VHSTokyo 東京 is a Japanese synthwave producer who recently released the fantastic ¨Just Because!¨ on Retrowave Touch Records. A musician who wants to work on his music in peace. And the world will certainly rejoice with beautiful sounds from the land of the rising sun. Special honored that I was able to hold an interview with one of Japan's best synthwave producers: VHSTokyo 東京. Domo arigato gozaimasu.
VHSTokyo 東京, can you tell us a bit about your background?
I'm just a guy who likes to make music from time to time. A couple of years ago I discovered synthwave on YouTube. I listened to acts like Satellite Young, Miami Night 1984, Timecop1983 and VHS Dreams. I was very surprised, because it took me back to a time I was not even yet born. It was an amazing feeling. I just didn’t even know that there was a genre inspired by the 80´s and presented today. This discovery led me to the world of synthwave and now I'm here.
Congratulations with your new album ¨Just Because!¨. How was it to work on this album?
Many thanks and also for your support and review! Well, since this album is based on the novel with the same name, I wanted to convey my mood through my dreamy vibes. And, as I am a little perfectionist, it took quite some time. I wanted everything to be as perfect as possible. So I guess it was a kind of exciting and hectic job. I hope everyone will enjoy the story I put on this album.
Can you tell us something about your (near) future projects?
Ofcourse! I want to release a couple of singles soon. And I'm desperate to start work on the next album. So now I'm looking for a new stencil to develop it into a new story. I hope that it does not take too much time, like my previous album. And I will release music in Russia in the first half of 2020.
Which music artists from Japan are important to you?
I think that artists like Yasuharu Takanash, Savano, Kajiura, Yuzo Koshiro, Hirasav and Akira Senju are the most important. Despite their music, not even close to synthwave, I have all my inspiration from their works. They are all incredible music composers.
I am very curious to the synthwave scene in Japan. What can you tell us about this?
Well, the synthwave scene is not too mainstream. I guess I don’t know much about it. There is a great future funk community with future funk parties as well. And since I do not use my network skills, it´s difficult to say anything about the scene. But if you want to explore some of the new titles, I probably recommend you check out the latest Doh_Run album called ¨AfterDark 89´¨. Their music is different than mine, but I'm sure you will enjoy it.
Next to synthwave I am also a big fan of retro games from the 80´s and 90´s. Do you like retro games and does the music from those games inspire you?
Yes! Absolutely yes! I was born in the Nineties and my first console was the SEGA Mega Drive 2. Those days were so sweet, I miss that. I played a lot of games, but my favorite is Streets of Rage. An amazing game with a great soundtrack from Yuzo Koshiro. These techno and house tunes succinctly mix with the cyberpunk mood. It was a good decision to bring these genres into the game.
What is your favorite cartoon from the 80´s and why?
I think I would choose Kimagure Orange Road. I love this anime serie because of the fascinating story and it´s soundtrack in particular! Many great musicians have been included in this title. I definitely recommend that you check it out as soon as possible. Very good music with a good feeling. You'll like it!
And finally any last words to the (Dutch) synthwave community?
Oh sure! First of all, many thanks for the interview. It was a good challenge for me, despite my anonymity. I hope that you could imagined me a little bit. Also thanks to everyone for your support and adding your tunes to the playlists. I am so happy to be able to share my feelings in my music with all of you. You guys are the best people in the world.
Je kunt VHSTokyo 東京 volgen:
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten
Dank voor je bericht!