Namazu

For the 40th anniversary of the Friuli earthquake (6th of may 1976), I composed a piece which uses as source material only the original main shockwave of the 1976 Friuli earthquake. The infrasound wave has been processed using varispeeed and stretching tecniques in Supercollider. The resulting sound material has been assembled using a DAW. In Japanese mythology, the Namazu (鯰) or Ōnamazu (大鯰) is a giant catfish who causes earthquakes. He lives in the mud under the islands of Japan, and is guarded by the god Kashima who restrains the catfish with a stone. When Kashima lets his guard fall, Namazu thrashes about, causing violent earthquakes. Enjoy and remember...