PROFILE
Born in 1979 in Saitama, Japan, he left a certain domestic brand in 2020. After that, he launched a cult club "NISHIMOTO IS THE MOUTH" and mainly produces and sells goods.
PROFILE
Born in Aomori Prefecture in 1967, he has worked as a buyer for Roppongi WAVE since the late 1980s, and in 1994 opened his own store, "Los Upson? in Nishi-Shinjuku, Tokyo in 1994. He also exhibited T-shirts and art works of artists. The store later moved to Hatagaya, and now has a store in Koenji. He also supervises the music labels "Toki-Ku" and "Sexy Recordings," as well as the magazine "SPECIALOOSE," and releases music as a DJ under the name "AMEL(R)A.
. I learned, "This is what a party is all about."
. This time, Mr. Nishimoto's esteemed guest is Mr. Yamabe.
Nishimoto:I once went to "Forestlimit" in Hatagaya because Mr. Yamabe was going to DJ with cassette tapes. I asked him to join us at that time. I thought he would refuse, but he graciously accepted.
Mountainside:That's right (laughs).
Nishimoto:I had an image of "Ross Upson? I had an image of "Ross-Apson? Especially when there was a store in Nishi-Shinjuku, it was even more difficult to enter.
You had a store in Nishi-Shinjuku when you opened in 1994, and then moved to Hatagaya and Koenji, right?
Mountainside:. the location of Nishi-Shinjuku is already... (laughs).
Nishimoto:I think I was only about 20 years old when I opened the door to the store and found Mr. Yamabe tending bar while smoking a cigarette. I remember feeling awkward and closing the door behind me (laughs).
Mountainside:The building itself was amazing there....
Nishimoto:There was also "ALLMAN RECORD" , which was a bit scary and hard to get into.
Mountainside:. there was a unique atmosphere in West Shinjuku, wasn't there?
Nishimoto:How many years has it been now? You opened in 1994, so you must be celebrating your 30th anniversary soon.
Mountainside:We had a party at Liquid Room in Ebisu for our 20th anniversary, and we had RUBBER O CEMENT and DJ NOBU play. 25th anniversary we didn't have a party, so what are we going to do for 30th anniversary? I hope we will be able to do it, but I don't know what will happen yet.
What kind of records did you buy back then?
Nishimoto:I used to buy hardcore records like Abraham Cross, Bad Head Sunglasses, Electhumangel, etc. . . while also dabbling in techno. I met DJ KABUTO the other day, and he released a mix CD exclusively for Los Apes, right? When I told him I had it, he said, "Mr. Yamabe liked it.
Mountainside:Wow, you have that one, too . That was a long time ago, right? You didn't have any tattoos in the past, did you?
Nishimoto:I felt like I was putting it in in places, and I was a lot skinnier than I am now; it was a pretty rough time around age 20 (laughs).
Mountainside:What were you doing?
Nishimoto:I was a pimp (laughs). My girlfriend at the time lived in Hiyoshi, and I lived in Nishi-kawaguchi, and we would go back and forth between the two places while going to Los Angeles. We went back and forth between Hiyoshi and Nishi-kawaguchi, and I would go to Los Apes as well.
Mountainside:You used to come to our store when we were in Hatagaya.
Nishimoto:I moved from Nishi-kawaguchi to Hatsudai, too, and used to ride my bicycle there often. There was a very homey atmosphere in Hatagaya.
Mountainside:There was a step at the entrance, and all the customers would ask, "Do we have to take off our shoes?" So about a week after the move, we changed the entrance to a no-slip floor. So, about a week after the move, we changed the entrance to a "no shoes allowed" policy.
Nishimoto:I have an image of a banquet (laughs).
Mountainside:That's how we started "Los Apson? TV" . At first, it was on DOMMUNE. We also did live performances and exhibitions by Hair Stylistics, Keio Kusaka, and many others.
Nishimoto:Yes, that's right. I really like the way you are doing such a wide variety of things. I love the way you seem to be having so much fun when you DJ, too.
Mountainside:That's what I'd like to do.
Nishimoto:I think it gives me some vibes as well. You also play Japanese music. Last year, when Mr. Yamabe was DJing, I had a lot of fun, even though I don't usually dance to Japanese music. It felt like a party, and I learned that this is what a party is all about.
Mountainside:It would be nice to have a variety of elements.
Nishimoto:I sometimes go to fashionable parties, but I think the true party is the one that Yamabe and his group embody. When I went to "grass roots" in Koenji a while ago, it was DJ KURI's party, and it went on from night time until around 1:00 p.m. in the afternoon. I felt like I never knew what was going to happen. I thought that was great.
Yamabe-san likes to drink and party, and I can learn a lot from him. He does what he wants to do at his own pace, and I like that he is not too aggressive. When I meet him at parties, he is friendly, but when I meet him at Los Angeles parties, I feel a little tense. The difference in temperature is also somehow comfortable for me. It's a strange thing.
Mountainside:. we want our stores to be as shop-like as possible.
Nishimoto:The decorations in your store are amazing. They were great in Nishi-Shinjuku and Hatagaya, but they have become even more powerful since coming to Koenji.
Mountainside:I've always wanted to do it on the ground floor.
Nishimoto:What have you actually done differently since you did it?
Mountainside:You see the horizontal window at the entrance? Some people might look in through there and wonder what the shop is about. I thought, "People really want to look at it. I thought to myself, "People really want to see what it is.
Nishimoto:I don't know what kind of shop they are (laughs).
Mountainside:You might go in thinking it is a general store because of the knick-knacks at the entrance, but in the back you will find a lot of vinyl records. Nowadays, CDs are weak, and young people tend to buy merchandise. Stickers, for example.
I feel that CDs are not selling well. Are records in demand?
Mountainside:Nowadays, records are stronger, and then there are cassette tapes and so on. Recently, people ask, "Do you have Bruce Springsteen? or "Do you have Madonna? I am often asked, "Do you have Bruce Springsteen?
Nishimoto:Wow! That's unexpected.
Mountainside:. I'm thinking, "That's what it's like nowadays. . That's why I try to stock such things. I used to think that people would just go to other stores to buy so-called great rock albums, but that is no longer the case. In a sense, our store can be a gateway to that kind of music. That's why we try to mix in such great records among the niche records.
Nishimoto:So you feel like you are somewhere in a roundabout way.
Mountainside:Yes, I agree. I think it is important to have an archive. I also stock old jazz and blues music. It's hard to sell, but there is something fundamentally great about the blues. We are a small store, but we incorporate many elements.
Nishimoto:The same goes for your DJ style, Yamanobe-san. Sometimes he plays Japanese music, sometimes rave music, and I really like the mix of the two.
Mountainside:Enjoy everything! That's what I say (laughs). (laughs). I want to greedily pursue interesting things.
Nishimoto:I'd like to learn that. It's a strange store, really . There is always something to buy. It's a record shop like no other.
