"The day before Fuji Rock" by Yoshito Tsuchiya (MURABANKU.)
For the first time, I had the experience of feeling like I had left everything behind.
The atmosphere of Naeba enveloped in blue light is still burned into my mind.
MURABANKU.'s slinky core sparkled in the swaying crowd that filled the air before my eyes.
Fuji Rock gave me a moment that was truly like a ``lucky charm.''
Nearly two months have passed since then. In the first part of "Fuji Rock Adventures," I have written down my experiences on that day.
On the other hand, this time I would like to look back on my daily life at that time from a more personal perspective.
---Yes, this is the "prequel" I sent to MURABANKU before their performance at Fuji Rock. It is also an essay dedicated to the two "lost things" that seemed to give them a boost in preparation for their performance.
①Bicycle
My bike broke. My favorite bike broke.
Even if I pedal, I can't move forward. I have no choice but to push off the ground.
It was a surreal and eerie sight in a residential area bathed in the twilight.
One day, the person closest to me suddenly disappeared from my daily life.
AAAAAAAAAA
In a boring everyday life where nothing in particular happens, the emptiness only grows.
◯
Every day I don't know if I'm busy or free. No, I'm free.
I lay on my folded futon, staring at the empty weekday afternoon ceiling, and spent the day in a state of nothingness. However, I suddenly remembered my broken bicycle and thought to myself, "This can't be good!", so I decided to take it to a local bicycle shop. Several months had passed since then.
"Oh, we can't do that here," the shop assistant dismissed me without even looking at me. Apparently, because it was a custom bike, it could only be repaired at the place where it was made. That said, the shop in Asagaya wasn't within walking distance. Ah, maybe another time. I decided to just nod at the shop assistant who didn't even glance at me and tow it home.
Looking back, I've seen a lot of sights with this bicycle over the past five years since I moved to Tokyo.
During the four years I worked part-time in Shibuya, I commuted back and forth several times a week, a distance of 15km each way. I drove along Ome-kaido and turned into the residential area of Minami-Asagaya. As I approached Hatagaya, the ridges of buildings began to appear in the sky. I went down the hill, passed through Yoyogi-Hachiman, and before I knew it, I was in the lush greenery of Udagawacho.
I love Shibuya in the morning. The buildings reflect the morning silence, making it feel like I'm in the "gap." At the antenna shop where I was working part-time at the time, the staff were all serious about their hobbies, which was stimulating and fun.
◯
But of course, it wasn't all fun and games. I came to Tokyo as an unknown, and then the lockdown started the next day. I couldn't even carry out my musical activities. There were also a lot of terrible things that happened that I don't really want to talk about.
As I drive from my house to Shibuya, the memories of those days come back to me as if they were yesterday. It's as if the envy, jealousy, resentment, and bitterness have clung to the road like a curse.
There was a day two years ago when I realized that I had no choice but to change my path. The negative cycle was accelerating, and I felt like I would never be able to get outside of that circle again. I was working part-time and it was a comfortable environment with lots of interesting people, but I felt like I was in danger of forgetting my true calling, so I decided to quit, cutting off my escape route. I resolved to create a new path.
After that, life finally started to move forward. The band got back on track with a new lineup, and I was able to achieve my dream of working on an anime. When I think back to 2024, there were many moments like these that I'd like to add to my revolving door playlist. The bike that had been with me all this time was my beloved bicycle, nicknamed "B-Dash."
◯
From last summer to this spring, I received many offers, and finally I was running out of time to work part-time. Anyway, I started spending my days at my desk. I am truly grateful to everyone who offered me a job.
However, as these are completed one by one and the project comes to an end, the emptiness peeks out from between the clouds as if to say "hello." It feels like returning to an empty everyday life.
It was around noon when I was walking home along the street lined with trees in my broken-down B-Dash.
I randomly opened my smartphone and found a voicemail. Hmm, didn't I make a payment for something? I looked at the notification and saw the text transcribed by AI.
Hello, this is Fuji Rock Festival organizer────.
yeah!?
I parked my bike and hurriedly called back.
"Hello, this is the Fuji Rock Festival organizer---"
Hmm!?!?!?!
However, I am an adult now, so I asked calmly.
"Oh, sorry. This isn't a suspicious call, is it...?"
"No, no, no! We are the ones hosting it, so it's official! Don't worry."
Oh no, I made him introduce himself in an overly polite way. He shouldn't have said anything official!! I made him waste unnecessary effort. I regained my composure and asked again.
"What!?!? MURABANKU?!"
Thus, MURABANKU.'s appearance at FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL '25 "ROOKIE A GO-GO" was suddenly decided out of the blue.
◯
I sent a group call to the band members on LINE with the message "Emergency." Everyone thought it was a call to disband. Leaving aside the question of whether a disbandment announcement should be made via a group call on LINE, everyone was so shocked they couldn't react, and then gradually their joy faded. None of the band members could have imagined that MURABANKU would be able to perform at Fuji Rock. That's how far we'd felt from the current music scene.
I also contacted the people who have helped me. Some of them were so happy that they cried, which made me happy. I was determined to put my heart and soul into this concert and make it a fun one.
During the phone call, I shamelessly mentioned my bicycle. I guess I felt that I had to do so in order to be rewarded. Then, one of the people on the phone said to me, "So maybe that bicycle fulfilled its purpose?"
Yeah····!?
B...
B Dash...------------!! ﾟ.· (` ˃ ᯅ ˂ ´) ·. ﾟﾟ.· ·. ﾟﾟ.··. ﾟ
────────────Once again, this is the "prequel" I sent to MURABANKU before they performed at Fuji Rock. It is also an essay dedicated to the two "lost things" that seemed to have given them the push they needed to perform. The B-Dash... Perhaps you paved the way for this? I will definitely fix it once I have saved up enough money.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
② Wallet
They've been confirmed to perform at Fuji Rock, bringing color back into their boring, grey everyday lives.
Humans really do need goals. A shiver wells up from the depths of my heart, which has become listless. That's right - the desire to create materials for the meeting!!
I love the chemical reaction that occurs when creating something with other people. I find the lowest common denominator where this can happen, and make notes to use as meeting materials. Then, when we actually create it, it expands, it breaks down, and sometimes even the colors of the numbers change. In this way, I love working together with others to turn fantasies on paper into reality.
Yes, everything in manufacturing begins with a "meeting."
AAAAAAAAAA
"The Road to Fuji Rock 1-1" began with the preparation of materials. Now, let's start our everyday hardcore☆
◯
On the way home after our performance was confirmed, the theme of MURABANKU at FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL '25 was decided on in an instant. It was truly a wilderness of "everyday life with nothing," but even in that, we were able to come this far with fellow musicians (including those on the production side) who we happened to connect with through music. That's why we thought that if we could express our "everyday life with nothing" together with our fellow musicians, or rather "music friends," as we are, we could take on the festival with the most authentic hip-hop attitude.
Through our live performances, we want to embody the idea that "when you dig deep into the depths of nothingness, 'simply fun' is born."
They break down boredom and pressure to conform with the instrumental band's philosophy of being involved.
That is the genre we advocate, "Scharakacore," and that is MURABANKU. I felt like I could see the live performance that only MURABANKU could produce on the horizon of a residential area as dusk approached, so I wrote it down. Then, although I may be mistaken, I somehow sensed the intention behind Fuji Rock's choice.
◯
Well, there's barely a month left until the day of the concert. I don't have much time. I want to focus solely on the performance and the concert from two weeks before the concert. That means I have to get the administrative matters done in the next few days. Phew, let's do this! I rushed through my days of visiting three cafes a day with a Noh mask on my face.
First, I carefully confirm with the person in charge all the detailed rules, from filming permits to other things. Then I send out a request to my friends who have been working with me on creating things and music for a long time. Then I create a rough outline of the schedule, write out any problems that may arise, confirm it with the person in charge, and later compile it into a PDF.
On the day of the concert, I wanted to focus solely on the performance, so I took the time to resolve any issues in advance.
We held a band meeting at Bikkuri Donkey (those who couldn't attend joined via Discord video call). We assigned tasks to each member. We also drew pictures of what the band members would be wearing on the spot, roughly decided on the silhouettes and color direction, and delegated them to each member.
It may seem a little cold-hearted when I write it down, but I still prefer meetings to drinking parties. I'm sure I'll be able to gather a bunch of future partners.
While each member is making progress, the next problem I need to solve is the acoustics. As a listener, a live performance that I consider to be good has to have "good sound." And as a performer, I feel that I've put on a good live performance when the audience's reaction to the sound is quick.
For this live performance, I want to create something in the music that will make people laugh and say, "Oh well..." To achieve this, the performance skills are important, but if the acoustics are good, the chances of the message being conveyed will increase even more.
I spoke to senior players who have helped me and people who work in the sound industry, solidified my ideas and countermeasures, and made major updates to my own equipment.
I like the idea of cheap chic, which is about creating something cool with ideas without spending too much money. However, my priorities have changed a little. My own needs are secondary, and my first priority is how easy it is to communicate to the listeners and make them enjoy it.
That's why it's a major update. We've gathered together "good equipment," but we've also properly sampled cheap chic around it, and a new sonic landscape has been created.
It's been a hectic schedule, but thanks to the support of many encouraging people, we are now ready to focus on creating submissions, the website, merchandise, and other aspects of the project.
Once, during a student interview practice, I blurted out, "I'm not good at group activities," which put the room on edge and caused me to give up on the working world, but now I'm working in groups. I suppressed the little me who kept interrupting with "((Well done~))") and just got on with my work. I've been saved by everyone's open-mindedness and abundance of ideas.
◯
Now, the next step is to prepare for the announcement or create materials to submit to various media outlets!
"This time, I wanted to put in the effort to create all of the submissions, from the radio audio to the interview articles, without cutting corners." It might sound cool to say that, but the truth is—I wanted to try out some playfulness just on the edge of not getting in trouble...hehehehe!! My bad taste spirit began to wriggle violently.
For the radio audio, we wanted to play something like the Toontown at Disneyland, where you press a button and a sound plays, so we recorded it from scratch and submitted it. We are definitely in the "other" category at Fuji Rock. It's okay to have at least one band like that.
Although the enthusiasm video and interview article were DIY-level, I aimed to create a "pointlessly perfect" feel. When I submitted them, I was of course aware of the sadistic nature of causing trouble for the other party! I sent them an email with a few words to make sure that it was clear, such as "It's okay if you cut it out" and "I'll resubmit it."
◯
I was nervously waiting for a reply, wondering if everything was okay, but to my surprise, I received incredibly positive responses like, "It's innovative and interesting!" and "It's totally fine! In fact, thank you!", and everything went through as planned. Everyone there is so generous!
And to our surprise, J-WAVE's program "GRAND MARQUEE" followed them closely throughout the festival. "When I heard the audio I received, I knew it was the right people for me!" said the director with a laugh. The truth is, I had created the email with the image of what would make me happy if people opened it and laughed, saying "What on earth is this?", so I was so happy that it actually arrived and I gave a fist pump.
I remembered the joy I felt when I drew a silly manga in junior high school, lent it to someone, and even a stranger in another class sent it to me and told me it was funny!
I always feel like I'm on the fringes of the world, or outside of it, but if I continue to create things with a real hip-hop mind, I'm sure I'll be able to connect with the world outside of myself.
MURABANKU.'s strange text and audio was successfully released to the world thanks to the professional "finishing" of everyone.
With the submissions completed, we are now in the final stages of creating new merchandise. H-kun, who used to work with us part-time at the antenna shop, is now a designer and makes all kinds of character goods. We asked him to make stickers for us, and the festival T-shirt was made by Pei Wen from Taiwan, who also did the artwork for our new album. We communicated with the two of them online, and had a great time chatting away, both casually and seriously. I'd love to do a live show in Taiwan someday.
Furthermore, this was also the time when MURABANKU. was working on their new album, "The Taste of Sanma," and they were simultaneously working on the cover art with Pei and the music video with film director Shibano Taro. Taking the time to get together and discuss the process of creating something is probably a pretty old-school way of doing things. However, there is a certain chemistry that can only be created here. It was at the MUJI CAFE that we had the moment to be convinced of this. Please look forward to the new album and the music video! And, an amazing website has also been launched. Be sure to take a look!
Thanks to everyone who cooperated, we were finally able to move on to the arrangement for the festival.
Before I knew it, I was wandering back home through Kichijoji, which had already become dark, in the midst of my hardcore daily life.
AAAAA. I don't have a bicycle right now, so I have no choice but to walk home every day, thinking it would help me build up my stamina.
However, one day I decided to take the bus and go somewhere stylish. (From here?!)
◯
When I got on the bus, a man sitting at the back of the stairs stood up and looked at me.
Hmm? Maybe I know him?
The bus started moving, and the man was heading straight for me with an unmistakable gaze.
Huh?! I braced myself.
"Maybe I just dropped my wallet."
！！！！！！！！！！
All the eyes around me were now focused on me.
My chest felt lifted.
The people on board reacted in unison.
But as expected from a top Splatoon player, my spinal reflexes were activated─────
"First of all, thank you. And then... I'll get off at the next stop."
It'll be numbing, I told him with a smile and a direct look.
Yes, my spinal cord prioritized calming the situation over retrieving my dropped wallet.
Let me explain this psychological situation in a more orderly way.
And I hope you find it useful in your daily life.
① Be aware of your role as a party involved
I'm sure my wallet isn't in my pocket. Thinking back, I was so focused on what I had to solve that I don't remember the situation at all. I must have dropped it.
②Orange reflection
The reaction of these people was by no means a curious reflex. It was an orange, warm reflex, in other words, "concern." So first of all, I want to express my gratitude. Because it was the bus ride home!! On a bus ride home, you should be able to enjoy the ride with ease, without any sense of haste. However, in the midst of all this, I, an outsider of outsiders to their daily lives, interrupted them by saying the same word of haste common to all humankind: "I lost my wallet." Despite this, they still pointed their warm arrows at me. I am grateful.
3. I want to return everyone on board to their daily lives.
The words "Leave this to me, everyone go ahead" and "I'll get off at the next bus stop" are synonymous. I want to calm everyone's impatience in an instant. I want everyone to quickly return to a peaceful journey home and their daily lives. This is my heartfelt wish. So, at the end, I tried to evoke a "smile" as a symbol of the spirit of "plus 1" hospitality, like a big cake plate in a shop with a ♡ drawn in chocolate sauce.
What do you think? Here's a life hack for when you lose your wallet.
Immediately after the bus departed, it stopped at a red light, and I turned my back to everyone and looked out the window.
At that moment, I felt the air behind me change from orange to red for an instant.
(((Get off now!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?)))
I was already on the other side of empathic shame. I can't get off, I can't get off, please get off me now.
I stared at the unchanged traffic light for a while, missing all the glances I received.
It was a heavy load indeed. I quickly pressed the "I'll get off at the next stop" button.
But it was the first time I'd ever felt such a sense of unity on a bus. The air resonated.
What if we could create this sense of unity at a live performance?
The bus came to a halt, and of course, no one else got off at the next stop except me. Enduring the silent "It's him," "It's him," I headed to the exit as Man A, the man who had lost his wallet. Then, as he sat down, my eyes met with the man.
I nodded, and the man gave me a thumbs up and said good luck.
Thank you, big brother, no, big bro. I'm off!!
───────────────My wallet was nowhere to be found.
It's been stolen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah····!?
difference···
My wallet and my personal information... ------------!!! ﾟ.· (` ˃ ᯅ ˂ ´) ·. ﾟﾟ.· ·. ﾟﾟ.··. ﾟ
────────────Once again, this is the "prequel" I sent to MURABANKU before their appearance at Fuji Rock. It is also an essay dedicated to the two "lost items" that seemed to have given them a boost in the run up to their appearance. Thanks to you, wallet, I no longer have any proof of identity and am "nobody." All I have is my body. From now on, I will fight with just my body. So please, please make sure you find it. (Crying)
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Epilogue
Maybe there really is no such thing as eternity.
My bike will eventually break down, and the left pocket where my wallet used to be will always be lonely.
Should the gaping hole be filled or left as it is?
The philosophy of the person involved can be gained by digging deep and pushing forward.
Perhaps it is in the emptiness that "newness" can be found.
The fun of being one step away from constant connection and discovering the "empty everyday life"
During a live performance at FUJI ROCK, I couldn't help but say, "Let's drift in nothingness."
However, the experience of floating in emptiness together with so many people that it was hard to fit in both hands was truly "fun."
At that moment, I felt a sense of freedom from peer pressure and boredom. It was simply fun.
◯
However, once it's over, a new, boring everyday life pops up and says "hello."
I'm sure this will continue to be the case for a long time to come.
Let's do it.
Creating a happy void requires adventure.
I'm currently working on producing such an album.
Next time, let's play together in town.
And I am looking forward to the moment when I will once again be enveloped in the blue light of Naeba.
Until then, I'll continue my hardcore daily routine at my desk with cream puffs.
Thank you, Fuji Rock.
FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL '25
ROOKIE A GO-GO 7/26（SAT） 23:00〜
MURABANKU。 SETLIST
