前衛音樂網 特稿
INTERVIEW WITH BISK (Naohiro Fujikawa)
BISK 訪問錄
dajuin yao 姚大鈞
1998.10
藤川 (Bisk) 是目前日本最有才氣的年輕 electronica 作曲家之一。一九九八年九月，大約是他在網上搜尋器上查了查他自己的名字，找到我的前衛音樂網，發現他前兩張唱片竟然被放在「仍然推薦盤」頁上，所以來了封信聯絡，表示很高興，因為在日本他的音樂並不被人重視，倒是在歐洲稍好些。
隨後，我一時興起，跟他用電子郵件方式作了個訪問。本來想可以一來一往深入討論，再翻譯成中文，再加上我對他作品和樂風的分析作為引言。另外，還可再交給其他英文網上雜誌刊登。因為當時英文雜誌或網站還沒有介紹他的文章，連樂評也幾乎沒有（後來 The Wire 終於有一篇不清不楚的唱片短評）。
可是後來，不知怎地，就這樣擱了下來。現在僅把原文直接放出來，對英文也基本不作什麼修改，以保留原汁風味。
BISK 唱片單：
Fujikawa Naohiro - Bisk > Time (Sub Rosa SR112)
Bisk - strange or funny-haha? (sub rosa SR118)
Bisk - Ticklish Matters (sub rosa sr141) (1998)
also 3 tracks in Water & Architecture (sub rosa sr120) (1998)
訪問
- First of all, what does the name "Bisk" mean?
Sorry, "Bisk" doesn't have so important meaning.
At First, I was going to release my works by my real name,
but Japanese name is not easy to memorize for the other country's people.
So I was thinking of short, easy & simple name....
I found out "Bisk".
"Bisk" means a kind of soup, or a biscuit.
In a sense, this word may express my works.
Anyway I liked & like now the name "Bisk".
- Now, about your musical background - how did you start getting into
music making?
In my junior-high school days, I started to make music by 8-bits computer.
The computer could put out only 3 FM sounds & 3 PSG sounds at the same time.
I programmed by BASIC a lot of bad works.
Very cheap & terrible they were....!
But in my high school days, I forgot music.
I forgot how interesting it was to create music.
At 20 years old, I recall it and decide to buy a synthesizer!
I bought a synthesizer and start to make works again.
In my childhood, I learned playing piano for about 6 years.
I didn't have any other musical education.
And I'm poor at playing piano.
I don't have any musical knowledge.
- And how did you arrive at this particular style for your creative output?
I mean, your personal style is a unique mixture of
academic/techno/trip-hop, but it's not really any of these... You must
have had experimented with more typical techno/electronica or jazz before
finding your own voice, right?
I have listened various kinds of music: 60 & 70's pop, rock, soul, funk & jazz.
I like not only techno & electronica but also them.
I hated typical & monotonous techno & electronica, so I was looking for new music
which I had not heard especially when I made 1st & 2nd album.
To be strange, complicated & new was to be excellent for me then.
So my style is unique.
- Who are your favorite composers/musicians and who influenced you most?
I love John Coltrane, Archie Shepp, Miles Davis, Toru Takemitsu, Steve Reich,
Sly Stone, Curtis Mayfield, David Shea, Seigen Ono & so on....
But I don't know if I was influenced by them directly.
- Are you familiar with the works of academic/electronic/electroacoustic
music composers, like Stockhausen, Parmegiani, Francois Bayle, etc.?
No.
- What music do you listen to?
Recently I'm so interested in Reggae.
I have hated them so long time.
But now I like old Reggae.
This kind of music have a lot of opening & space, where no sound is located.
In other words, it's minimum.
- I see in your music, especially in the second album, a move away from
the simple, steady 4/4 beat, and more towards an open form.
This liberation from steady rhythm that is the basis of
techno/jungle/trip-hop makes your music sound much more advanced than the
rest of the "electronica" scene. Will this be the direction of your future
work?
That is difficult & subtle question for me.
To be sure, my works have had a lot of rhythmic game, which had made my style
unique.
I liked it, and some people may like it..
Now, however, I'm not fascinated by strange rhythm.
On the 3rd album, I still did rhythmic experiment,
But I'm now interested in doing game keeping certain order.
To disturb & upset order is very easy for me.
Rhythmic experiment has become stereotyped recently
especially between Avant-garde Techno & Electronica artists.
Sometimes upsetting order means liberation from steady rhythm, but sometimes
it does means retrogression.
It's subtle & ticklish matters...
- The same with melody and harmony, your melodies are so complex --
sometimes they almost sound like 12-tone serialism. This is so fresh and
original in an electronica setting, because most other people are using
simple modal scales and maybe 2-chord loops. What is your approach to
melody and harmony?
Oh! I was surprised at your question.
I don't have musical knowledge so much.
Still more, I was not interested in harmony & melody.
Of course, now, I'm looking for beautiful harmony and melody in my own way.
I like to play keyboard irresponsibly, and I often find out beautiful voices
recently.
- What's your feeling towards the whole semi-Pop "electronica" scene around
the world now? Do you see a future for it?
Sorry, I don't know the scene well.
- Would you like to talk about the equipment you use? What is your basic
setup?
Very, very simple: Roland S-760 (Sampler), KORG X-3 (Synthesizer), PC, Zoom
1201&1204 (Effecters).
These are all.
When I made 1st & 2nd albums, I didn't have PC, so I used X-3's sequenser.
Now I wanna go into harddisk recording.
- It seems that you mostly use ordinary synthesizers and not samplers; or
at least you don't sample non-acoustic, non-western instruments too much.
But you are able to get fresh and very interesting sounds from these
synthesizers. Even when you use ordinary presets on the synths, you seem
to be able to always use them in new and exciting ways. Do you spend a lot
of time programming your own sounds?
I hate ordinary preset sounds of a synthesizer, so I reprogram them.
In using sampler, I often remix my playing of synthesizer.
This is 'cut-up'.
In new album, I used ordinary acoustic & synthetic sounds,
and I cut up my playing & voice parts in various ways.
But new album includes simple piano music.
Please listen to it.
- Where do you do your recording? In your own studio in Japan, or...?
In my bed room in Japan. So I do almost all roles in recording.
- Some pieces on your second album reminds me of the music of Bernard
Parmegiani, who also likes small groups of short indescribable sounds.
There seems to be an organic structure to these tiny rhythm modules. Do
you use any randomizing process in creating these sequences?
No.... well.... I don't know if I can call it randomize process, but
I often play piano irresponsibly. Very often. And I cut up them and listen to.
And I remix them and listen to them. I look for unknown
rhythms, phrases & noise...
Is this 'randomize process'??
- Are you concerned with "japanese-ness" in your music at all? or is it
never a concern? I mean, even for other Japanese composers working within
the western music language, like Haruomi Hosono, YMO, etc., there is an
unmistakable and intentional "Japanese-ness" in their music. It's not so
with your music, am I right?
Some other Japanese electronica artists, such as Multiphonic Ensemble
(Yoshihiro Hanno) and Mantaray (Susumo Yokota & DJ Ray), have used
traditional Japanese samples in their techno/ambient/drum'n'bass works.
But, as far as I can tell, you have never used any traditional Japanese
samples, melodies/scales, titles, etc. in your music. Is this a conscious
attempt at avoiding them for whatever reason, or are you simply not
interested in traditional Japanese music?
It's not easy for me to answer the question.
What is 'japanese-ness'? What is 'Japanese tradition'?
Basically I don't think I must express 'japanese-ness' or 'Japanese tradition'
in my works.
In other words, I don't think I must say 'I am the Japanese' in my works.
Of course I am the Japanese, and I've been unconsciously influenced by a lot of
'Japanese' things, including Toru Takemitsu's music which has some Japanese
elements.
But I don't digest Japanese traditional music, including Japanese elements
of the favourite composers' works.
And I'm not attracted by all kinds of Japanese traditional music.
If I'm attracted by them, my works will have 'Japanese-ness'.
Now at least, however, I don't use traditional Japanese sample only because I am
the Japanese.
I use Western music samples because I think I digest them to some extent.
- What is the reaction to your music in Japan?
Very severe for me.
At least, regarding the 1st & 2nd albums, I couldn't tell the Japanese listeners
what I wanted to do, or what I did.
- And why is that?
It's because I have loved upsetting order of music.
'too much' for some people with my works, I guess.
It's more important for Japanese people to keep order & 'ethics'
than for other countries' people.
If this 'ethics' or 'order' is 'communal', I'm not interested in it.
For a long time I have thought to be 'communal'.
But now I can say it was my mistake.
- Is it different in Europe, then?
Yes.
European people are not so strict to 'order' or 'ethics' as Japanese
people, especially regarding critics.
But I don't think European people are correct and Japanese people are
incorrect at all.
- How is this new album different from your earlier works? Is it a remix of
other people's pieces?
On the new album, I took care of 'beauty'.
Not only harmony & melody but also 'feeling'.... I thought much of them.
We can find 'beauty' even in a chaos.
I wanted express it.
Maybe this theme often sounds easy & foolish,
but I think it to be a difficult & essential theme.
- How do you envision the music of future, especially your own music 5 or
10 years from now?
I'll make Hip-Hop style album.
I don't know how it'll going.
As I said, I think now it's important opening, space, order, ethics and beauty.
Hip Hop could have them all, I believe.
I'll do Hip Hop or something else which can have them all....
- Do you see melody disappearing from this future music? What's the next
step after 12-tone melody composition?
Always melody attracts all people.
I can say, if its logical structures don't vary,
our attitude towards melody's structure will vary.
- Aside from your upcoming release, your 3rd album, are you working on your
next projects? What are your future plans?
I'll remix 'Phoenecia' on WARP label.
Last.
I'm always making music not logically but intuitively.
This is important for our generation - I'm now 24 years old.
I can find next step only because I'm always intuitive.
Interesting interview.
Thank you.
- Thank you.
（匏字第九八０十０四號）
Copyright 1999 dajuin yao 姚大鈞•前衛音樂網•新邏輯實驗藝文網
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