SUGIZO is releasing the first live album in his solo career, ‘LIVE IN TOKYO’, on September 30th. This work delivers the two day birthday performance ’SUGIZO 聖誕半世紀祭～HALF CENTURY ANNIVERSARY FES.～’ that was held last year on July 7th and August 2nd at Nakano Sunplaza, giving you a chance to not only enjoy the live atmosphere but also the magnificent collaboration with his sworn musician friends.
It’s a masterpiece I’d love many people to listen to, but it might be surprising to people who only know SUGIZO from LUNA SEA and X JAPAN and not his solo work.
In this interview we will get to the bottom of it, discussing the live album, the foundations of SUGIZO’s solo work and his music, and the history with the artists who joined the project.
ー It’s the first time in your career you’re releasing a live album, which is very unusual now that the video releases are so common. You were that happy with how those 2 days turned out?
I was planning to release a live album from before. I heard from my staff they wanted to release the material from this half century celebration, but because I’ve released live video works so many times I thought it’s time to change my approach.
I feel that young people nowadays are not really familiar with live albums. These times we can easily watch live videos everywhere including YouTube. But back in our childhood the live album from the artist we were indulging in was a real prize. For me it was YMO, JAPAN and PiL. Miles Davids or Frank Zappa also had quite a few live releases. And, Deep Purple or Peter Framptom also had famous live albums, even as I wasn’t influenced by them. With such artists, live albums in 70s and 80s were treated as extremely valuable. I have a lot of admiration for those times, so I was hoping to eventually be able do it myself.
－ I see. Before we talk about the content, I wanted to ask you when did you encounter the so called psychodelic trance music that is the foundation of your solo music?
In the mid 90s. First, I was really into hardcore techno or minimal techno in early 90s, speaking of the ambient world like The Orb or 808 STATE, I really love the scene of that time. And few years later, at the same time when I started my solo activity, European drum n bass or abstract hip hop were very popular, I was quite influenced by the club culture and music around then, and then naturally I gave myself to trance.
The first rave I went to see was Vision Quest in 2001, and from then I got even more into it. The feeling of life in the perfectly linked music and the flow of universe, like dancing with the rising sun and chilling in the afternoon, my instincts were telling me that people had a connection with this kind of music from the ancient times. Not the music from the cities, the music with roots in nature. Kind of primitive music. I found great value for music there.
◆Then they discuss JUNO REACTOR, learning what kind of rhythm feels good, how working with a South African percussion team Amampondo helped them grow spiritually, especially thanks to the drummer Mabi, SUGIZO’s chase of the 'black groove’ to finally understand East has its own good points; he can be proud as Japanese and SUGIZO’s solo activity reflects everything he’s learnt.
Next, Joe asks SUGIZO for a primer of his solo work, SUGIZO lists 'Misogi’, 'FATIMA’, 'DO-FUNK DANCE’ and 'Lux Aeterna'◆
It’s a masterpiece I’d love many people to listen to, but it might be surprising to people who only know SUGIZO from LUNA SEA and X JAPAN and not his solo work.
In this interview we will get to the bottom of it, discussing the live album, the foundations of SUGIZO’s solo work and his music, and the history with the artists who joined the project.
ー It’s the first time in your career you’re releasing a live album, which is very unusual now that the video releases are so common. You were that happy with how those 2 days turned out?
I was planning to release a live album from before. I heard from my staff they wanted to release the material from this half century celebration, but because I’ve released live video works so many times I thought it’s time to change my approach.
I feel that young people nowadays are not really familiar with live albums. These times we can easily watch live videos everywhere including YouTube. But back in our childhood the live album from the artist we were indulging in was a real prize. For me it was YMO, JAPAN and PiL. Miles Davids or Frank Zappa also had quite a few live releases. And, Deep Purple or Peter Framptom also had famous live albums, even as I wasn’t influenced by them. With such artists, live albums in 70s and 80s were treated as extremely valuable. I have a lot of admiration for those times, so I was hoping to eventually be able do it myself.
－ I see. Before we talk about the content, I wanted to ask you when did you encounter the so called psychodelic trance music that is the foundation of your solo music?
In the mid 90s. First, I was really into hardcore techno or minimal techno in early 90s, speaking of the ambient world like The Orb or 808 STATE, I really love the scene of that time. And few years later, at the same time when I started my solo activity, European drum n bass or abstract hip hop were very popular, I was quite influenced by the club culture and music around then, and then naturally I gave myself to trance.
The first rave I went to see was Vision Quest in 2001, and from then I got even more into it. The feeling of life in the perfectly linked music and the flow of universe, like dancing with the rising sun and chilling in the afternoon, my instincts were telling me that people had a connection with this kind of music from the ancient times. Not the music from the cities, the music with roots in nature. Kind of primitive music. I found great value for music there.
◆Then they discuss JUNO REACTOR, learning what kind of rhythm feels good, how working with a South African percussion team Amampondo helped them grow spiritually, especially thanks to the drummer Mabi, SUGIZO’s chase of the 'black groove’ to finally understand East has its own good points; he can be proud as Japanese and SUGIZO’s solo activity reflects everything he’s learnt.
Next, Joe asks SUGIZO for a primer of his solo work, SUGIZO lists 'Misogi’, 'FATIMA’, 'DO-FUNK DANCE’ and 'Lux Aeterna'◆
－ Remarkably for each of two days you invited guest vocalists. All of them are musicians you’re very familiar with, could you tell us first about how you got to know Kyo (from DIR EN GREY/sukekiyo)?
From the start I was close with some people they know and their staff members. So I went to see their show and we were introduced. It was surprisingly recently, like around 2005 or 2006.
－ What was your impression when you saw DIR EN GREY for the first time?
It was the first time I felt threatened by a younger band. I’m sorry for saying this, but I haven’t felt threatened or impacted by any of the younger artists, within this genre. That’s why I was quite surprised with how great they are. What they’re expressing, their worldview are incredible. At that time I could feel that their performance or sound are not there yet, but I could already feel the intensity of what was pouring out of them, the endless possibilities.
I was especially looking at Kyo thinking 'he’s a genius’. There’s no theory or detailed reasoning with him. He’s just doing things by instinct. But he’s good with words, good at drawing, as an artist he can express himself in so many different ways. Then, when I met him in person he was just so pure and innocent, doesn’t it seem like he’s not greedy at all? So it was a shock of 'a genius like this exists?’.
－ It was Kyo who wrote the lyrics for your collaboration song 'Zessai’, was it a request from you?
Yes. Thinking to sing the best it’d be better if that person writes the lyrics, and when I asked [Kyo] he happily did. When I sent him a 2nd stage Mix demo asking 'it will be like this, what do you think?’, he already had the singing (melody) put in. And the lyrics have been done too, when I asked 'woah, that’s the actual thing?’, he replied 'yup, I’ve done them’. It’s the same with DIR. Thus, he’s a genius. When an image comes to his mind he cannot wait. It all felt so fast. He’s really a phenomenal creator.
－ How was the performance at the Half Century Anniversary?
I felt he definitely is someone who follows his instincts. When you stand on the stage and things get serious it totally doesn’t matter if you’re younger or older (as in how long you’ve been working in a music business). Of course there was no stage fright, I felt as a performer he’s just huge, and at the same time it felt like there was mutual respect. It felt like it would be a waste to let it just finish like that. That’s why I’m very happy that we can release the collaboration from the stage [on the live album].
◆Next, they talk about TERU and TAKURO (from GLAY), followed by Kiyoharu (I’m skipping here a lot)◆
－Kiyoharu said 'I’ve performed on various stages so I can’t imagine myself losing, but when playing together with SUGIZO the pressure is very different’. Often when two different performers stand on stage together sparks will fly.
The same thing can be said about RYUICHI and SUGIZO, the spark/heat of the collision of a guitarist and a vocalist is often very attractive. In a way there’s also the aesthetics of traditional rock, that the combination of Kiyoharu and SUGIZO might be able to embody this spark’s attractiveness. That’s why the collision on the stage makes me shudder, but also it’s possible to blend together. With [the combination of] Kyo and SUGIZO there’s no blending together, it feels different. And with TAKURO・TERU we’re different type of people. When Kiyoharu is on stage I feel he’s the same species as me.
－ It’s interesting that the character of all those three groups of musicians is totally different.
That’s true. I think it’s amazing I could have a line-up like that, it’s really by chance that they are my good friends coming from the same genre.
◆they finish the interview talking about the sound and working with Dub Master X, sound mixing for the album, SUGIZO wants the live sound to have intimate, close feeling◆
一 So how was it to complete a live album without compromising on anything?
It’s a live album, but it it makes me feel like I was able to create a 'SUGIZO’s Best Album’. 2 years I go I released what was meant to be my biggest compilation, but obviously the sound from the studio and from the concert have totally different types of energy. As someone who’s been performing on the stage for a very long time, I’m really glad to able to pack that energy for the first time officially on an album. Of course live performance has less precision than the studio album, but performance has way more energy.
Another thing is that as you know it is difficult now to perform due to the pandemic. I haven’t played live for half a year, when thinking about it, it’s the first time in my music career to not play any shows for this long. That’s why I’m really yearning for the stage performance, the live show. When I was still doing them it was something obvious, but now that I can’t, making this album made me keenly aware how important concerts are in my life and how much I need them; and to tell the truth working on this live album was like saving myself in a way. Obviously a live album can’t rival the real thing. Not even a live dvd nor a live stream can match the excitement of being there [at the show], but I worked on this album hoping to let you feel at least some percent of that feeling. At any rate, I’m really grateful to be able to create a work like a live album that inspired me so much as a child.
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