SonarSound Tokyo: The Japanese acts

Bun / Fumitake Tamura

After a trio of independent releases including the wonderfully named 'Buuuuul Shhhhhit', Fumitake Tamura's most recent album, Bird, was released at the end of 2011 on Ryuichi Sakamoto's Commons label. Next month, he'll become the first Japanese artist to play live at LA beatmaker party Low End Theory.

What's your background in music? Did you play any traditional instruments before you started producing tracks?
I've been playing piano since I was a child, and I studied contemporary classical music while I was enrolled on a composition course at Tokyo University of the Arts. At the same time, I was getting into stuff like hip hop, jazz and dub, and I started making my own tracks on a sampler.

Which artists were you listening to the most when you started out?
I was listening to various kinds of music: to hip hop like DJ Premier and A Tribe Called Quest, to jazz like DJ Cam, Kenny Larkin and Cecil Taylor, and so on. Amongst all of that, the thing I was most obsessed about was hip hop beats.

How do you feel your music has changed since you started out?
I've started to put more emphasis on making my own sound. I think that's what's changed: I've made it my goal to develop a totally unique sound.

If you had a chance to play one of your tracks to someone who'd never heard your music, which track would you pick and why?
I'd go for my newest track. It's because I'm always changing, so I don't have any interest in things from the past.

Do you think there's anything distinctive about Japanese trackmakers compared to overseas producers?
This isn't a positive thing, but there are a lot of copycats here. Sometimes they even copy famous artists in order to get praised themselves.

What's been the highlight of the past year for you?
The release of my album, Bird. I was able to do what I wanted with it, so it's full of the sounds I want to listen to.

What's good about the Tokyo scene at the moment?
People are able to enjoy really unique, niche music.

What's bad about the Tokyo scene at the moment?
People are too niche: I don't feel like there are many events or gigs where you can hear a wide range of music in the space of a single night.

Ryuichi Sakamoto said he wanted to watch a film like Bird – is that what you and visual artist Takcom are going to be making at SonarSound Tokyo?
This time around, I think it's more like me making music to fit with Takcom's images. The images I'm conjuring up on Bird are black-and-white, faint and peaceful. I'd love to try making a film some day.

Who would you recommend watching at SonarSound Tokyo?
I'm trying to make my session with Takcom the real must-see performance.

You're due to appear at the Low End Theory party in LA next month – what have you got planned? Are you nervous?
I've got a lot of tough beats stored up inside me. I'm nervous, sure, but I feel more like a samurai or guerilla. I wonder how far my music can get me, and I'm looking forward to finding out.

Bun/Fumitake Tamura x Takcom play at SonarSound Tokyo 2012, Studio Coast, April 21

www.fumitaketamura.com
Twitter: @bun0927

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