cloud collecting #8: marucoporoporo
contemplating life's cycles, lightening hearts through music + making time for a trembling heart
cloud collecting includes 3-question interviews with women and gender-expansive artists discussing their creativity. I'm excited to have Japanese-based musician marucoporoporo share a few insights into her process. Her latest album via Flau Records has been one of my favorites this year and I loved learning more about the intention and love she pours into her craft.
marucoporoporo is a singer, musician & guitarist, based in Ama, Aichi Prefecture in Central Japan. Influenced by an eclectic array of music, from innovative electronic works and experimental noise to folk and South American music, marucoporoporo orchestrates every element in her output, from songwriting and recording to sound processing and mixing. With poignant songs that explore contemporary selfhood and profound interiorities, marucoporoporo creates quietly extraordinary music that resonates acutely. Drawn from relationships and the everyday, the music of marucoporoporo is made with piano, acoustic guitar, and electronics. A project that creates vivid movements of sound both enveloping and ethereal.
1. Your recent album on FLAU records, 'Conceive the Sea' is heartachingly beautiful. How did you begin writing this album and what was the songwriting process like for you?
This album came about after I made music for a visual project centered on the experiences of pregnancy and childbirth. During the production, I explored the miracle of life from various perspectives. For instance, I learned about fetal development through Lennart Nilsson's photo book A Child Is Born, and gained insight into the deep connection between the ocean and amniotic fluid―the primordial sources of life―from the book Taiji No Sekai (The World of the Fetus) by Shigeo Miki.
Inspired by these experiences, I composed two songs: Conceive the Sea which evokes the breath of life emerging from the ancient sea, hinting at the beginning of existence, and Cycle of Love which reflects on the continuous cycle of life, emphasizing the significance of our current existence within it.
However, I didn't just follow the theme while making this album.
For me at that time, working on this project was not only a period of introspection but also a precious time when I could find peace in my daily life. The flow of the songs gradually shifts inward from the middle of the album, reflecting the chaotic process of delving into one's inner self, even as the themes of birth, creation, and energy are explored.
Because this is an expression born from a single individual, I believe my mental state at the time inevitably influenced the work, even while remaining conscious of the overarching theme.
2. When did you first feel drawn to making music and what brought you to blending folk leanings with electronic music?
I started writing songs and composing music when I was in junior high school. Back then, it wasn't so much about wanting someone to listen, but rather about lightening my own heart by writing lyrics and creating melodies with my guitar. In high school, after gaining experience in own band, I gradually transitioned to creating music with music production software (DAW). I was really into the genre of electronica at the time, and I admired the intricate and delicate sound design, which led me to start using digital music production tools. However, no matter how much time I spent on it, I couldn't create sounds that satisfied me, and I found myself searching for my own sound. During this period, I had the opportunity to perform live in a guitar-and-vocal style, and I created songs specifically for these live performances. At that time, I felt that I could express the melodies in my head more naturally than when I used digital tools. Since then, I started composing with acoustic instruments and using digital production tools for arranging, which became my new style.
3. How do you cloud collect (connect to childlike wonder) in your creativity?
For me, the small discoveries hidden in everyday life are very important elements in developing music. These discoveries are found in the time I share with others in my daily life, the various occupations and experiences I have had, and the wonderful musicians I have met around me, which all seem to have a great influence on the new ideas and feelings I put into my music. And as I confronted the feelings that emerged at each moment, I had more experiences that shook me to the core, and my singing and playing changed along with them. Of course, I love to listen to music, so I try to be stimulated by various genres of music. But more than that, I believe that it is necessary for me to increase my sensitivity to various phenomena that are hidden in everyday life, and to have the time to let my heart tremble, in order to nurture my creativity.