All members of “COSMIC VILLAGE” for this time are good at computer and so called digital type of people, but except you. You described your position in order to create new sounds as ” I took the part of ‘a field overseer’, in this VILLAGE construction”. I found this expression is quite interesting.

Again, It’ll sound like criticising Japan, though, I think the recognition to those “field overseer” kind of jobs is very low in Japan.
Well, I don’t play any instruments nor compose any music. However since there is a person like me, things go smoothly and musicians can play in good condition. I’ve learned how to decide the direction through managing works, but I haven’t got adequate recognition for my works because here in Japan, there is a strong idea of “a manager = an attendant”. So, I made a “declaration of artist producer” to appeal what I do.
As I expressed my position as a “field overseer”, Mr.Kawasaki was a designer and members of COSMIC VILLAGE were actual workers for this construction. Me as a field overseer, I had been at the building site and done my job such as encouraging members, arranging lunches and so. If there was no field overseer, no “building” could be constructed. I hope these explanations and my declaration help people to understand my participation in music.

The creativity of directing has been acknowledged quite well in other countries, but not in Japan…

Right. For example, GODAR, a movie director, you don’t know what exactly he had done for his film. But, you go to watch the movie with the name of “GODAR” in Japan.
There are people so called producers now in Japan but in a strict sense, they are not producers but composers and arrangers. Of course, you need to have certain talents to do these. But I would say what I do is really director’s and/or producer’s work.

I think you are trying to built something belongs to new genre and it’s refracted to your sound creation. For example, you presented “TRINKETS＆THINGS” in three different versions and “Jupiter 2000” version and “Hal” version got quite futuristic sounds. Could you tell us your outlook on the cosmic and digitised future?

Well, we have heard the concept of retro future for a few year. Also, Ideas about year 2000 which people thought at 60’s and 70’s have been revaluated in fields of fashion, interior and so on. My outlook on future is something with warmth but I feel the reality is going different directions…
More decadence and coldness. People tend to imagine that in the future the world will be artificial and human beings will lose identity. But I hope we’ll have a future remaining many goodness and warmth of human heart from past. I mean there was the past and will be the future, these are continuous time. Towards the future, I’m concerning matters we shouldn’t lose as human beings and the directions we should evolve to.
I want to set people free with “sounds”. I wish them to be free from an individual, let’s say, from an individual to cosmic. ha ha. Well it seems extreme… but that I really feel and I want to set myself free, too.
Therefore I’ve thought of what’s the sound which releases people. For 1997, I think some futuristic sound is the one. And also, Jazz which absorbed Drum’n’ Bass and Techno can be the one, I guess.

You mentioned that “a Play Station and a pot” are necessities for the 21st century hippies and also used a phrase “make a club like a pot”. What’s “pot” mean?

The Play Station became a communication tool nowadays. Although I have no sense on machines and playing computer games, I’ve been playing “IQ” with great fun. Through playing games, I found games create communications such as a conversation “I played this way.” , “How did you play?” and so on. Also, people will gather, let’s say, “I bought a new game, come to my place and let’s play it”. There’ll be a communication, too.
Right, let me explain about “pot”. A pot is the primitive tool for a communication. It’s more direct communication, your chopsticks and others’ are hitting each other at bottom of a pot. ha ha. Not secondary contact. I like to value both games and pots. When we get together, we actually enjoy hot pot and game.
Even this album, it’s a mix of various kind of music, Jazz is the base and Rock, House, Techno, Drum’n’ Bass… with some taste of Jazz.

That’s exactly a “Pot”.

Yeah, like a “hotchpotch”. ha ha.

At the last, what’s your next plan including COSMIC VILLAGE?

COSMIC VILLAGE is going to remix of Belaza, the Latin artist from NY.
It’ll be released on July from Alpha Music. For myself, I’m planing to do DJ plays as a part of Kyoto Jazz Massive. And lately, I made an unit called “Latinple” with Genta who is a percussionist and a former member of Orquesta de la Luz. “We, Japanese, like Latin music, too!” that’s our feeling. ha ha.