Maya Kotomori, Associate Producer at OTB/Community Manager at Hii Magazine, is Your Friendly Neighborhood Cretin. Raised in the arid desert of Southern California’s Inland Empire, Maya is both tuned and tapped in – whatever that means to you.

Describe your ideal listening environment. Definitely alone in bed, or on a very 70’s shag carpet, preferably in an obnoxious color.

What are your favorite sounds? The sound of feet crunching on especially crispy grass, a piano recorded in reverse, and the ding-ding ding-ding-ding chime at the end of the original Skins (UK) theme.

Which sound do you most like making? Anything annoying! I specifically love trying to imitate the onomatopoeia of an old jalopy starting up, a chainsaw, or a garbage disposal.

Who do you like to talk to most? A tie between my mom and my dad – we don’t talk often, but when we do, it’s for an hour minimum.

What does it sound like in your head? I have an auditory processing irregularity that gives me near-perfect auditory memory, so the sound inside my head is like the retired Google “I’m Feeling Lucky” search option. I also have very sensitive hearing, so I consistently hear a high-pitched whine/hum that my dad once described to me as “the sound behind sound” that, at random, is dotted with little phrases from songs or conversations that my brain replays. Very overstimulating at times, but that’s my head’s sonic normal.

What was the first thing you heard today? My radiator. She has her own personality, her voice is like a splutter-knock-whir that wakes me up for work every morning.

What sounds do you hear right now? We are currently listening to Doja Cat in the studio which is quite nice, as I’ve never sat down and listened to any of her projects in full before.

On what occasion do you become loud? I think my baseline is pretty loud, but I’m prone to exceed decibel readings when sharing passionate chisme or listening to a banger with my friends.

On what occasion did you most recently whisper? I angry-whispered to myself walking down Greene St. this morning…broke my umbrella.

Are you a good listener? I think I’m a good listener because I’m a good talker, if that makes any sense.

What podcast do you listen to the most? I actually can’t really listen to podcasts! Per my auditory memory, when I listen to a podcast as a main form of entertainment, my brain hangs onto phrases from the podcasters in a way that feels like there are people talking to me and it’s a little too surreal for the day to day. I do love to listen to Red Scare while cleaning my house though!

Describe your ideal soundscape? A family kitchen populated with the sounds of breakfast preparation, specifically the sounds of bacon frying, juice pouring, eggs getting beaten.

What do you consider to be the most frightening sound? Mouth sounds – generally. Specific examples include (but are not limited to): the unnecessarily visceral gaffing for any make out session on The Bachelor, and the grating sound of a dentist’s drill. 

What do you consider the most overrated sound? Those squishy ASMR videos. I get nauseous even thinking about it.

Whose speaking or singing voice do you most admire?

Speaking: Method Man

Singing: Stevie Wonder

Speaking and Singing: Kim Gordon

Who is your hero of music or audio? De La Soul, specifically for all of his AOI projects.

Which sound skill, talent or superpower do you possess? I am really good at sight reading from my former orchestra days.

Which sound skill, talent or superpower do you secretly possess? I used to be a nationally ranked synchronized swimmer, and have picked up an acute sense of rhythm from having to perform to music played both above/beneath the surface of a 50m pool.

Which sound skill, talent or superpower do you most desire? I wish I had better pitch, I have the personality of a soprano in a high school choir, yet the skill of a musical theatre reject.

What is the most extravagant / furthest length you have gone for sound? I took a bus from London to Bristol on an inappropriately late Wednesday evening to see King Krule at the beginning of The OOZ tour.

What is your most vivid sound memory? When I was very young, I used to freak out when it was too quiet because I heard that high-pitched whine-drone-hum so viscerally. That’s when my dad explained “the sound behind sound.” Very important memory.

Which of your possessions do you most associate with a sound? My nail polish collection – I always anticipate the bottle sounds whenever I paint my nails.

Which extinct sound do you most wish you could hear? I wish I could hear the fall of Rome.

What advice did you regret not listening to?

“Don’t wear that it’s going to snow today,”

- Everyone I have ever known, 2016 - present

Describe silence in ten words.

Imaginary

Soft

Holistic

Misnomer

Rounded

Gray

Obsolete

Huge

Tepid

Profound

When did you feel unheard? Most of my life in school, specifically higher education.

Describe a sound that troubles you. The sound of a children’s playground. I almost always imagine a child absolutely sending it and then wailing when they hurt themselves.

What will it sound like on the “other side”? Ideally – pink.

When and where were you happiest, and what did it sound like?

I don’t have a superlative answer to this question. The last time I was overwhelmingly happy was this past New Year’s Eve, dancing with my dearest friends in my basement. All we could hear was Kanye and laughter.

What was the best thing you heard this week?

“You have really great cheekbones,” - Sean (Shawn? Shaun?) who braided my hair for a photoshoot I did recently with my friends.