Vapor Talks #26: 直子coed (naoko coed)

The Japanese-Irish artist about her idiosyncratic approach to signalwave

The anonymous artist 直子coed (translated/pronounced: naoko coed) specializes in strangely atmospheric, almost audioplay-like collages of samples from Japanese TV series, anime theme songs and idol show music.

Her meticulously crafted and edited albums evoke a bittersweet sense of nostalgia, transcending cultural barriers and boundaries rather than appropriating, othering or fetishizing foreign – especially East Asian – cultures (as vaporwave is quite often, and sometimes rightfully, accused of).

Since her debut in 2023, Naoko immediately became a highly active member of the signalwave scene. She’s been running and hosting the Signalcon online festival on her YouTube channel, an effort to bring signalwave producers and listeners together for a yearly URL event, with the next one taking place in July. She’s also just taken over admin duties of the Signalwave Discord server from its former owner, TV2.

When I messaged Naoko there to gauge her interest in a Vapor Talk, she pointed out that she had to maintain absolute discretion about her identity for professional reasons. The only information she’s ready to give away is that she’s 27 years old, half Japanese and half Irish, goes by she/her pronouns and is currently based in Nagoya, Japan (as stated on her Bandcamp page).

But even in a written conversation like the one you’ll find below, the bubbly and cheerful personality of the signalwave producer quite clearly shines through. She also made sure to give loads of supportive shoutouts to other artists from the community (the ‘homies’). Please note that I barely edited anything here – except for some formatting and the fact that I changed many of her exclamation marks into regular full stops. (You’ll still notice that Naoko is really fond of exclamation marks!)

image courtesy of the artist

“In a world that is becoming more and more digital, signalwave samples the more human media of radio and television. (…) Broadcasts from these times have in them a more authentic feeling of human connection. Signalwave is a celebration of that connection!” (直子coed)

Naoko, where did you grow up, and what role did music play for you as a child?

I grew up in a pretty isolated place, with mainly my dad for company. He was always busy with work stuff, so he used to give me all these VHS tapes and leave me in front of the TV. I have very special memories of watching old school anime and tokusatsu shows late at night. The songs from those shows have a very special place in my heart, especially the 80s and 90s idol songs.

My mom used to have a big collection of kayōkyoku and city pop vinyls too. Though she wasn’t around that much, Chisato Moritaka, Eriko Tamura and Michiru Kojima were always there for me.

When I was a teenager, things got interesting. I was given internet access. This helped me discover K-pop, black metal, noise and this genre called vaporwave. I especially liked vaporwave that sounded like a broadcast or a TV playing at night. It gave me a mysterious, exciting feeling and reminded me of watching those VHS tapes as a kid. I’ve always been a night owl, so I am normally awake at night time.

Did you get musical training and learn any instruments?

I used to love singing a lot. I was very inspired, especially after seeing as a kid the anime Legendary Idol Eriko. It showed how, as an idol, you can really spread joy and make people happy!

I wanted to be either a K-pop singer or a singer in a metal band, so I used to practice scream vocals and rapping and singing pop when my parents were not around. I had a big accident though, and one of the effects is that I essentially lost my voice. I was still determined to do music, so I decided to get into producing and promoting.

When and how did you start producing music on a computer?

In 2023, I first got the idea for the 直子coed project. By that time, I had seen a lot of crazy things and had a lot of crazy experiences, so I wanted to return to simpler, happier times. I wanted to recreate special memories from my childhood.

I remember looking up many shows and movies that I used to watch, and downloading them all into a big folder on my computer, so I had a big digital library of my childhood memories. I recorded the audio from my favourite parts and put them together as songs. Each song could bring me back to a happy memory from my childhood. With a few small adjustments, this has been my production process ever since. There is some special sauce that goes into my music too, but that’s a secret!

Did you make music previously to starting the 直子coed project? If so, what style of music was it?

When I was a teenager, I would download pop songs from YouTube and then record myself singing over them. This is how I first learned to use the software Audacity, which I use now for 直子coed.

How and when did you discover vaporwave and signalwave? What did you like about it, and who were some of the formative artists or releases that influenced you?

I remember reading somewhere that the music you listen to as a teenager is the music that will shape you and connect with you the most. It’s a good thing that I’m Gen Z because as a teenager, I discovered vapor and it became the genre that I most connected with. I first heard vaporwave on YouTube, but really started getting into it on Bandcamp. There are so many different styles within the genre, but right away, I most felt a connection with signalwave!

My first signalwave album was LANGUAGE SELECT by CH 03 [from 2018]. The album has a strong feeling of watching VHS tapes on a CRT TV, a memory I strongly connect with. CH 03 is now a good homie of mine and continues to make beautiful analog atmospheres with the project Toadofsky.

An album that was very formative for me was 巡 by 天気予報 [Asutenki]. It is very different from homie’s other albums, because it simulates the experience of flipping through TV channels. It is also very happy and uplifting!

Another one was night-time television service by national network. This album has a very comforting night-time feeling. As someone who’s always been a night owl, I really connect with this feeling. I would later find out that national network is actually TV2, the founder of the Signalwave Discord server and one of the biggest artists in our community!

Those are my biggest influences. My music is a combination of happy channel flipping and night-time comfort.

直子coed – summer station (album cover)

What does good signalwave accomplish? What are you trying to convey with your sound collages?

I remember having a discussion in the signalwave Discord with computer dreams, also known as midnight television! We were talking about the appeal of signalwave. Homie was a pioneer of the genre – a good homie to discuss this with.

Looking back at our conversation, we agreed that the goal of signalwave is ‘to try and recapture an unreachable memory, usually of comfort or childhood’. By recapturing a happy memory, you can find comfort in it. By recapturing a painful memory, you can find a way to process and accept it. I think this is why signalwave can be fun and whimsical like 天気予報 [Asutenki], but can also be dark and introspective like CT57.

I also had a more recent discussion with my homies channel 71 and טסרקט. We agreed that signalwave is ‘a celebration of the human’, ‘the music generated by human minds, human voices, human hands’. In a world that is becoming more and more digital, signalwave samples the more human media of radio and television. In the times of analog television, the world was more grounded and people were more authentic. So, broadcasts from these times have in them a more authentic feeling of human connection. Signalwave is a celebration of that connection!

What’s your process when producing a new album? Where do you find all those old Japanese TV recordings, is it mostly YouTube or also analog sources like old VHS tapes?

It always starts with a memory! A certain moment in my past gives me a warm, comforting feeling, and so I try to recreate that moment. The memory normally contains a song or a TV show, so I go to find it on YouTube. Almost every time, it’s there. I download the video and add it to my big memories folder. Once I’ve collected enough memories, I find ones that feel connected or that come from the same time in my life. Then I combine them into an album. For example, summer station started with a memory from summer 2006 and is made of memories from around that time.

I still have many of the VHS tapes I used to watch as a kid, but I don’t have the technical skill to record the audio from them. However, some of my homies, like 衛星テレビ, record all their music directly from VHS tapes! 衛星テレビ even edits his songs using VHS equipment.

You’ve only been active since 2023, you’re an integral part of the signalwave community and quite active on the Signalwave Discord. Do you feel signalwave is basically now its own community? What’s your relation to other vaporwave subgenres as an artist and a listener?

I feel that the signalwave community is more connected than ever! The Signalcon festival really makes us more visible in the vapor world. Also, big signal artists like CT57 and International Telecom are inspiring lots of homies to join the genre. So, more homies than ever are finding out about signalwave and are adding their personal touches.

For example, my homies ｔｅｐｈ　ｃｏ. 愛 and itachi ツクヨミ come from the slushwave genre. However, when they combine their slush talents with signalwave samples, they are pioneering a new subgenre of ‘signalslush’. Slush effects on vintage commercials sound very cool!

Through my signalslush homies, I am getting more into slushwave. Also, I enjoy mallsoft and future funk. Future funk that samples city pop is very inspiring for me, especially the Showa Idol’s Groove series by Night Tempo!

Tell me about signalcon. What was the idea, and how did it evolve until now?

When I joined the signalwave server, I saw how active and passionate the community was. I wanted to share that passion and excitement with the wider vaporwave world, and show everybody how amazing signalwave is!

Looking back at discussions from that time, I was really encouraging everybody to get on board and get the festival going. My health was not good at the time, so I wanted to make sure that the signalwave festival happened before anything happened to me. Fortunately, many homies were on board! My homies ｔｅｐｈ　ｃｏ. 愛, Kratzwerk, CT57, 衛星テレビ, CRTskies and I.C.M.A.S.A. really helped things come together. Thanks to them, we launched the first ever signalcon! Now, it’s an annual event that all the signalhomies look forward to.

signalcon has always been a showcase of all the amazing artists and concepts in the signalwave genre. Increasingly, it’s becoming a showcase for our new and upcoming artists! My homies S u i t e B, LAPA and Nahuelsat debuted around the time of signalcon 2025. Now, these homies are very successful and beloved in the signalwave community!

By the way, the name signalcon was coined by my homie CRTskies!

The community was really anonymous in the early days, pre-Discord, but it seems that it’s slowly changing. What’s your take on that development?

Signalwave is more quiet and introspective than most kinds of music. It is also more mysterious, so it makes sense that signalwave producers are generally chill, anonymous homies.

My personality is way more hyper and outgoing! I like making things happen and bringing the homies together. Around the time I joined the signalwave community, there were many newer artists like CT57,ｔｅｐｈ　ｃｏ. 愛, 衛星テレビ and CRTskies who were bringing renewed enthusiasm to the genre. Together, we brought a lot of hype to the signalwave community and expanded the definition of what signalwave can be. For example, CT57 takes signal in a more liminal, soundscape direction, while ｔｅｐｈ　ｃｏ. 愛 introduces more slushy textures. I feel we opened up many new possibilities for signalwave, and that encouraged many more homies to join the community!

Homies like International Telecom and טסרקט are still creating traditional loop-based signal, which I love so much! Homies like victory over death and PREMIUM CHANNELS are creating beautiful fusions of signalwave and ambient. channel 71, Nahuelsat and LAPA are making signalwave that is more upbeat, catchy and accessible. Homies like Pool Plants and УВБ-76 are taking signal in amazing experimental directions, creating sounds unlike anything I’ve heard before!

I downloaded your albums from Bandcamp, and each folder contains a bunch of strange files, videos and memes in addition to the actual music. What’s that about?

I love memes. They are very fun! The randomness and incomprehensibility of those files give you a good idea of my personality. Homies tell me that they enjoy those files a lot!

Where should someone start in your discography? Which album are you the most proud of?

I feel that any album is a good place to start! Each album tells a fun little story and takes you to a comforting, happy place.

vcr recordings seems to be a very popular album with the homies, so definitely give that one a listen! vhs collection is also very epic and nostalgic, especially if you watched anime growing up. If you want a fun, feel-good album, march of the video girls is a good choice.

The album I’m most proud of is summer station. I feel it is the most magical and comforting!

You’ve just released a new project, march of the video girls. Tell me about the concept.

The album is based around a very precious memory for me: finding my place in the world! My childhood was a fun, peaceful time in my life. However, I did not have much purpose or goals to strive for. When I finally realized that my dream was to help people and make people happy, I had a big feeling of inspiration. I really wanted to accomplish this dream and spread joy through being a singer!

Though I wasn’t able to make this happen (because of the big accident), I still feel strongly in my heart that I want to bring joy to people and make their world a better place. I am very happy that I can do this now with my 直子coed music and by supporting my homies in the signalwave community!

Who are some of the most interesting producers in signalwave right now?

There are so many talented homies producing amazing signalwave right now! Here are 8 of them:

• CT57 is making visionary, high-concept signalwave that is taking the genre to a new level.

• ｔｅｐｈ　ｃｏ. 愛 takes listeners to another world with his imaginative storytelling, ethereal effects and top-tier mixing.

• LAPA makes some of the most fun, diverse signalwave ever, ranging from upbeat bangers to amazing ambient pieces.

• victory over death makes some of the most powerful and moving signalwave ever, as beautiful ambient pieces or fascinating noise collages.

• Pool Plants will make you feel emotions you’ve never experienced before, blending sounds together in super delightful and unexpected ways.

• S u i t e B releases are consistently of excellent quality, displaying his impressive mastery of static textures, classy vibes and nostalgic melodies.

• טסרקט makes deeply mysterious signalwave, choosing the most intriguing samples imaginable and looping them to perfection.

• channel 71 combines super fun samples and top-tier mastering, creating some of the most entertaining albums in signalwave.

What are you listening to outside of vaporwave?

I love K-pop and black metal, especially from the early 2000s!

Girls’ Generation and Manierisme are lots of fun.

Listen to 直子coed on Bandcamp

直子coed’s Top 10 Vaporwave Albums

(unranked)

• 天気予報 [Asutenki] – 巡 (self-released, 2017)

• national network – night-time television service (Frequency SubZero, 2021)

• CH 03 – LANGUAGE SELECT (Bogus Collective, 2018)

• 猫 シ Corp. – Palm Mall (self-released, 2014)

• 送電塔 – 切断再接続 (Disconnect, 2021)

• Video Interface, 天気予報 [Asutenki] & 送電塔 – 白色の人型 (The Expanding Earth, 2023)

• CRTオペラ – nothing good on (Evening Disclosure, 2019)

• Disconscious – Hologram Plaza (self-released, 2013)

• Night Tempo – Showa Idol’s Groove (self-released, 2019)

• ░計◈画░ [Glaciology] – ♥♥♥テレビ√接続✈ (Net Century, 2018)