On April 22nd, "Alone," the first track released under his real name, Tomoyuki Tanaka, became available on various subscription music services. The release statement included a comment from the artist: "In the midst of this chaos, I don't even know if the romantic notion that music can save lives or protect health still holds true. However, I believe the fact that this song was completed at this particular time is a revelation from something." Since then, Tanaka has been releasing new music approximately every month. We asked him about his true intentions.

"For about three years, I've been creating music with the feeling of leaving behind a will."

This interview was conducted in two parts, with a time gap in between. The first meeting took place in mid-April, when society was in turmoil due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. He appeared in a mask at a socially distanced meeting space, clearly showing signs of bewilderment. We met again in early June, by which time three new songs had been released.

"Since releasing the best-of album "Motions [Best Killer Remixes & Produce works by FPM]" in 2016 under the FPM (Fantastic Plastic Machine) moniker, I've actually been continuously creating music. Having passed 50, I approached it with the same intensity as if it were my final album. For about three years, I've been refining many songs through trial and error, almost like a 'will.' Then, this COVID-19 situation occurred... and unintentionally, it became synchronized with the times. It was imbued with a 'greater meaning' than I had anticipated."

The songs, meticulously crafted to reveal a new facet of his artistry, unexpectedly became imbued with "great meaning," a sentiment also reflected in "Alone," released on April 22nd.

The track was born from sampling the word "Alone" from various sources. Initially sparse piano notes are accompanied by the word, which begins as mere points before eventually overflowing as numerous instances of "Alone," concluding with the phrase "Nobody is Alone."

It carries a universal message that everyone is born and dies alone, that everyone experiences loneliness, but conversely, it implies "you are not alone in your solitude." However, in the current context, it can also be interpreted as strongly reflecting the times, with concepts like social distancing.

"Of course, I was making these songs long before this situation arose. I was thinking about people who might be driven to suicide by economic hardship, and I wanted to convey some kind of message to them. It might sound presumptuous..."

By early March, Tomoyuki Tanaka had already completed enough songs to release an album. On the other hand, some songs were completed when lyrics suddenly came to him in response to the current situation. One such track is "Change the World Again," released on May 13th as the second single.

"It was March 11th, the ninth anniversary of the earthquake. I had no work that day, but I couldn't calm down watching the news. Then, suddenly, as if by automatic writing, the lyrics came to me. I felt I had to act immediately and posted about it on social media. Mito-kun from Clammbon commented, 'I'll help.' Since I envisioned a male-female duet, I first asked Ikuko Harada, through Mito-kun's connection, to be the female vocalist. For the male vocalist, I decided to ask Hiroshi Takano, who had 'liked' my post. We quickly set a date, recorded, and mixed it. It was created out of a sense of inevitability, and I believe it's a work of pure quality, just like my other songs."

Late last year, Tomoyuki Tanaka was commissioned by actor Keishi Nagatsuka to compose the music for the play "Hitachi-bo Kaison." In a separate interview with Nagatsuka, Tanaka mentioned that adopting the seemingly fictional name "Fantastic Plastic Machine" and creating stylish dance music was a form of rebellion for him, a native of Kyoto, a city steeped in traditional culture. Indeed, Tanaka is known as a true music aficionado and an obsessive fan, having invested significant amounts of money in music both before and after his debut.

"When I debuted, even after the bubble burst, the music industry was still in its peak CD sales era. Because of that, artists like me were given a certain budget to produce CDs and received promotional support."

"On the other hand, what was popular in America and the UK at the time was dark, introspective music. Of course, as someone who bought a King Crimson record with a book voucher I won in a school essay contest, I love that kind of dark stuff (laughs). But it was also completely incompatible with the Japanese music scene at the time. So, there was an aspect of constructing FPM with a sense of half-bad taste. Some people misunderstood that and called it 'stylish,' but I have no intention of denying that. However, as I mentioned earlier, the new music I've been creating for the past three years comes from a 'will' and is an expression of my true self. That's why I feel I should release this body of work under my real name, Tomoyuki Tanaka, rather than as FPM. Though that's still undecided."

"Some people misunderstood that and called it 'stylish,' but I have no intention of denying that. However, as I mentioned earlier, the new music I've been creating for the past three years comes from a 'will' and is an expression of my true self. That's why I feel I should release this body of work under my real name, Tomoyuki Tanaka, rather than as FPM. Though that's still undecided."

As of now, all three songs released since "Alone" have been under his real name, Tomoyuki Tanaka. As listeners will notice, they are distinct from his previous FPM works. This is also true for the other songs he has been diligently creating.

"From the beginning, I had the intention of creating an album for ultimate listening, or rather, 'making a record I'd want to listen to when I die.' In other words, I started creating with the desire to repay the music and musicians who have influenced me. As a starting point, I set various challenges for myself. Classical, dub, exotic sounds, folk... and incorporating music that deeply influenced me, like Erik Satie and Martin Denny, I wondered if I could create sounds that advance them even half a step."

One such piece is "Beethoven: 'Moonlight Sonata' by 137 Pianists," released as the third single on June 10th. This track was conceived with the aim of creating "the ultimate lounge music." After pondering "What kind of piano sonata should Tomoyuki Tanaka tackle?" he arrived at a peculiar masterpiece by extracting and arranging vast archives of "Moonlight Sonata" recordings from the internet – performed by everyone from famous musicians to ordinary grandfathers, grandmothers, and children, across time and borders. The tuning, recording conditions, tempo, and sound quality were all left unchanged. The result is a compilation of 137 performances. This contemporary musical experiment and its sound possess a strange, wavering, yet comforting quality.

"Up until now, what I've always done in making music is sampling. While retaining that, I wanted to create music from a completely different perspective. That, to me, is the ultimate pop music I can conceive of right now. Whether it sells or not is irrelevant; I simply want many people to hear it and spread it. To reiterate, it was during this process that the COVID-19 situation occurred."

He has poured his heart into creating and refining these songs, which he describes as his "will," "final work," and "posthumous portrait." The overall plan for their release, and when it will happen, remains undecided. This is largely due to the collapse of traditional structures, such as the shift from physical media like CDs to the era of streaming. Furthermore, in today's world where there are countless ways to release music, he is discerningly assessing the best approach with a DJ's sensibility.

"The social situation is changing so rapidly that I oscillate daily between wanting to release all the songs immediately and thinking perhaps a few years from now would be better. A DJ reads the floor's reaction to decide the next track; that's the skill required of a DJ, so I'm agonizing over when to release these works. However, I've recently come to see even that as creative. So, while "Alone" and "Change the World Again" were released as digital singles with music videos, with "Beethoven: 'Moonlight Sonata' by 137 Pianists," I wanted to demonstrate that this is an endeavor completely unrelated to commercial activity by taking a more experimental approach."

While I haven't heard all the prepared songs, they are all diverse works, each possessing both depth and lightness, and have been crafted into sounds that inexplicably purify the soul. This must be the true essence of Tomoyuki Tanaka, having shed the persona of FPM. Regardless of how they are presented, this undoubtedly marks a new beginning for him as a musician.

The release method for the new song involved an illustration by NABSF, an artist known for his work on T-shirts and cut-and-sew items for the apparel brand "NEXUSⅦ." The illustration depicts Beethoven wearing a gas mask, with a QR code placed casually below it. Accessing the QR code leads to the song "Beethoven: 'Moonlight Sonata' by 137 Pianists" along with a video.

"There was a time when the Kyoto-based band EP-4, before a live performance, plastered stickers with just 'EP-4 5・21' written on them in public phone booths in Kyoto, Nagoya, and Tokyo, causing a social stir. I was inspired by such formative experiences, and also by Christian Marclay's installation of blank sheet music in a public toilet in Berlin. I was deeply moved by such activities, and since this series of songs is free from concerns about sales, playback numbers, or rights, it presented an opportunity to conduct such experiments."

As of late June 2020, only three songs have been released, but a considerable number of tracks are already prepared. Each of them offers a blend of depth and lightness, with sounds that possess an inexplicable power to cleanse the soul. Regardless of how they are eventually presented, this undoubtedly marks a new journey for Tomoyuki Tanaka as a musician.