FEATURE｜Collaboration and improvisation are the creations of the 21st century!
SOUNDSCAPE LIVE INPROVISATION PERFORMANCE by THE NORTH FACE
Collaboration and improvisation are the creations of the 21st century!
The North Face (The North Face ) is a web series in which musicians wearing urban clothing make field recordings of sounds from various locations around Japan and improvise sound sculptures based on those sounds.SOUNDSCAPE." As the culmination of this project, which never knew what would happen and was exciting to watch, the event "SOUNDSCAPE LIVE INPROVISATION PERFORMANCE" was held in Tokyo on Friday, December 7, featuring unique musicians such as Shotaro Aoyama, KUNIYUKI, TAKAHASHI, and Yuiko Kawachi, who have appeared in this Series, as well as artist Yoichiro Uchida. The event featured the unique musical talents of Shotaro Aoyama, KUNIYUKI TAKAHASHI, and YUIKO KAWACHI, who have appeared in this series, and artist Yoichiro Uchida, who created a one-night-only sound and space. We asked them about their enthusiasm just before this live performance, which featured improvisational live performances that brought out each other's individuality and gave us a sense of the new possibilities of music and video for the future.
While working on many videos for "The North Face," he is also involved in various activities with "NF," a project that brings music and culture together. . He also regularly releases music overseas through his own label, Deep Frontier Records, as well as analog releases on the French label D.KO.
KUNIYUKI TAKAHASHI
An artist based in Sapporo, Japan. His one-of-a-kind musicality is highly acclaimed not only in Japan but also abroad, and he has many fans among musicians as well as listeners in general. He has also performed at events sponsored by "The North Face" and has a close relationship with the company.
YUIKO KAWAUCHI
After graduating from Tokyo College of Music High School, he went on to graduate from the same college with top honors in cello, and has been active as a cellist for nearly 20 years. . On the other hand, she has also been featured as a model in fashion magazines. She is also active as a member of the unit Retrospective with composer and pianist Mochitomo Goto. They have released a series of new-genre original compositions that leave an avant-garde and pop sound, interwoven with electronic sounds, and are transmitting the possibilities of the cello that are not limited to the classical repertoire.
YOICHIRO UCHIDA
Based at his orchid store "PLACERWORKSHOP" in Yakuin, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka, he is an artist who creates and transmits his works with creative letters. . He sublimates influences from the diverse cultures he encountered in New York while studying in the U.S., as well as from British music culture, and incorporates them into his works. His collaborations with fashion designers such as Hiroshi Fujiwara, Hirofumi Kiyonaga, and Takahiro Miyashita are also fresh in his memory.
. it would be nice to see the color of improv in different parts of Japan.
You will be performing an impromptu live concert as the culmination of the "SOUNDSCAPE" series you have been serializing on the web, when were the preliminary meetings held?
Shotaro Aoyama ( , Aoyama)It was just a few minutes ago (laughs). . There are a lot of problems, but I feel like we are just getting started.
KUNIYUKI TAKAHASHI (KUNIYUKI)I came here (to the venue) thinking about what I could do while imagining the sound sources that had been created for each of the "SOUNDSCAPE" series. . I have always liked improvisation, so I am calm and looking forward to it. It is more interesting when there are two or three people in the group than when it is just one person.
Yuiko Kawachi (hereafter, Kawachi)We just had a light rehearsal and session. For example, we picked up some of Kuniyuki's sounds, and I think we will continue to work like that during the actual performance. I am sure that everyone's mood will be different from when we produced the analog (vinyl) recordings, so I hope we can keep an eye on things as we go along.
Listening to each of the songs, what did they have in common?
burial placeWe did not come together because we had anything in common this time. When I was approached by The North Face and decided on the content of this project, the first thing that came to mind was the image of KUNIYUKI. Next, I thought that if improvisation was possible, it would be better to have this kind of sound, and finally, I thought it would be better if we all improvised together. . Then I asked Mr. Uchida to draw something that would move with his mood at the time.
Yoichiro Uchida ( , Uchida)I say graphics because what I am drawing is different from tagging, but I listened to your music and drew the letters.
burial placeI feel that we all have something in common in that improvisational nature. Also, since Mr. Uchida lives in Fukuoka and Mr. Kuniyuki lives in Sapporo, I thought it would be great if we could bring out the color of improvisation from different parts of Japan, so I asked them to join us.
KUNIYUKI. I think there is a lot of fusion going on in various places now, whether it is music or painting, and I think people are seeing opportunities in that. Even if Mr. Aoyama and I do music by hammering, there is more improvisation than before, and I think there are new discoveries to be made by adding more instruments to the mix.
So the overall mood is that way.
burial placeRather than just a group of people with something in common, it is more like a group of people who tried to make something together and it was amazing.
We were able to do this because each of us has a solid foundation to get to where we are.
burial place. it seems like we are on our way, but it also seems like we haven't gotten there yet. It seems as if it is on the way, and the dots seem to be connected by lines to what lies beyond, and it all seems to come out as the person's identity as his/her soul in a burst.
He said it would be nice if something happening.
Mr. Uchida did the art for the jacket, and he drew it after listening to your songs.
rice field in the charge of a nominal holder (ritsuryo system)All of them are. . I just had an image that came to me, and I drew it together with the music.
It was something that came to me while listening to the music. Of all the works you have done so far, this one seemed to me to be one of the "strongest" images.
rice field in the charge of a nominal holder (ritsuryo system)Yes, that's right. Shoutarou (Aoyama) came to the store, and as we were drawing, it got more and more exciting, and I kept saying, "Well, let's go further," and it ended up looking like this (laughs).
burial placeMr. Uchida , I was so enthusiastic that ink flew all over my shirt (laughs).
rice field in the charge of a nominal holder (ritsuryo system)That's still on my shirt, nicely (laughs). I put the ink out strong and boldly banged out the word "NOT"! I drew "NOT" with a strong ink, and when I drew it, the ink jumped! The ink flew off.
KUNIYUKISo the soul is there, after all.
Mr. Kawachi, you play the cello. What kind of performance do you have in mind?
HanoiThe cello is an instrument that is not often played on such occasions. Since it is a rare instrument, I hope to be able to show the many facets of the cello, including how it sounds when played melodically, how it can be used to create sound effects, and how it can go behind the scenes and come out in the open. Like waves coming and going. That is one of the purposes of today's event. Also, I think KUNIYUKI also produces melodic sounds, so I would like to be able to play with them.
KUNIYUKIEach part, for example, is divided into ambient and melody, but as you improvise and listen to each sound, if you want to switch, you are free to do so, aren't you? There are some accidents that happen, like the ink flying (laughs).
burial placeI like the way the ink flies. It flies to unexpected places.
. That's what improvisation is all about, isn't it? . What do you think about improvisation outside of this show?
burial placeImprovisation is a session on the spot, rather than thinking and deciding what to do next. He would record the voices of the audience, or try to use something from the place, or something like that. In the routine of making a piece by himself, he would try to do something different and one more interesting this time. . I was also hoping that something happening would happen. It is something to enjoy the process of doing something exciting, even to get to a certain point.
It's like, "Let's enjoy even the happenings.
burial placeOn the other hand, if it doesn't happen, it's kind of boring. . I feel that way, though.
In the classical world, is there such a scene as an improvised session?
HanoiIn the classical world, it is often a matter of how to swallow and interpret what is already there, but this improvisation is more primitive, and the sense of putting something that comes from within each of us to the sound is completely different from the classical world. I am looking forward to it, because it is a rare opportunity to experience the feeling of not knowing what will be created on the spot.
burial placeThis time, we have Mr. Kawauchi, whose roots are in classical music, and Mr. Kuniyuki, who has been doing improvisation for a long time. I think it is interesting to see the moment when the dots cross. I imagine that things that are in completely different places cross each other and spread out again.
KUNIYUKII think that the chances of encountering such things would be richer in many ways if we not only stand there, but also walk toward them. . In our time, I think there are so many things that we hold in our hands. I think it is good for the four of us to breathe the same air today, to see eye to eye, to create things in a more natural way, and to enjoy what is created. If we do it tomorrow, I think it will be different.
Collaboration to meet a new "me".
（How does Mr. Uchida (who is not a musician) participate in the live performance?
rice field in the charge of a nominal holder (ritsuryo system)This time, instead of the usual live painting, Shoutarou will be working on what I have drawn, and it will appear as an image behind the stage. In this way, what has left my hand is transformed into a different form. . That was the part I was looking forward to the most when I was asked to work on this project. My drawings are just materials, and I am looking forward to seeing how the materials will change when they leave my hands.
KUNIYUKI. that is actually a great thing. Not so long ago, I think it was the case that a work created by one artist was the responsibility of that artist until the very end. When I went to Melbourne, there was an Escher exhibition, and when I saw how he started with prints when he was young and gradually changed to the Escher style that everyone knows today, it made the years seem longer (laughs). (Laughs.) But in our time, I think it is more like a fusion of each artist. . The speed is very fast in this day and age, and I am interested in what comes out of it.
I think it is also wonderful that you can delegate what you have worked on to other artists.
burial placeYou can't do that without trust. In music, it's a remix.
rice field in the charge of a nominal holder (ritsuryo system)My letters will always be my letters, no matter what I do with them, so they are me. If I hand them over to someone else, I wonder how they would change, and that is the most interesting part. It is an opportunity for me to discover a new side of myself. I think it will change me to realize that I might be able to do this or that in the future.
As Kuniyuki mentioned earlier, mashing up quickly by leaving it up to the other party may be a form of creation that fits or anticipates the current era. Thank you very much for your time before the concert!
