SonarSound Tokyo: The Japanese acts

Daisuke Tanabe

A graduate of the 2010 Red Bull Music Academy, producer Daisuke Tanabe is a tough one to peg: his productions are constantly flitting between hip hop, electronica, jazz and beyond, though they share a meticulous attention to detail. His Faces split LP with LA resident Mike Gao was released on Project Moon Circle earlier this year.

What's your background in music? Did you play any traditional instruments before you started producing?
I don't really have that strong a background in music. I tried learning a few instruments, such as piano and guitar, but I always gave up quickly because I couldn't play what I wanted.

You started producing music when you were 16, right? What did your early tracks sound like?
Hardcore techno.

Was there a particular artist who inspired you to start making music?
I was inspired by artists who were always making different types of music but had a signature sound, like Aphex Twin, Mouse on Mars, Haruomi Hosono and many others.

If you were only allowed to play someone one of your tracks, which one would you pick and why?
If I was allowed to chat with that person, let's talk first and I'll pick one later.

What kanji character would you use to describe your music?
祐 (yuu; help)

Your music sounds notably different from the compressed, overblown sound preferred by a lot of other beatmakers. What's your approach to sound when you're making tracks?
I'm trying to express what I feel, and also trying to make many different kinds of music. So I might make compressed, overblown sounds someday, too.

We heard that you live just down the road from fellow RBMA graduate Yosi Horikawa. Do you make music together?
Yosi is a very unique musician in Japan, and I like his work a lot. We did a live ambient set once and it was good fun. So yeah, if we get a chance, I definitely want to do some collaborations with him.

You've had lots of chances to play overseas now. What have been some particularly memorable gigs?
Well, playing overseas is always special, and each time I got lots of good memories. I think Sonar Barcelona was one of the highlights in 2011.

You seem to have built up a network of friends and likeminded artists around the world. Who are your kindred spirits?
Yes, I've got many friends around the world. I'm working with Kidkanevil and May Roosevelt at the moment, and they are really good friends.

What's good about the Tokyo scene at the moment?
All over Japan, the younger generation is making very exciting music, and people are reacting really quickly to every new kind of music. That's a very good thing in Japan.

What's bad about the Tokyo scene at the moment?
I think some underground music doesn't get enough recognition – that's one of the biggest problems in the Japanese music scene. So many artists are recognised in other countries but not much in Japan, unfortunately.

Who's worth checking out at SonarSound this year?
I can't pick one. There are too many dope artists at SonarSound Tokyo.

How did the Kidsuke collaboration with Kidkavenil happen, and when are we going to be able to hear it?
We started to chat after I did a remix for him. We've got different styles but we share a common musical sense, and we thought it'd be great to combine our styles. We're still making it, but we're nearly finished, so hopefully it'll be out late this year or early next year. I think I'll drop some of the Kidsuke beats at SonarSound Tokyo. I can't wait!

Daisuke Tanabe plays at SonarSound Tokyo 2012, Studio Coast, April 22

soundcloud.com/daisuketanabe
Twitter: @daisuketanabe

Sauce81

Jealousguy

Broken Haze

Daisuke Tanabe

Bun/Fumitake Tamura