It’s rare anyone has anything positive to say about a levee. From Dylan to Zeppelin, The Grateful Dead to Don Mclean, levees have been places of dread and foreboding threat, coloured by drought and the devil.
Nobuto Suda’s take isn’t so bleak. Inspired by some of Kyoto’s waterscapes, the gentle churn of ‘Nobody Levee’ creates an effortlessly warm tranquillity that invites swimming contemplation.
“Kyoto has a lot of rivers and levees and the river, I think, wraps around the loneliness of people,” he explains. “I was inspired a lot by the flow of the river and wind shaking the trees that grow along it. On holidays, I go for a walk and read a book by the river. This song is the scene that flows in sound, in my head.”
Eased by a sense of movement, pushed by a ceaselessly serene force, it’s a track that instils quietude and peace. Like the water itself, it’s a track perpetually in motion, comforting in its preordained cycle and all-enveloping atmosphere. So whether you feel immersed in the wash or are happy to ponder your reflection, this lapping melody invites you to more than just dip a toe. Dive deep.
ASIP009 Nobuto Suda - Nobody Levee
