Newsmaker November 2007 - ken solo interview Part 2

 

Does the fact that you guys, as a band, are doing this tour and are able to enjoy it mean you are also more inclined to enjoy Laruku?

k: First of all, the recording was really great. And even before that, the 15^th anniversary live was really good. It’s really fun to perform.

 

As Laruku?

k: Yeah. Yuki plays the drums, tetsu plays the bass, hyde sings, I play and the audience listens to us. That is just great.

 

Is it different to the kind of ‘fun’ you had nine years ago?

k: I cannot really remember it well…… I still feel the same sometimes, but nine years ago I felt that the good and bad of a live performance were determined by how much you can explode or how much you let go. But now, I am more focused on how good I can perform and then I hope I am producing the ‘letting-go’ effect. So I guess that’s different. That became changed after playing many times at domes and Yoyogi. To a person standing closest to the stage, no matter how much I explode, my movements and so on aren’t visible to him or her. Isn’t it music that’s being transmitted? I thought if I don’t get that across properly, then nothing would be communicated.

 

I see. I remember you were in charge of the second MC at this tour. Did you prepare the MC comments? 

k: I did, I prepared about four MCs? (Everyone laughs) hyde was doing some amazing MCs so I wanted to that kind of amazing MC too. I decided I’m going to write the scripts and wrote about five. (Laughs) “I will move them with my MC”, I thought. But it was awkward when I actually did it. My mind went completely blank while speaking. I don’t know what is expected of me on the stage. (Laughs)

 

From the audience?

k: From the audience and from hyde, who’s made the MC spot for me. (Laughs) No matter how things turn out, I will move onto the next song smoothly. It doesn’t matter what I say, I will just give it my best during the last ten seconds. That’s my rule.

 

I see. Also, how is the physical aspect of this tour?

k: (Immediately) Draining!! It’s exhausting~. Especially P’UNK~EN~CIEL.

 

That further drains the energy from you?

k: That’s why I think yuki’s amazing. At the beginning of the tour, my arms just hung loose after only two songs for real. At the rehearsals! I was shouting in pain and the arms got bent in a wrong direction. I’m supposed to play the guitar after that right? I didn’t have any feelings in my arms. So at first, I was like “give me a break”. And then, I got some advice from yuki during the tour. As I tried each of the advice along the way, it started to get fun. When I realised I was really into drumming, it was about as ten times as fun. Then, I became too concerned with playing the drums properly and started to over-strike again, making it topsy-turvy. It’s really difficult to hit a clean shot without actually trying. On top of that, the setting for P’UNK~EN~CIEL got further changed. I have to know how to properly use twin pedals. Then, the form got changed again. I asked myself what’s going on. I’m in a bit of a slump at the moment.

 

You are genuinely practising.

k: I am! hyde did the arranging for Natsuno yuutsu [SEA IN BLOOD 2007], the song coupled with DAYBREAK’S BELL. Did you hear about that?

 

I’ve heard about it. I was a bit surprised about the use of two bass drums.

k: I had a listen to a keyboard recording of it first and went “Huh? Are you for real?”. I had imposed a ban on two bass drums because I can’t play them. I mean it’s impossible! So at first, I was thinking of doing the beats with a tam but I was told that was impossible. So I told them I’ll practise playing two bass drums. But when I told hyde I won’t have time to practise because we’re on a tour, he casually suggested that I practise a day before the Hamamatsu concert or at studios. (Everyone laughs) “That’s right, we don’t have time to practice”, he said. I went to Hamamatsu and because the studios were full, I went to a small live house and just practised the two bass drums all by myself. I had secretly thought hyde might come and join me as well……and he didn’t! (Everyone laughs) I was there practising alone, all sweaty. On the recording day, I got to the place two hours beforehand to practise and then recorded the song.

 

Now I’d like to ask you about the title song of this single, DAYBREAK’S BELL. It had a hard-rock feel to it, different to the previous songs.

k: It’s rather an irresponsibly written song. Often the typical drum pattern for a would-be single, for example, would normally be based on two-four snare beats, but I hadn’t thought of this song as one for a single album. I had written it when I had my own music-writing period, before those single and album releases were being decided upon. First, I came up with the bass lines and guitar riffs. I had ideas about the drum as well, but I realised it wasn’t the two-four beats. But I could definitely imagine yuki playing the drum in that manner. I programmed it with the keyboard thinking I want to hear him play this. So, it’s like……you know when something doesn’t sell well, like an international artist? But you still like the song. I wanted to write something like that.

 

The new album includes, in addition to this single, other new songs that were performed at the lives. What kind of an album will it be?

k: I always keep the initial sound that I fall in love with in mind, including sound quality, pitch, dynamics. I really want to pack only the sounds that I like. Then again, it’s not like it took me much time. But it did take me a while during pre-production. So I suppose it’s an album that was made in an environment where people knew what kind of sounds needed to be recorded. Approved sounds, including voice. It’s an album that has these.

 

From what I heard at the live concerts, the new songs are all really good.

k: Thank you very much. We all write music and we wanted to create something that we would really want to listen to, including the kind of sound we would want to hear. We wanted to create something we would want to perform. We had the ASIA LIVE, the 15^th anniversary and we wanted reach that point, as Laruku.

 

One of the new songs, Yukino ashiato, I think this is written by you. It’s really a beautiful song.

k: It has nice lyrics. It was the same during AWAKE TOUR 2005, but the lyrics really started to sink into me when I was performing at ASIA LIVE 2005 and 15^th L’Anniversary Live. From that I realised lyrics are really wonderful. It’s really important as well as moving. It came to me gradually. Like the Yukino ashiato, when the preliminary lyrics had been written for ALONE EN LA VIDA, Okano-san (the arranger) and I almost cried. We really felt the power of words.

 

But on the other hand, there are really “out-there” songs like Pretty girl as well. I got a big shock when I heard that song for other reasons.

k: I got pestered to create something along the usual. So I came up with one that is full of words you won’t normally say.  

 

What will the arena tour following the album release be like?

k: hyde gave his everything and came up with the theme for this tour……as to what it will be like for the next one, let’s just say I don’t know.

Zdroj:https://larcenciel.livejournal.com/872487.html#cutid1