The debut record from nehan (an evening with nehan) is a technical feat that borders science fiction: led by Masaki Batoh (Ghost, The Silence), the avant-garde rock quintet improvises each performance off the rhythm of a 9hz brain wave emitted from a test subject in a deep hypnosis. Batoh — who's also an acupuncturist — had the idea for a machine that could generate sonic data based on brain waves back in 2010 after winding down work with Ghost. He used this machine to record the 2012 album Brain Pulse Music before forming nehan in August 2022 to fully explore the concept.

After announcing the album in October with the single “ocean side (edit)”, nehan now unveils a hypnotizing look into their technique with the release of a 22-minute live performance video filmed in Tokyo on March 29, 2023. The footage, fully translated, illuminates Batoh’s process with a step-by-step explanation; once Brain Pulse subject Satri enters a deep meditative state, her brain waves are transmitted wirelessly and a supernatural performance ensues. It’s a mystifying feat, but it’s certainly no magic act: per Batoh, it’s “a pure improvisational ceremony” of biological feedback.

an evening with nehan was recorded live at GOK SOUND in Tokyo with the lineup of Batoh, fellow Ghost members Junzo Tateiwa and Futoshi Okano (Acid Mothers Temple, The Silence), Haruo Kondo (Espvall & Batoh) and Brain Pulse test subject Gozen on oscillators. (Satri is the current permanent Brain Pulse subject.) They utilized a wide array of instruments including gongs, timpani, tabla and other drums and percussion, Crumhorn, bagpipes, mellotron, oscillators and additional sound effects. Their performance is a transformative electro-acoustic display that passes through the prism of music styles, from east to west, from traditional folk and classical to rock, jazz, and avant electronic.

See it to believe it! The full 22-minute performance from nehan is now streaming on Drag City’s YouTube channel. Entrance yourself with a watch below, then pulse to the wavelengths of an evening with nehan on vinyl and digital, out January 26th, 2024!