If it weren't for technology, I would never have sung. (tofubeats)
STUTS: I get kind of nervous when I perform "Vapor" in front of people. But I was very encouraged by your work. Since "FANTASY CLUB," you have been creating your own complete works, and as you said, I also felt a sense that it is not a majority decision.
tofubeats: That makes me very happy , thank you very much. It is more interesting when the artist's subjectivity is expressed, and I feel that in STUTS's work as well. Also, by singing by myself, I can make excuses to a certain extent. I can say, "My main job is somewhere else" (laughs). I feel that the song "Vapor" was written inadvertently.
STUTS: It's totally true. That's what I'm talking about. I was playing around with a new drum kit I had bought, and I came up with a track, and I was humming a melody to it, and I had a kind of prototype for a song. I thought I'd try singing a little with it. So it was really an experiment. That's usually what I do when I make a track.
tofubeats: Listening to you, I get the impression that STUTS has a lot of trucks in stock, but is that not the case?
STUTS: Not so much these days. I do make some rough loops, but I don't know if those rough loops are stock. But I guess that rough stuff is called stock. From there, I expand what I can.
Do you start from the very beginning?
tofubeats: I am the kind of person who, once I start work on something, I want to finish it. If I don't like it, I delete it. So when a rapper asks me for a track, I say, "I don't have anything like that! (laughs). (laughs). If I make a good song, I want to use it myself.
STUTS: I understand that very well (laughs).
tofubeats:
So I get requests from rappers, but most of the songs I give them are not adopted. . I guess a true producer is someone who can deliver something solid at such times.
When I wrote my song "RUN," I had a hard time deciding who to have sing it. It was a song with a strong message, or rather, a strong feeling, and I didn't want it to be blurred by having someone else sing it.
So you finally went it alone?
tofubeats: . yes, I did. I thought it was difficult to share the message in the lyrics with others.
Let's return to "Vapor." Why did you decide to sing this song by yourself?
STUTS: . It was done before I had time to think about who would sing it.
tofubeats: . In the process of layering sounds, I put my voice on it and it was done.
STUTS: Yes . That's really how it is.
tofubeats:
At first, I didn't want to sing either. Once upon a time, when I was performing instrumental songs at a live house, the audience often sat down or left. I didn't like it, so I really started singing out of sheer disgust (laughs).
I wonder if that is the reason why STUTS plays MPC in their live performances? I think so. After all, a trackmaker has to perform something to be seen.
STUTS: So that's how you got into singing. At first, I was a DJ when I performed at events, but I started playing MPC because I wanted to present my own music, not other people's. I'm a trackmaker, but I can't be completely behind the scenes. I am a trackmaker, but there is a part of me that cannot be completely behind the scenes (laughs).
tofubeats: I know, I know, I know, what is that feeling (laughs)? Is he really trying to show off? I wonder if I am a show-off. In fact, I think he wants to be showy. I've been singing a lot, even though I've always said that I prefer to be in the background. But if it weren't for technology, I would never have sung.
STUTS: Auto-tune (pitch correction software)?
tofubeats: Yes, it is. I wouldn't sing without it myself (laughs).
STUTS: I was not confident in my voice and had never tried singing, but once I had an opportunity to rap in front of a crowd, and the production manager who heard me rap said, "You have a nice voice," which gave me the push I needed.
tofubeats: That's a great story, isn't it? I have a problem with my own voice, too. I have a radio job now, and I don't like to listen to my voice without processing. So, when I sing, I put a lot of auto-tuning on my voice. This way, I can stay at a distance as if I were a stranger, and it's easier to handle. By the way, for "Run," I put more distortion on top of the Auto-Tune (laughs).
STUTS: I am sure that if we were not trackmakers ourselves, we could easily sing the song.
tofubeats: Indeed, you may be right. Surprisingly, though, people around me don't care. I am interested in how singers feel about their voices. Do they think, "I have a nice voice?
STUTS: I wonder (laughs). But after singing it myself this time, I feel that my sense when I think of melody may change.
tofubeats: What does that mean?
STUTS: I used to think of melodies with synths and such, but I feel that I am now able to think more physically. I feel that this is a big step forward for me, and I have a feeling that I will be able to provide a wider range of music.
RUN REMIXES"
A collection of remixes of tofubeats' 4th album "RUN" released in 2018. The remixers include Kabanagu, Yunovation, yuigot, PC Music Club, and SEKITOVA, all of whom were approached by tofubeats himself. The title track, "RUN REMIX," featured KREVA and VaVa as guest performers, and the two added their own verses to the song. This work is filled with tofubeats' desire to present "RUN" to the world once again.
. I had the regret that "RUN" could have been a song I could have presented better. (tofubeats)
RUN REMIXES, a collection of remixes by tofu, was recently released.
tofubeats:
RUN" is an album that was released two years ago. I gave my a cappella tracks to various people as if they were stray remixes, and selected the best ones from among the ones I got back. Also, I made "RIVER (chopped and screwed)," which I made while playing around with it once upon a time, a little more stoic.
The only newly recorded song is "RUN REMIX (feat. KREVA & VaVa)," but I did not alter my own verse and added KREVA's and VaVa's verses. . I regretted that I could have presented "RUN" to the world more.
STUTS: So it was.
tofubeats: . yes, that's right. The whole staff was scratching their heads, "Why is this song getting less views than 'RIVER'?" . We were all upset with the result. We were not satisfied with the result, so we decided to leave the track as it was, and with the two new members, we made the song with the intention of asking the world once again.
STUTS: It was very nice, like a three-way "run". The structure feels almost hook-less, doesn't it?
tofubeats: Yes, it's called Spit and End. It's a grime-like track, so I thought it could be done that way. I thought it would be interesting to have two regular hip-hop musicians doing it.
STUTS: Have you been working on it for quite some time?
tofubeats: . it's been about 2 or 3 months. . in putting out "RUN" one more time, we came up with the idea of featuring a rapper. Actually, we had talked about that when "RUN" was released. The original song was short, just a minute and a half, and I was told, "Why don't you extend it a little more? After about two years, I finally came to the conclusion that it would be okay to extend the song.
STUTS: What a great story, it's interesting that a remix of a 2 year old song is being released now.
tofubeats: Because of the time lag, there was a lot of pressure to get it right.
