fated experiences

Experimental/techno duo MIRA新伝統 released their new EP "Noumenal Eggs'' on June 17 via the Bristol-founded Berlin-based label, Subtext Recordings. The piece sees Raphael Leray and Honami Higuchi, based in Tokyo, combine their ingeniousness in portraying a future that’s far from our dystopian and cyberpunk expectations.

A follow-up from their 2019 one-hour performance titled ‘Torque’ — highlighting the violence and ensuing disidentification endured by Honami herself as she confronts her harrowing experience of sex work — ‘Noumenal Eggs’ continues to portray the show’s distressing themes. A strong notion of otherness and self-separateness echoes through the compositions, with titles such as ‘Hosting of an Inorganic Demon’ and ‘Disembodiment’ that carry us deeper into the artists’ story.

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The cover image perfectly portrays the overall feeling brought forth by the EP. Created by Swiss artist Maya Hottarek and photographed by Joelle Neuenschwander, the structure depicts an object that exists beyond the natural human imagination with its unfamiliar form and alien-green hue.

Leray and Honami infuse the EP with an eerie ambience filled with rhythmic sounds of crackles and clatter plus macabre synth melodies. Encouraging us to dive deeper in thought, the opening track ‘Hosting of an Inorganic Demon’ take inspiration from Iranian philosopher Reza Negarestani’s theory-fiction describing entities of sentient geographical places and demonic natural resources. From there, the musical journey only twists and turns into more spine-tingling excitement.

The life and scenes of Kanto have also ignited the duo’s creative spark, evident in their ‘Noumenal Eggs’ track. Listeners are whisked away to empty Shibuya streets glowing with neon-lit advertising and a Kanagawa eco-trance rave littered with plastic-sediment stones.

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‘Chronosis’ on the other hand echoes the impression of time folding and space compressing in what the duo mention to be “a muffled and backward spatial sensation”. The EP closes with a remix of ‘Disembodiment’ by fellow experimental musician Ziúr with her distinct dissonant sound and fractured composition that enrich the EP’s dark atmosphere. Coil, Psychic TV, Markus Popp and Ikue Mori also leave subtle contributions to the post-industrial-sounding release.

MIRA新伝統 ‘Noumenal Eggs' EP is out now and available for purchase here.