A long-awaited encounter 15 years later, after having been concerned about her since her debut
Yasuyuki Okamura (hereinafter, Okamura): I've been a fan since the '90s, listening to his CDs and attending the parties he DJed at. We were both affiliated with the same agency (Yoshimoto Kogyo) for a while, but I never had the chance to meet him, and it wasn't until I became friends with Ryuichi Sakamoto that I finally got to say hello to him.
TOWA TEI (hereafter referred to as Tei): I think it was at the venue for "World Happiness," organized by Yukihiro Takahashi. Afterwards, I heard "Booshaka Loop" (2016) and was surprised at how cool it was.
Okamura: I myself started DJing and had the opportunity to work with him at venues like Vision in Shibuya. One event that I remember fondly was the one that Tei invited me to after Yukihiro passed away in 2023.
Tei: It wasn't an official event, but a gathering of friends and acquaintances at SO TIRED in Oyamadai, as a way of paying our respects.
Okamura: The idea of "Let's meet when we can" really struck a chord with me. Come to think of it, members of the Jungle Brothers were also at the venue.
Tei: Africa Baby Bam was in Japan and did a freestyle. I've been friends with him since before I joined Deee-Lite.
The rise of sampling music in the 90s
Okamura: Actually, I went to a Japan concert in the '90s when Deee-Lite, the band you were in, came to Japan. I was absolutely blown away when I heard their album "World Clique" (1990) and "Groove Is In The Heart." They made house music by sprinkling a huge amount of music into samples and collages, and the originals were movie soundtracks and sound effects that made me think, "How could they pick something like this!?" It was a mysterious song I'd never heard before, but it was really cool. I thought it was amazing that it became a huge hit worldwide.
Tei: At the time in New York, new hip-hop acts like De La Soul were on the rise, and groundbeat acts like SOUL II SOUL were emerging from London. Club music was being released by major labels and was just starting to become popular. Dee-Lite was a completely different musical style, but I was confident that if we'd released it at that time, "Dee-Lite would be everywhere in New York." However, I didn't expect it to sell so well on the global pop charts, so I was a bit depressed afterwards. When the world tour schedule was made, I didn't really want to do it, but I kind of had no choice but to go to Tokyo.
Okamura: After he moved his base of operations to Japan and released his first solo album, "FUTURE LISTENING!" (1994), I went to a party he was DJing at Club Yellow in Nishi-Azabu.
Tei: After graduating from art school in Tokyo, I moved to New York in 1987, so I don't know much about the music from the time Okamura-chan debuted.
Okamura: I debuted in 1986, and produced my music using arrangements of live instruments. However, around the same time, electronic music machines and samplers came out. I tried my hand at it myself, collaging various sample sources, and as I was producing, I was really surprised when I heard "World Clique," which was a song made by weaving together sounds that I would never have included myself. After doing some research, I found out that you were also involved in the work of Jungle Brothers and A Tribe Called Quest.
Tei: They and De La Soul were good friends with Native Tongues.
Okamura: "Groove Is In The Heart" features Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest. Later, he sampled your solo debut album "TECHNOVA" (1994) and wrote the song "Find A Way" (1998). Even now, many musicians still sample your songs.
Tei: Unearned income. It's my favorite four-character idiom, and it's also my motto.
Okamura: (laughs) When I listen to K-POP these days, I think Tae-san has had a big influence on sound production, such as producer-led song production.
Tay: I always thought that Korean words have a lot of explosive sounds, which would go well with rap. My professor invited MC Sniper to perform "undercooled" (2004), which incorporated Hangul rap.
Okamura: Mr. Sakamoto was always quick with everything.
Tay: I thought that eventually, a global hit would come out of Korea.
Okamura: Mr. Tei's taste is very evident in not only the visual design of the jackets, but also in the promotional videos for each era. Since the '80s, house music has been made with the aim of being played in clubs, so many records didn't have jackets and didn't have much design. I think it was "World Clique" and singles that added visuals to them.
Tei: Most of the records didn't have jackets, and the song and artist name was just written on the record label.
Okamura: The music videos for each song have been uploaded to YouTube, and they still feel fresh even now. They're psychedelic, mondo, and you can see what Tae is into at the time.
TOWA TEI takes over YMO's Sunnyside
Tei: You mentioned the word mysterious, but I also like that kind of feeling, and that's what makes me create music.
Okamura: After listening to Tei's work, including the new album "AH!!," I often recall the strange feeling I had when I first heard YMO. On albums like "Multiplication," there's not only the music, but also the vocal sound design, and even the jacket and other bindings. It's stylish and hip, but also has a mysterious taste. There are many YMO children, but I think Tei is the one who has inherited the influence the most.
Tei: "THE PROPHET" on "AH!!" is a song that I re-edited after finding drum data from Yukihiro Takahashi at the end of the 20th century, and then had Haruomi Hosono play bass on that track. I worked hard on the edit so that Hosono would be pleased.
Okamura: It reminded me of the funk song "Seoul Music" by YMO.
Tei: That's nice. I'd like you to write just what I just said in about 24-point font!
Okamura: I feel that Tei's music has inherited the fun aspects of YMO.
Tei: In my own analysis, I think it was largely because I discovered the early days of house and hip-hop in New York and started DJing. I thought it would be great to be able to play the music I loved and get paid, but no matter how good my playing, it's meaningless if the audience doesn't dance. I think that experience cultivated my service-oriented spirit. Well, it's a bit watery, I guess.
Okamura: By the way, did you take the YMO records with you to New York?
Tei: Actually, I left everything at home when I moved to the US. I discovered YMO in elementary school and became obsessed with them, but when I was in college, I started listening to James Brown (JB), Sly Stone, and P-Funk like crazy. I said goodbye to YMO for a while. Even when I went to New York, I would listen to black music stations like WBLS and KISS FM from the morning, and keep checking out the latest dance music 12-inch singles. When I joined Deee-Lite, DJ Dimitri had Professor (Ryuichi Sakamoto)'s "B-2 Unit." I listened to it again and realized it was still great.
Okamura: Bootsy Collins also appears in the music video for "Groove Is In The Heart," and Deee-Lite has a fusion of funk music and YMO.
Outlandish ideas and unexpected proposals
Tei: On the other hand, I think Okamura-chan has been heavily influenced by JB and Prince, but when did you start listening to YMO?
Okamura: When I was in elementary school, YMO was a social phenomenon, so I listened to them regularly. Speaking of Prince, I think Tay had a bigger influence on him than I did. From "TASTE OF YOU" (2009) to "GUM" on his latest album, he's often featured vocalist Taprick Sweezy. His falsetto voice is amazing, and it has a very Prince-like feel to it, which I'm really happy about.
Tei: Actually, I've never met him. He's a German vocalist, and when I send him the demo vocals by email, he immediately adds harmonies and sends them back to me. He's a fast worker.
Okamura: I'm surprised you've never met him, but he seems like a very trustworthy person.
Tei: I borrow everyone's physicality. We have a lot in common, but I think the crucial difference between Okamura-chan and me is our physicality. For example, the musician Okamura Yasuyuki can write lyrics, compose music, arrange music, play instruments, and even sing and dance. In my case, I simply borrow Taplic's voice to create Prince-like songs. In other words, I'm completely lacking in physicality. So I focus on the tone and editing, and once I've landed on Towa Tei's music, I release it.
Okamura: The production process is completely different.
Tei: The quality of the artists is also different. Personally, I'd like to listen to an instrumental album by Okamura-chan, but I guess she won't release one after all?
Okamura: I've never thought about it... But I'd like to give it a try. I think your unique ideas and sense of humor are what make your music so appealing.
Tei: I think humor is important, not just in music, but especially in times like these.
TOWA TEI's 13th original album. It features a diverse range of guest artists, including a timeless collaboration between Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi. The cover portrait is by Tadanori Yokoo. The vinyl version is also available.
