SOUNDING THE UNHEARD: REVIVING MALAYSIA’S NATURAL-CULTURAL SOUNDSCAPE THROUGH LIVE ELECTROACOUSTIC NARRATIVES

Abstract

This article introduces Nada Sfera, a live electroacoustic composition method that integrates Malaysia’s ecological environments with its cultural and mythological narratives. In this study, environment refers to the sonic properties of ecological habitats—such as caves, mangroves, and coral reefs—while ecological memory denotes how these sounds encode temporal, cultural, and ecological knowledge. By embedding these environments within Malay folklore and Orang Asli oral traditions, Nada Sfera positions sound as both ecological record and cultural text. Custom-built binaural streaming devices capture site-specific soundscapes, which are manipulated in real time through Pure Data and Ableton Live. Distinct habitats contribute structurally differentiated materials: caves with resonant overtone layering, mangroves with polyrhythmic cycles, and coral reefs with granular inharmonic textures. These sonic identities are reframed through performative cultural memory, where live performance re-enacts ecological and cultural continuity, and through cultural re-imaging, where traditional narratives are reshaped via contemporary sonic practice. Rather than equating ecological storytelling with Chion’s reduced listening, this project emphasizes re-embedding sound into its cultural and ecological context. Ultimately, Nada Sfera demonstrates how live electroacoustic performance—still rare in Malaysia—can function as eco-cultural storytelling, a revival of sonic heritage, and a bridge between environmental awareness and cultural identity.

Keywords: Soundscape, Acoustic Ecology, Electroacoustic, Music Composition, Internet of Things