Suki Sou’s ‘Notes on Listening’ mini album exudes idyllic ambient splendour

Based in Peak District, UK, sound designer and composer Suki Sou has released ‘Notes on Listening’ via Iowa-based label Curious Music.

The deep listening-focused mini album whose music was composed, recorded and produced by the artist at home comes in a limited edition CD format along with digital download and streaming.

Sou has created a charming tapestry of sounds inspired by day-to-day living that comes in a blend of neo-morning electronica, kosmische, proto-techno ambient, with the album's composition centred on natural elements, silence and focus. It’s also worth mentioning that the artist has experienced synaesthesia since birth, which only adds to the unique flair of the release, evident in the bountiful synthesised babbles and hydrated loops.

“The inspiration stems from the simple yet often overlooked pleasures of our daily life, offering a sonic backdrop to moments of mindfulness,” she explains exclusively to Mixmag Asia.

Born in Macau to a Burmese father and a half-Chinese, half-Japanese mother, Sou was first exposed to electronic music through a Sunkist Orange commercial on TV whose soundtrack was created by Suzanne Cianni. “The immersive soundscapes and atmospheric textures of the soundtrack completely blew me away,” she adds, which then led to her fascination with early electronic instruments such as the Buchla Easel, ARP 2600 and ARP 2500.

Read this next: Higher Intelligence Agency reworks Temple Rat's atmospheric ‘The Garden of Earthly Delights’

She followed up her discovery with an exploration of different styles and techniques in terms of sound creation, eventually finding herself “gravitating towards the subtle nuances of ambient compositions and the elegant simplicity of minimal music. It's not always about the big, bold, faster beats –– sometimes the most exhilarating and energising moments in music can be the still, quiet ones.”

Read this next: NaNaSSUS serves a dose of refreshing chillwave in ‘長島冰茶 Long Island Iced Tea’

Using sequencers to create intricate and layered melodies and rhythms, Sou presents her distinct sound across seven nuanced and subtly detailed tracks. We as the listeners are taken into a sonic journey accompanied by minimalist oscillating riffs, harmonic pulsations and ambient drones that evoke natural elements of water, air and light. There’s also the elegant manipulation of percussions and temple toms that symbolise nature’s ever-changing weather patterns.

Listen to ‘Notes on Listening’ in its entirety here.

Amira Waworuntu is Mixmag Asia’s Managing Editor, follow her on Instagram.