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June 30, 2006
This Is Really Hot
Posted by shane at 11:02 PM
June 29, 2006
A Moist Mountain Tribe
As I mentioned briefly in an eariler post, I did a pretty extensive interview with Takagi Masakatsu a few weeks ago. This interview was shot as a content piece for our third episode of Tokyo.Now, airing on NHK soon. (I don’t have the timetable in front of me or I’d post it here. Also, see the Shift Blog post here).
The content as you’ll see however is quite extensive, very worthy of sharing in its entirety, I think, as opposed to the two minute edit which I did for the actual program. Here I present the English transcript in its entirety, so without further adieu…
Shane: When did you start creating work?
Takagi: Around 1999. When I was about 19 years old.
S: And how old are you now?
T: 26 years old.
S: Hey, we’re the same age! So which did you start creating first, video, or music?
T: Video.
S: Did you always see video and music as one in the same? Do certain ideas come to you that relate to only one or the other?
T: In the beginning, I thought of video and music on the same level. It was like what we currently refer to as ‘audio-visual.’ Only recently did I begin to treat them separately. I began to notice that there are things you can do only visually, as well as things that you can do only musically. I can add music to videos, but music is really only one kind of paint. If necessary, I’ll add music. If not, I won’t include it at all. So now, I feel that my videos and music are completely separate.
S: How does your working process go? Do you have periods of only wanting to focus on music, versus really getting into the visual side and then thinking, “I don’t want to do music anymore…?” Do you work on both at the same time?
T: Well, for example, if I spend 2 months of the year focusing on creating videos, I would spend the next 2 months making music, and then video again…etc. Before this it used to be a monthly cycle, but nowadays when I start on a project I find that I want one full year just to work on the visual. And another year for the music… Which is totally unrealistic, my production time is getting too long.
S: Do you get ideas separately for your videos and music? For example, if you think of an idea does it come into your mind without any relationship to the media, or do you immediately know, this is an idea that works visually, this is one for music, etc. Are the two always linked?
I usually have 3 or 4 ideas each for visuals and music that I have in my mind at any given time. If there’s an exhibition a few months ahead and I need to produce a new visual piece, or if there’s an offer to release a CD and I need to make some music, I’m always prepared to start on either of them. So rather than being a spontaneous decision on my part, these days it’s based more on schedule, and what offers I have received at the time.
I never work on video and music simultaneously. I would have an image in my mind, just an image with no sound. The same is true for music. I would have some musical idea in my mind, with no visuals. They are separate. It’s like an obsession. I have these ideas in my mind, and until I actually make them they won’t go away. A lot of them are technical ideas, for example, what updates I can make technically on things that I’ve created before.
S: Maybe you don’t have the time to create visuals to all your music, but assuming that you did, would that be ideal for you? Do you see the two as always coexisting in one piece?
T: Before, I wanted to create videos for every piece of music. But now I don’t want to at all. When you have a piece of music in its completed form, having to add video to that is a completely different mental process. I’ve realized that wanting to draw and make videos is totally different from adding colors to music. Even if I have some visual ideas for a certain piece of music, I rather enjoy just imagining it in my mind, without actually creating the video. I might make it if someone asks me to, or when there’s a good reason to, but other than that there is no need.
S: In what order do you work to create your music videos? Do you create music first, and then a visual to match, or vice-versa, or do you do both?
Definitely make the video first. So it’s the complete opposite of making commercial music videos. I make and edit every scene from zero seconds until the very end, so everything is based on visual rhythm and not musical beat. When it comes to adding music, often something with a very regular rhythm doesn’t match the video, so the music becomes more organic this way. A lot of times, whatever I was listening to while making the video mixes and comes into synch with the visual I’m making. So when it comes to adding music, I can’t seem to let go of that music that I was listening to during the video production. I’m not sure if I should refer it to as an obsession, but it’s stuck in my head.
S: So do you think your ‘backwards’ music video making process is what brings the unique sense of narrative to your works? You say the music you compose to your videos has an organic flow to it as a result of the rhythm of the visual itself being irregular to begin with...
T: I’m trying to have some sort of narrative in my video, with a build up, climax and ending. I see each piece of visual as a unit. If it’s a 3-minute piece, it doesn’t necessarily need to have a conclusion, but I do want some level of completeness. Something that doesn’t feel awkward when it’s looped. So everything is made as a complete piece. I usually spend one month creating a video, but I would start by making the first 15 seconds. Once that is complete, I will move on to the next 15... I make each piece in order, never going back to the beginning, so in the end, all the elements, quality, and ideas come together and take shape as one complete narrative. This is what I want to do through my video and music, I want to show this technique. So if I make something in that one month, those watching or listening my work can share with me the same experience I went through during that one-month production process. Maybe that’s where the flow and narrative in my work comes from.
S: What is your definition of obsession?
T: Obsession is what shapes my character and individuality. I didn’t have much of it (obsession) before, many things interested me, but as I get older, what interests me is becoming more specific and precise. For example, when I’m looking at a child, I have this specific moment, specific expression and angle that I want to capture, and I find myself looking and seeking that precise moment. Or it may be specific temperature, humidity and wind that I want to capture. I don’t think it’s a new discovery. I think I’ve always been attracted to these things, but my obsession is becoming clearer and more specific. I guess that’s my character and individuality.
S: Have you had any specific obsessions that were very strong in the past?
T: When I first started making visuals, I always reacted to ‘light.’ For about a year or two, I was obsessed with light, and captured anything and everything with light. Recently, I’m into children. Not having them pose, but capturing certain specific moments of the expressions they make. Not boys, just girls. I find their expressions very attractive. This obsession I’ve had ever since I started creating visuals. It’s something I will always have.
S: Would you say that your work is always driven by some kind of obsession?
T: I think that if I was making something just for my own self-satisfaction, I’d probably make things just based on my obsessions. But my work involves other people, so obsessions become more of a derivative. What I want to express is very specific, like a dot, but through involvement with other people I find different expressive forms of that one specific point. For example, relating that to color, suppose I’m only interesting in making something that's red. But then through an interaction with someone, the color blue may suddenly find its way into the work. It’s like that. A lot of variation comes into the work in this way, but ultimately, where it’s all heading is always toward that one single point.
S: What’s on your mind while you are creating your works? What are you thinking about when you create them?
T: Nothing. When things are going well, I’m totally immersed into my work and I’m not thinking about anything at all. But then if things are not going well, sometimes I feel like I want to quit. Sometimes, I’m driven by the desire to create something, other times I can’t quit even if I want to. In the early days, I wanted people to look at ME, but now I’m discovering the potential of my work. I’m starting to see and understand why I want to create visuals and music, and that’s ultimately to share the work with other people. Watching a piece may be just a short 3-minute experience, but the work has the ability to influence people. Before, I thought that was just a dream, but by continuing to create, and through improvements of my work and techniques, I’m starting to become more confident in the power and potential of my work. Of course I still create because I want to, but at the same time I’m aware that I can actually be helpful to other people, and this motivates me. Not forcing people to like what they see and hear, but impressing and exciting people. I never really understood that before, but now I know that I can create emotion without inducing or brainwashing. Now that I’ve realized that what I do is meaningful, I’m starting to feel the desire to create work for others, and not just as a form of self-expression. Because I have confidence in my work, I feel that I have to do this for others. Put simply, when I first started to create work I simply wanted to make a good melody, good music, or a beautiful image, and show off my technique. These days there are things I want to convey, something like a message, to everyone including myself.
S: What do you think brought about this move from wanting to create something only for yourself, to wanting to convey a message to people?
T: Simply because I’ve created many works, and I’ve spent a lot of time in production. I think most all artists eventually feel the same, but basically I’ve reached the next phase. If you pile on the experiences, continue working as an artist, you eventually reach this point where you are able to enjoy the work as much as the audience seeing the work from the outside. You are able to share that excitement. Before, when people used to praise my work, I felt like I was being praised. Now, I’m able to separate myself from the work, stand on the same level as my audience, and share the enjoyment.
S: Tell me about the pieces Girls and Bloomy Girls. What do they mean to you? Is there an obsession in them?
T: Technically, when looking at my own stance and how I am part of the world, I see myself as a painter, rather than a visual artist. That’s my identity. If someone asks my occupation, I think essentially I would answer, a painter, not a visual artist or a musician. I’ve always felt that way. So I feel that in these two works, I was able to stay true to that stance, show who I really am, and show my emotion through the use of my hands and body. I may not be answering your question properly, but these works show who I am, and are like a self-introduction. Especially with Girls, the music is really strong, and that explains what kind of a person I am: Where I was born and where I grew up, and what I am thinking. Not through words, but through visuals and music.
S: What ideas did you aim to explore with the two pieces Girls and Bloomy Girls?
T: They are both similar, they are inextricably linked. Of course, they look different, sound different, and have differing moods. But what I wanted to accomplish is the same, and as I explained earlier about my obsession, both works are connected in one straight line, and heading towards that one specific point. I can only make one work like that every year. I’m starting to realize that I can only take one step at a time on that specific path. Other works were made while I was taking side tracks from that one step, but those two works were made when I clearly saw where I was headed.
S: When you are able to make such a personally rewarding piece as this, like you said it’s very rare. Where does this inspiration come from? Is it mere coincidence?
T: It happens by coincidence. But when it does happen once, I have the desire to do it again, to taste that feeling again, so I embark on another challenging year of creating just for the sake of that one opportunity to come up. When working on pieces like that, like Girls and Bloomy Girls, the production itself is actually very easy, and comes naturally.
S: As someone who has travelled a lot internationally, do you find this experience has informed your work a great deal? How has exploring cultures outside Japan influenced you?
T: Yes, especially when I was young, I think I got more inspiration and influence from abroad than in Japan. That’s why I looked and searched out. But recently, I have strong feelings about making visuals and music of Kameoka. I no longer care how things look or sound, or whether it’s Japanese or foreign. I just want to make things about where I currently live. That’s probably because I have seen all that I need to see abroad. I realized everything I saw out there was already here in my hometown of Kameoka.
I think I will continue to look out, but I know that it’s all here. I don’t know exactly what I’m after. I just know that I’m often looking for something… Like how the world is structured, or how I am structured… Through my work, there are a lot of things that I do notice and understand. I notice small details in things, like how leaves are shaped, or I remember my past childhood experiences or emotions. But when asked where I am headed, it’s all philosophical. I’m not searching for one answer, I am just searching.
S: Do you think there is a Japanese sense to your work? If so, what do you think it is?
T: That’s difficult. I was already very westernized since childhood, and I think that’s apparent in my visuals and sounds. Like my melody and colors are more Western than Japanese. But I think that, in itself, is very Japanese. Being able to directly express my childhood, my generation… That direct approach is very Japanese. On the other hand, my work does not have any Japanese-ness that foreigners would expect, or the typical description of Japan that I would talk about when interacting with foreigners. If there is a Japanese sense to my work it is something that comes naturally rather than added consciously.
S: So what is a quality of expression to typical Japanese artwork?
T: Like the flatness you would see in animations, or the traditional stuff like Kabuki and Samurai… Maybe those are things sometimes people might expect from my work. But I am of the post-Meiji era generation. Frankly, I don’t think these traditions are a part of young people’s lives.
S: As you said, perhaps Japanese aesthetics to a great majority of those outside Japan means flatness, or Kabuki, but there seems to me to be a new generation of Japanese creators like yourself whose output is well-received internationally and could gradually change this impression? Do you see something like this happening?
T: The impression of Japan by outsiders is something that probably won’t change much. I think we do the same thing when looking outward at other countries. For example, foreigners may define Japan with just Hello Kitty or Samurai, and I think that’s no different to how I might define France through singular stereotypical words or things. I think that’s neither good nor bad, and I don’t feel that it’s something that needs to be changed.
S: You just came back from a long tour abroad. What is the first impression you have of Japan upon returning?
T: Moisture. We are a mountain tribe. When asked what Japan-ness is, I feel that we are very moist and soothing. Japan is an odd country. This may be a twisted view, but I don’t think there are any other people as objective as we are. We are like observers, and we are drawing from everywhere.
S: How do you think Japan is influencing other nations?
T: I don’t really know how we are influencing others. I know that Japan has always been influential to other countries in many ways, but how we are influencing now is something we probably won’t really see until years later. What I see now is the opposite. Things are being made and developed here because of influence from overseas. There are things that happened in Japan 10 years ago that are now spreading in other countries, and vice versa, things that were big overseas 5 years ago are finally getting accepted here in Japan. There is a delay going back and forth.
S: How do you see Tokyo?
T: Tokyo is no different than New York for me. (Takagi is from Kyoto). I don’t really know much about Tokyo. I actually think interesting things will come out from places other than Tokyo. I think that the actual production, and the true birthplace of creativity should be coming from regional areas. Big cities like Tokyo, Paris, and New York will definitely remain major locations to showcase and dispatch this creativity on a larger scale, but I feel that the actual creation should be done locally.
S: Someone like yourself who creates both music and video stands out in the world of individual creators on the scene currently. Do you think that in the future more artists will grow to be fluent and talented in both these media at once?
T: It’s nothing new. I think this has been done since long in the past. Look at fashion, for example, it has a similar relationship currently. These days it’s always about linking visuals together with music, but I don’t really think that’s anything revolutionary. I also don’t think that this will become anything big in the future.
S: But if you think about kids growing up now, they have even more and more access to technology, and an ability to articulate ideas easily in a variety of digital media. How do you think this will play out in the future of creativity and creative output?
T: It’s a big factor that people are able to create easily on their own. There’s more equipment and easier access. It will take some time, but I think eventually, video creation will also become very normal. It doesn’t surprise anyone if you tell someone that you draw or paint, but to say that you are a video artist is still something that perhaps carries a bit more weight. It impresses people. I think when visual creation becomes something that is not seen as special, that is when we can truly level up the standards. I think that kids currently in elementary and junior high will probably accomplish that. It’ll be fun to see what they are thinking about, and what inspires them, because I think they are experiencing bigger changes than what we experienced growing up.
S: What are you aiming for in the future? What do you want to accomplish?
T: What do I want? A house. I don’t want fame or money. I want a house to live in and an environment to create. I want a firm foundation. As long as I have that, I can continue creating.
S: You have collaborated with a variety of other musicians such as David Sylvian and Cornelius. What are your thoughts on collaboration, and where has it taken you as an artist?
T: When you continue creating on your own, your growth curve is fixed. But through collaboration, I think that you can grow in different directions. As a result, I think collaborations steer me to the right direction, but it does change me a lot before and after, depending on who my partner is. I think working with the W+K label is one way of collaboration, but I always get a similar impact through any collaboration project. It’s like I die once and become a completely new person every time. I will never have that experience working alone.
S: The video +cruz and Sun An directed for your song Exit / Delete was the first time someone besides you has created video to your music. What was this process like?
T: I was creating that as a music piece, so yes, it was a new experience for me, having someone else create visuals to my music. It was both surprising and refreshing. I had my own image in mind, but I was curious to see what someone else would visualize. It was like getting a peek into someone else’s head, a very fresh experience.
S: You had a big collaboration with David Sylvian who also did vocals for that song. What was that like? How did the experience change or influence you?
T: It was definitely the biggest impact I’ve ever got in a production. It wasn’t his style of music per se, but rather the experience of being able to spend 2 months together with an artist like him, still going strong at over 50 years old. It changed me. I realized there’s really no time to get sidetracked. As an artist I have to look far into the future, and think about where I am headed. What would I want to be doing when I’m 50 years old, and how should I prepare myself for that? It changed my way of thinking.
S: Are there any specific artists out there you want to collaborate with in the future?
T: There are many, but in terms of musicians, a lot of jazz artists. I think there is at least one great artist for every instrument. Specifically, Sotoyama-san, Kikuchi-san… those artists in the forefront of the jazz scene are people I get inspiration from and would want to work with. On the visual side, I think Eric (+cruz) is great, also (Koichiro) Tsujikawa-san, and Yoichi Kurokawa. Not many people, but those few that I mentioned I think have created their own rich and heavy world.
Posted by shane at 02:04 AM
June 18, 2006
Podcast Volume Seven
Podcast seven has arrived about a month late. I was debating stopping the podcast, as six volumes (half a year) seemed like a nice even number. Instead I decided to keep going, meaning now I know there’s no way I can’t continue up to volume 12 to make it an even year. The tracklist is below, and there are more details are on my podcasting page.
Dabrye / With A Professional
The Magnetic Fields / Tokyo-A-Go-Go
Autechre / Unknown (Really, I don’t know the name)
Lil Wayne / Snitch
Dykehouse / I Want To Give To You What I've Got To Put Into You
DAT Politics / Gravity
Government Alpha / Toxic
Prince / Electric Chair
Gastr Del Sol / Each Dream Is An Example
The Konki Duet / Cindy
Q Lazzarus / Goodbye Horses
Daft Punk / Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
Elvis Costello / The Beat
Big Star / Till The End Of The Day
Dinosaur Jr. / Thumb
Michael Jackson / Another Part Of Me
Posted by shane at 11:19 AM
June 14, 2006
The Last Two Weekends
Two weeks ago: 田植え with Kenji and friends outside Tokyo, followed by onsen!
This week: Onsen with Mai, Digiki, and Eric in Tokyo, followed by okonomiyaki!
Posted by shane at 05:42 AM
June 06, 2006
Perverse, Sick, And Nasty
Gino’s illustrations really crack me up sometimes. In this picture: Gino, me, Tatsuya, Paul. What’s more ridiculous is you could see this in motion if you happened to be watching NHK around 11 last night.
Posted by shane at 10:58 AM
A Morning With Takagi
One lovely morning last week we interviewed Takagi Masakatsu in our office. I first saw his work in about 2002 or so, at the time just before Rehome came out (on our label). Wait, back up for a second, perhaps it was before that. I think my friend Ricky had some of his DVD releases from Carpark. Maybe Pia, or Pia Flies. Anyhow, I guess I have watched his work evolve for quite a while and it was a nice chance to talk about his process from a musical as well as visual standpoint.
Takagi started with an obsession with light, as well as young girls (sounds really bad, I know) from the age of 19 when he began creating videos. He then pursued these two things (while travelling and recording around the globe) to an increasingly concrete focus that he feels really came together in two of his recent pieces Girls and Bloomy Girls. Keep in mind it is now over six years since he started. Takagi creates in an almost backward manner to commercial videomaking. Perfecting just a few seconds of video at a time, from the start of a piece to the end, he then composes music to the completed animation, giving it a flow and narrative that he doesn’t think would neccesarily come about had he composed the music before the image.
To me, looking at his website, it seems he is even pushing it further on his newest piece (the video of which I have not yet seen) El Viento, but that is besides the point. Takagi has reached a level of international acclaim where he is basically untouchable. What I mean by untouchable is that he controls his work 100 percent. He has an established direction and style that many react to very positively. There is a singularity to his output. His works are now regularly comissioned by galleries, fashion brands, and even other musicians. Those asking for his work basically know what they are going to get, and I would assume there is no need for extraneous concepting and presentation. All the thought and energy goes into the work, and every new work is a personal evolution on that which came before it. A small step closer to the coagulation of a singular obsession set in motion at the start of his own creative exploration. And even if this big crunch never comes, what’s notable (and important to me), is that he has set up a forum for himself to head increasingly toward it, to pursue a singular vision perhaps for a lifetime if he so chooses. I’d like to set up such a forum. What creative person wouldn’t?
Posted by shane at 09:35 AM