Nobuto Suda’s Private Space

Some of the best ambient music can sound simply like music blocked in part by a thick wall. There’s a party going on, and you’re in the next room over, and the sounds are muffled, but you’ve got some much needed personal space and the trade-off is well worth it. “Cloud Streams” by Nobuto Suda involves no trade-offs. The piece is the piece, as intended by the Japanese musician (who is based in San’yō-Onoda), but the pleasant sense of isolation connects to the chance variety described above. Everything moves slowly, which in this case transmits the underlying vibe that any potential urgency has been dispensed with. The effect is calming, all the more so because the sounds have all the hard edges wiped away. It’s more than a wisp, and still lighter than air.