Nujabes - Modal Soul

Written 03/19/2023

I've found that music is the best communicator of passion. I think it's through the way that humans, uniquely, process the sound of music. On a completely fundamental level, music is just noise. In the same way that we create our realities through perception, we make up the beauty inside it. I love music for that, because it often feels like it acts as a portrait of the humanity in us. And I love humans. I love us.

I think Nujabes did, too. Or at least, he loved the human part of music. He is often hailed as the godfather of lo-fi music, a genre that, while I think in our modern era is cheap and easy to mass produce, is a direct window to the soul. Jazz is romantic, hip-hop is raw, and the classical era of music is soothing, but lo-fi is vulnerable. Nujabes displayed this vulnerability in a way that I think no other lo-fi musician can match, or at least has matched. Modal Soul is a beautiful, beautiful example of this. From the beautiful sampling of Terry Callier's Ordinary Joe, to the sweet World End's Rhapsody, every song is a display of sensitive love and open-heartedness.

I want to talk about something specific. In particular, Shing02's poem to the rap world, the Luv(sic.) series. Now, on Modal Soul, only part 3 is featured (and I strongly recommend everybody listen to the entire series of Luv(sic.)), but I believe it's the most heartfelt delivery of his message. It's very unique in that, Luv(sic.) is mostly not Nujabes' message. It is Shing02's message, it is his love for hip-hop and it is his feelings for the community. Nujabes saw Shing02's love and gave him a voice. I don't mean to be old-fashioned, but I really don't see this nowadays.

Currently, collaboration in music has mostly been about the feature. The passion isn't non-existent, but as production has become cheaper and easier, people are more selfish in their fervor and are less willing to share it with others. Maybe that's why I find myself so drawn to the Luv(sic.) series, and Modal Soul as a whole. Nujabes had a method to making you feel the same love he was feeling, for the world, for the music, and for the soul. He didn't poeticize it, he didn't say it in interviews. Instead, he performed, and he put so much effort into it, that you couldn't help but see it in any other way.

His passing was like a cannonfire in the night of the underground music community. Music didn't die that day, but it shuddered at the cold feeling. If I could go back and bring back anyone, I think I would choose Nujabes. Before 2023, I felt like we really needed him to bring the love back. However, as this year has gone on, I have found myself really happy with the state of things. It feels like the music world has rediscovered the love. It's moving.

Modal Soul is a monument to me. Maybe it's not a perfect album to others. It is to me, though. What it means goes beyond the sound. It enters the heart, permeates through the nerves, pervades the brain, and coats every part of the being in it's vision. It is music beyond music. It is a light message painted on the sky to anyone willing to dream.

Maybe I'm getting too emotional. 10/10