いまいなかんじ
Imai Hisashi Presents
-An interview with Imai Hisashi and Yokoyama Kazutoshi the Manipulator-
Translation: Lola & w_b
It has been confirmed since the previous issue, Mr. Yokoyama Kazutoshi the manipulator will be appearing as a regular in this corner. These two still have a lot to talk about this time too. Recording has begun as well so I wonder what sort of anecdotes we'll get to hear?! And as always I wonder how the synthesizer turned out? Our talk starts now!
As of now, there has been some recording completed by the end of the year....
Imai: But I've still got some homework left.
Last time we spoke, you said that, that nothing was ready yet....
Imai: Reading it over again, yeah I see that, I did say there was nothing ready *smiles*.
So now, once your songs were completed Imai-san, who got to listen to them first?
Yokoyama: ...Tanaka-san?
Imai: Yeah. At my house.
Yokoyama-san, what was your very first impression of the these songs when you listened to them?
Yokoyama: The first song I listened to was the one with [Lightning] as the tentative title and I thought it was really pretty. I really thought it felt like a single. As for the other song [Skeletons] (temporary title), it was a song without any synth in it at all right, not a single part so, I wondered if there was any point in me playing you know. Because I knew it would be hard for me to fit something in....
Imai: It was hard wasn't it.
Yokoyama: It was hard, yes *smiles*. But I thought it would be fun, having those two extremes.
Imai: There's things like rhythm loops, that I thought you could play....
Yokoyama: Um, that's because until now there was a raw vibration with the rhythm too and besides, I added all the step recording too.... Even if I say something like a loop gets entangled with the rhythm, it's something that fits in with Anii-san's group and I mean, that's part of the work steps. This time there were various things that just seemed to fit perfectly with the rhythm patterns and I'd say it's because we were simply able to try out a lot of things, not just with the rhythm and that's what came out.
Even for your work Yokoyama-san, there were changes due to trying some experimental things this time.
Yokoyama: You're right. Until now I would decide on the timbre of the sound, then I would think about what kind of phrases to use and on top of that, it was necessary for me to think of what would fit the songs in a natural but artistic way. This time I just tried out sound phrases to get it to come out.
Did you get any instructions from Imai-san when he first gave you the demo?
Yokoyama: He told me he wanted the image to be dark but energetic. Without it becoming conceptual.... Or something like that, he was rather vague.
Imai: Because I'm still getting ideas for the album even now....
Yokoyama: Maybe, once we start recording next year and you have more songs, as they add up, they'll eventually form into a unified concept on their own.
Previously you hadn't decided anything yet but, as you're working on it would you say you a concept is coming into view?
Imai: Hmm, you see the particular thing about this time is, well as you know our tour was postponed due to the earthquake right and usually up till now, I think about what I'd like to do next while I'm on tour. The pattern has been that ideas come to me then. But now it's like I still have nothing, no place to start from you know and so for the first time I feel at a loss.
Yokoyama: Like there's no base....
Imai: I mean I can do stuff but it never seems clear enough when I do... I mean like there wasn't anything...that made me feel like 'This! This is it!!'.
Was your heart not into it...?
Imai: Um...well, if I'm going to be completely clear, I had no will to work...*smiles*. I didn't.
Yokoyama: Yes and then when your long awaited will to create came rushing back the state of your Mac wasn't so completely terrible was it? *smiles*
Imai: No *smiles*. But I still said "I dun wanna~".
And that's how things started huh. From your previous talk this had come up, and I've since been told by Hayashi-san that you would have a turn on the synthesizer?
Yokoyama: I won't. Because I haven't received it yet.
Imai: Seriously?! But I tried it out once....
Yokoyama: I ordered two, and since the first arrived quickly I brought it to Imai-san's house first and set it up too....
Imai: Without volume *smiles*.
What?
Both: Volume control....
Yokoyama: I couldn't do anything about that *smiles*. Besides it wasn't supposed to be directly used for recording anyway.
Imai: Anyway there was nothing to adjust the volume level, he brought it to my house with just the in and out modes set up and so, when I'm by myself and recording, I decide that I'd like to try to use it a little bit but since the volume level was cranked completely to the max, I got blown away by this jarring Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! I can't use that for recording! It's way too loud! *smiles*
Wow, aren't you being a little too emphatic...?
Imai: Well, maybe I'm being a little cranky....
Yokoyama: I guess I'll have to try to figure out how to use it.
So you haven't had your turn yet in recording have you?
Yokoyama: They haven't used me for recording yet, no. Because I don't have my synth yet.... But you know, when Imai-san used his, it reminded me a little bit of an analog synthesizer even though that's not what he used, the effect was sort of like that and I think I'd like to try that out a little more not just with Imai-san's songs but Hide-san's as well.
Then I guess you'll be recording in the new year....
Yokoyama: Yes. By then I should already have a proper command of the equipment *smiles*.
You must really be looking forward to getting the new equipment then?
Yokoyama: Umm, if I've received it well enough before recording then I'll be able to try out which things I can do with it and what works well you know. But if it comes during recording and I'm in the studio then I'm not so sure I'll be too happy because I'll only be concerned with which sounds to use, there won't be any leeway for excitement....
Then lets hope it arrives swiftly before the new year....
Yokoyama: Right, well it should arrive by then *smiles*.
I imagine you'd like some time to fiddle with it while the band is doing lives and not in recording right.
Yokoyama: Yes, yes, that's the plan.
The two of them then had a brief business meeting regarding recording between themselves......then seemed to recall we were in the middle of a discussion.
You've completed your work for this year but, do you feel like you still have stuff to work on in the new year with the songs you're doing now?
Yokoyama: Maybe not in that way exactly but since the deadline for the new songs is spring, we'll start recording the sound for a lot of new songs in the new year and then I'll probably end up wanting to change those we've already recorded this year. So things are kind of temporarily 'finished' but I know that they're not really done with yet.
Imai: This happened before you know right. With [Tenshi no Revolver], from the beginning there was always one more thing to do....
Yokoyama: Oh, right *smiles*. There was always something from the rhythm section right. Anii-san was so stunned *smiles*. Um...is it ok if I digress a bit here? ...ok it was Tanaka-san's suggestion right, that for Imai-san's birthday that I bestow a priceless present....
Imai:Ah.
Yokoyama: Since Hide-san was in the middle of his recording that day, Imai-san hadn't come in right so I thought I should sing "Happy Birthday" on one of Imai-san's songs to surprise him when he listens *smiles*. And since Sakurai-san had already finished recording his vocals for Imai-san's songs, I quickly replaced them with my singing *smiles* and that would be my present for Imai-san....
Imai: Oh, you did that on Hide's recording day?
Yokoyama: Yup, on Hide-san's day.
Imai: See because at that time, I got this photo attachment from Hide, it looked like the studio monitor and I didn't really get it.... I was like, what's this about? It was you, wasn't it Yoko-chan?
Yokoyama: It was me.
Imai:Well now I get it *smiles*.
Yokoyama: Yes. Hide-san took a picture of me singing to send to Imai-san but without any explanation at all. Anyway, I had to go to Imai-san's birthday party right after that so Hide-san sent the picture without any explanation.
Imai: And since he never bothered explaining at all afterwards or anything, I just kept right on drinking and got pretty smashed. And then, I kept getting tons of birthday wishes emailed to me on my computer and stuff so......I figured ah I'll ask him about it later. Anyway, then in the studio the next day, both Tanaka-san and Hiruma-san are grinning at me. Saying, "Imai-kun did you see what you were given? How was it? Did you hear it?" and I had no idea what they were talking about so I said, "Huh? What?"....
Yokoyama: Since Sakurai-san's vocals were put back onto the song...they had to tell Imai-san what I had done.
And you had thought they were talking about work at first.
Imai: Had you said anything to me about it?
Yokoyama: I figured it'd be better if I didn't say anything actually.
Imai: Since I don't check my e-mail everyday right.
Yokoyama: That was my folly right there *smiles*.
Because you weren't able to time it right.
Imai: Because I was startled but over nothing.
Yokoyama: Things didn't go as I thought.... But it was so cool what I did you know. Because I was able to sing with Buck-Tick's new and hot music as my backup *smiles*. But you know, I think if you had heard it when you were drunk that time, I would have been nervous *smiles*. Anyway, that's my story of what happened.
Thank you for that *smiles*.
Yokoyama: And everyone who had been there was saying how it would have been boring if I had sung it the usual way......what I did was interesting though.
Imai: It's true.
Are you put out about the present Imai-san....?
Imai: That was so not a present! *smiles*
And so the conversation digressed.......
Um...would you please say a word to wrap it up?
Imai: It'd be great if the synthesizer came soon *smiles*. And even though I said it before, it's stillll not here.
Yokoyama: You might have to say it next time too *smiles*. Come soon~ synthesizer~ *smiles*
Imai: *laughs*