60 Sound Artists Protest the War: A Chaotic Sonic Assault on Your Ears
If you’re looking for something that punches you in the face and then leaves you questioning your own sanity, 60 Sound Artists Protest the War is your jam. Released in 2003 by Atak—a label known for pushing boundaries—this Japanese electronic album feels less like music and more like a glitchy fever dream designed to make you uncomfortable. And honestly? That’s exactly why it works.
The compilation is all over the place, genre-wise: abstract, experimental, minimal... hell, some tracks don’t even feel like they belong in the same universe. But that chaos is what makes this record so damn compelling. It's not here to comfort you; it’s here to slap you awake. Produced and compiled by Keiichiro Shibuya (you might know him from his other avant-garde projects), the album features an insane lineup of sound artists who clearly didn’t give a fuck about traditional structure or commercial appeal. Good.
Let me tell you about two tracks that stuck with me long after I hit stop—because trust me, you need highlights when dealing with 60 tracks of sonic madness.
First up: "Completely Meaningless to Anyone Else." Right off the bat, this track sets the tone. It's abrasive as hell, throwing jagged shards of noise at you without warning. The title says it all—it doesn't care if you "get" it. Halfway through, there’s this moment where everything just collapses into white noise. Not subtle, not pretty, but brutally effective. You can almost picture the artist laughing maniacally while assembling this mess. By the end, you'll either hate it or love how much it pisses you off. Either way, it sticks.
Then there’s "Strategies Against War 1.0 - Covering All Informations With White Noise." This one’s basically a middle finger to clarity itself. Imagine someone took every news broadcast, political speech, and war announcement ever made and drowned them in static. What’s left isn’t information—it’s pure rage distilled into sound. There are moments where voices break through the chaos, only to get swallowed again. It’s disorienting, frustrating, and oddly cathartic. If anger had a soundtrack, this would be it.
Now, let’s talk design real quick because props to Maria, Myeong-Hee Lee, and Ryoji Tanaka for making this thing look as wild as it sounds. The art direction matches the vibe perfectly—minimal yet chaotic, clean lines interrupted by bursts of disorder. Even the mastering by Kimken deserves a nod; somehow, he managed to wrangle all these wildly different pieces into a cohesive (well, sorta) listening experience.
So yeah, this album is messy, loud, and occasionally nonsensical—but maybe that’s the point. In a world drowning in propaganda and manufactured consent, sometimes the most honest response is total sonic anarchy. Listening to 60 Sound Artists Protest the War feels like being cornered at a protest where everyone’s shouting their own slogans simultaneously. Exhausting? Sure. Powerful? Absolutely.
And here’s the kicker: buried under all the noise, there’s a weird sense of hope. Like, sure, we’re fucked—but at least we’re fucking loud about it.
Final verdict? If you want easy listening, go listen to Coldplay or something boring. But if you want an album that challenges you, fucks with your head, and refuses to play nice, this is worth every second of discomfort. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Rating: 8/10
Because nothing’s perfect, but this comes close to capturing the ugly beauty of resistance.
Artist:Various Album: 60 Sound Artists Protest the War
Strategies Against War 1.0 - Covering All Information with White Noise
O.T.
0:59
Pow
1:0
Roughneck Daddy
1:1
Scrh.Ov
0:59
tr37
Liberta Excerpt (1999)
1:2
From 1 To 256
0:59
Record:Bgd 3.20-21
1:0
Who's Next? Mr. Bill Will Come And Kill You to Look Out For No. 1
1:01
John Ashcroft - Let the Eagle Soar (Interpreted By Mitchell Akiyama)
1:1
Is This Just...[?]
Who's Next? Mr.B Will Come and Kill You to Look Out for No.1
1:0
Easy Lover
1:7
Heiwa No Tame No Haiku
1:0
Completely Meaningless to Anyone Else
1:0
From \
1:1
You Delay
Sand Wind
San An
Strategies Against War 1.0- Covering All Informations With White Noise
1:00
Skm5
1:0
正勝吾勝
1:02
Emptarda Notch
1:0
TR37
0:59
John Ashcroft - Let the Eagle Soar
1:02
A Moment Of Silence
1:00
1 Min. in Texas
1:2
Gps Jammer Output
1:1
Sketch For Bagdad É Em Lisboa
1:00
No/
Undirected/Coran
SKM5
1:01
Untitled*
1:1
Cornered at the Drake Hotel
The Air Between (remix)
From "Muramatsu-Gear"
1:01
We Insist
Islt
Pie Jesu
0:54
Fields
Kqrf
0:55
Hunt
0:58
kgrf
No
1:0
Urgent
1:1
Room 303
0:55
KGRF
0:55
Raw
1:2
TC
Untitled
1:0
Tr37
0:58
Sandwind
0:58
Microsonic
0:58
諭日 (Satosuhi)
1:21
Record:BGD 3.20-21
1:01
Satosuhi
1:21
?????????
1:15
Times Square 3/20/03 (excerpt)
Make Music
1:0
Record:Bgd
Sketch for Bagdad é em Lisboa
Fireweed
0:59
The Air Between (Remix)
1:0
Absolute Threshold Test
1:0
Sequencer
1:1
Cornered At the Drake Hotel
1:0
Flap Nipper
0:45
Liberta Excerpt
GPS Jammer Output
Times Square 3/20/03 (Excerpt)
1:0
Kartenhaus
1:0
Let the Eagle Soar
You Delay!!!!!!!,,,,Scr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!mmm From Behind |_∧|\| Cab\e
1:01
./.
Flak
1:0
scrh.ov
. / .
1:0
1 Min. In Texas
1:03
Who's Next? Mr. Bill Will Come and Kill You to Look Out for No. 1
Konvert
1:0
Masakatsuakatsu
1:2
Untitled Peace
A Moment of Silence
IsIt
1:07
Bola
1:3
From "Muramatsu-gear"
From 1 to 256
You Delay!!!!!!!, ,, ,Scr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Mmm from Behind _ / \\ \\ Cab\\E
1:0
Images
Catalog Numbers
60 sound
Labels
Atak
Listen online
écouter en ligne
online luisteren
escuchar en línea
kuunnella verkossa
ascolta in linea
online anhören
ouvir online
lyssna på nätet
lytte på nettet
Formats
CD
Compilation
Companies
Role
Company
Published By
Atak
Credits
Role
Credit
Art Direction
Maria
Compilation Producer
Keiichiro Shibuya
Producer
Keiichiro Shibuya
Design
Myeong-Hee Lee, Ryoji Tanaka
Mastered By
Kimken
Notes
60 sound artists present 60 one-minute compositions in protest of the war in Iraq.
Comes in a cardboard sleeve.
Barcodes
Matrix / Runout: 60 by 60. ATAK
Mould SID Code: IFPI AG03
Interesting fact about Album
Did you know? In 2003, a unique anti-war album called *60 Sound Artists Protest the War* was released in Japan. It featured experimental electronic tracks from various artists, produced by Keiichiro Shibuya under the label Atak. The album is packed with abstract and minimal sounds, including a track titled *"A Moment of Silence"* and another bizarrely named *"You Delay!!!!!!!"*. With its unconventional style and bold political statement, it’s a fascinating blend of art and activism.
