"What is Genre?" A "Craftsman of Sound" Who Loves Music Neutrally

──This is your first compilation of works. Was there any particular trigger for it?

There wasn't anything in particular, which sounds undramatic (laughs). But people had been asking me for a while why I didn't have a compilation, and it finally felt like the right time. Since I'm not a frontman, the music I get involved with spans a wide range. People around me said that this diversity might be interesting, which led to the release.

──You've worked on so many songs; was selecting them difficult?

This time, I excluded songs where I was only involved in playing. I selected from those where I was deeply involved in the production aspect, but even those were numerous. We had meetings to select them. We started by gathering the songs I had worked on. I hadn't properly organized my own creations. From the vast list of songs, I just marked them with a highlighter. As the title suggests, the process of collecting and narrowing down was also an important part of the production work.



──Were there any criteria for selection?

It was very simple: if I thought it was good, and if I liked it. Also, songs that represent a certain turning point or key moment for each artist. It's difficult to name individual songs... On the other hand, I also really like songs that aren't widely known, so I hoped to bring them to light with this "Shusyu." However, it feels presumptuous for me to give it such a name, as it was created with the permission of each artist – it's like using someone else's loincloth, so to speak.

──What is the origin of the title "Shusyu"?

The main reason is that the characters look cool. The designer, Ohara Daijiro, who has been doing my artwork for many years, created it. I just gave him the characters "Shusyu" and told him to do whatever he liked. It's hand-drawn, as you can see.



──As this compilation shows, you've been active in a very wide range of genres, with artists like Koizumi Kyoko, UA, and Boryoku Onsen Geisha. What genres do you actually like?

I like music, and I don't understand genres. People call it "genreless" in a cool way, but when it comes to music, I don't consciously think about genre distinctions at all. Where are the boundaries? What are they? That's how I feel. In the band I formed, "Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra," the band name included the genre name "Ska," so from that point on, I was 100% liberated. That said, I really like Japanese music. I like folk songs where I don't understand the lyrics. I also like listening to the Manyoshu recited in its original pronunciation, even though it might not be singing. I have no idea what it's saying, it's frighteningly incomprehensible. Perhaps I like the sound itself. Of course, as a percussionist, I study percussion instruments from various countries, which allows me to see the commonalities and differences between my country's music and world music, and I've gradually settled on Japan. More precisely, my heart is currently with my hometown, Fukushima.

──You are also involved in the activity "Project Fukushima! IWAKI!", aren't you?

I participate in "Project Fukushima!" led by Endo Michiro, Otomo Yoshihide, and Wago Ryoichi, but I am primarily active in "Project Fukushima! IWAKI!". Last summer, I experienced "Jangara Nenbutsu Odori," a traditional folk performing art from Iwaki. It's a dance performed while beating drums to appease the souls of the deceased. For three days starting August 13th, we visited private homes and offered performances. I know about drums and music from many countries, but it had been over 20 years since I had performed my hometown's traditional performing art. By appeasing the disaster victims in this way, I've become very interested in this music, or rather, the sound of "Jangara Nenbutsu Odori."

"Shusyu"
1. DUCA / CHARA
2. Koi Bito ga Nemutta Ato ni Utau Uta / Moonriders
3. Ima, Parkway / Itohara Hitoe
4. Preach / KAZMI with Rickies
5. Stompin' at the Savoy / Piranha
6. Sayonara no Himitsu / Ichii Yuri
7. Senkou (ALBUM Ver.) / UA
8. Chiisana Kinomi / Hatakeyama Miyuki with ASA-CHANG & Blue Hats
9. Rock Steady Girl / Kojima Mayumi
10. Koizumi Kyoko wa Boogie Woogie Bugi / Koizumi Kyoko
11. Hontou no Dekigoto / Sakamoto Rock All Stars
12. Emmanuelle no Tema (REAL SLAVE MIX) / Bronsons, ASA-CHANG, Higeyojii Gundan
13. POPSTARS / Nelories
14. Kuro no Funauta / Boryoku Onsen Geisha
15. Shiroki Miyako / Kurihara Jun
16. Koko ni Sachi Ari / Hirose Kohmi
Price | 3150 yen
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