[Series 2/3] The Night I Decided Not to Measure — What Is Shoegazer? —

— Why Does Noise Somehow Become Music? —

In Part 1, I wrote about a night at a My Bloody Valentine concert when, as an acoustician, I made a conscious decision not to measure.

This time, I would like to take a step back and organize the discussion from a more explanatory perspective.
There are two main themes:

What is shoegaze?
And why does that overwhelming noise ultimately function as music?

The Direction of Shoegaze as a Musical Form

The term shoegaze is often explained as originating from the image of musicians staring down at their effects pedals (their “shoes”) during performances.

Indeed, if you watch live footage of shoegaze bands from the early 1990s, you can see why that description was not entirely inaccurate.

However, at least in the case of My Bloody Valentine today, the label does not fully capture the reality.

Kevin Shields’ setup goes far beyond the conventional scale of a typical guitar pedalboard. His rig features an extraordinary number of effects units, exceeding what most would consider standard for guitar performance.

Fuzz, distortion, pitch shifters, multiple delays including reverse types, modulation effects, EQ, volume control — and on top of that, roughly seven guitar amplifiers.
 (If I were to go into detail, this article would become overwhelmingly long, so I will refrain.)

None of these devices are intended to be used in isolation.
What truly matters is that they are collectively managed through a centralized switching system.

As a result, if that switching system malfunctions, the entire setup becomes uncontrollable, making it impossible to recall the specific tones required for each song.

At the live show on February 9, 2026, at Tokyo Garden Theater, Kevin Shields appeared to mutter something along the lines of “F__king switching system” between songs. I suspect it was related to precisely this issue.

Watching that moment, I found myself thinking, “Yes… I completely understand.”

That said, as mentioned earlier, multiple effects are switched simultaneously, and tones are recalled not as individual “operations,” but as predefined “states.”

As a result, there is no need to keep staring at one’s feet during performance.

Even so, the sound that emerges is far more unstable—and far more controlled—than the classic image of shoegaze might suggest.

From an acoustician’s perspective, the essence of shoegaze lies not in the direction of the performer’s gaze, but in the direction of the sound.

In this genre, the question of “where the sound is coming from” is intentionally obscured.

Although traditional roles—guitar, vocals, rhythm section—remain, none of these elements insist on a clearly defined spatial position.

What ultimately emerges is music in which stable sound image localization does not fully take hold.

Acoustically Speaking: A “State to Be Avoided”

In conventional music production and live sound reinforcement, systems are designed on the assumption that:

• Sound images should be clearly defined.
• Clarity should be high.
• Individual parts should be well separated.

Shoegaze systematically subverts these assumptions.

• The boundary between direct and reflected sound becomes ambiguous.
• Phase fluctuation becomes the norm.
• Harmonic components dominate, making the fundamental less perceptible.

From an acoustical standpoint, this is music built upon conditions that would normally be considered undesirable.

Is Noise the Enemy—or the Material?

In my professional work, noise is fundamentally the enemy.
It interferes with measurement, obscures evaluation, and undermines reproducibility.

In shoegaze, however, the situation is entirely different.

Noise is not something to be eliminated.
It is treated as material—essential to the music’s construction.

The crucial point is that the noise is not random.

The amount of distortion, the depth of modulation, the position of feedback—
all of these are controlled with a clear understanding of how far the structure can be destabilized without collapsing entirely.

An Extreme Live Example: The “Holocaust” Section

This philosophy reaches its most extreme form in My Bloody Valentine’s “You Made Me Realise.”

In live performances, the latter half of the song is known for dismantling conventional musical structures such as rhythm and chord progression, while the performance itself continues uninterrupted. What follows is several minutes of overwhelming noise dominating the space.

You can watch live footage, but to be honest, that space cannot truly be understood without experiencing it physically.

Among fans, the extended noise passage in the latter half of the song is often referred to as the “Holocaust section.”
This is not an official title, but rather a long-standing colloquial term used informally among listeners.

Many describe it simply as “incredibly loud.”

From an acoustician’s viewpoint, however, it is not merely a matter of sound pressure level.

The sound does not feel like a “wall.”
It feels like a fluid.

The Overlap of White Noise and Pink Noise

To explain this technically, as simply as possible:

The noise produced by My Bloody Valentine is a complex layering of both simultaneously.

Low Frequencies: Pressure That Moves the Body

In the Holocaust section, the dominant component is low frequency energy.

• A continuous jet-engine-like sound
• No clearly defined pitch
• A distribution resembling pink noise

Particularly in the 50–80 Hz range, the energy strongly stimulates the body’s resonant regions, including the chest cavity and abdomen.

As a result, the body reacts before the mind has time to interpret the sound.

High Frequencies: Components That Carve at the Senses

Simultaneously present are high-frequency components:

• Guitar feedback
• Intense harmonic content
• A distribution similar to white noise

These stimulate regions close to auditory pain thresholds, forcibly triggering attention and defensive reflexes.

Low frequencies move the body.
High frequencies erode perception.

This simultaneity creates a sound field with no escape.

Extreme Sound Pressure and the Reality of Safety Standards

Based on physical sensation and context, the sound pressure level during the Holocaust section can be estimated at approximately 120 dB.

Exposure to this level for seven minutes (or just under five minutes at the Tokyo Garden Theater performance) significantly exceeds occupational safety guidelines such as those defined by labor regulations or NIOSH exposure standards.

For this reason, earplugs are sometimes distributed at such performances.

At this concert, earplugs were in fact provided at the venue.

This is not theatrical embellishment—it is essentially a necessary safety measure.

Hearing Protection from the Perspective of a Sound Professional

From a professional standpoint, this must be stated clearly:

At these sound pressure levels, hearing protection is essential.

Hearing damage is irreversible.

What is fascinating, however, is that even with hearing protection, the My Bloody Valentine experience is not diminished.

The Experience Remains

Even when wearing earplugs or ear protectors with sufficient attenuation, the experience of the Holocaust section does not disappear.

This is because the musical experience does not rely solely on the eardrum.

• Bone conduction
• Vibration transmitted through the skin
• Resonance within organs and skeletal structure

Sound is perceived by the entire body.

Even when the ears are protected, the pressure, density, and invasive sensation remain.

That is the essence of a My Bloody Valentine live performance.

“Isolation” and “Penetration”

Here, my professional life overlaps with this experience.

The anechoic chambers and soundproof rooms we design are spaces intended to isolate sound—
to separate it from the outside world in order to enable precise measurement and evaluation.

A My Bloody Valentine concert is the opposite.

It is not about isolating sound.
It is about being penetrated by it.

For someone whose work involves controlling and blocking sound, to instead be controlled and penetrated by it—

That contrast is one of the reasons that night was so memorable to me.

Toward Part 3

In the next installment, I will turn to “When You Sleep,” from My Bloody Valentine’s landmark album Loveless.

We will examine:

• What layers of sound are present
• How the midrange is treated
• What the effects are actually doing

From the perspective of both a guitarist and an acoustician.

— To be continued in Part 3.