The opening of the Wayang Tantri performed in Denpasar in October 2011. The dalang is Pak Widja of Sukawati Village

Wayang Tantri

Unlike the eyes, our ears do not close, and for those of us who hear, the world is never silent. Still, we seek out more sound: sound for information, sound for pleasure. We must discriminate, even within the narrow range of human hearing, to find what we like. Hissing televisions put weird pressure inside my forehead, diesel generators make me ill-tempered. Too much repetition becomes irritating: alarm clocks and humming electronics. Lack of repetition is simply noise. Somewhere in between all the harsh, grating frequencies is a curious and sonorous world of sounds. They can be made, played, and found; captured and synthesized; accidental or laborious. I keep my ear to the ground and try to share what I find. At the moment that means walking the streets of Tokyo with a field recorder and making the most of a laptop and single microphone. If the world's rumble and hum don't shake the air in your ears enough, you can always come here for more. Read more at iancoss.com