Interview: Banvox - Ultra Japan 2015 Exciting Young Japanese Artist #1

Interview: Banvox - Ultra Japan 2015 Exciting Young Japanese Artist #1

The curtain will soon rise on Sept. 19 over the Japanese version of the Ultra Music Festival (UMF), Ultra Japan. Continuing from the previous interview with creative director Kenji Kohashi, we’re reporting on another exciting Japanese artist, and on their appeal.

This second interview is with producer/DJ, Banvox. He began working with music in 2010, and in that first year worked on 450 songs. He released his debut work, Intense Electro Disco, that year on the internet label Maltine Records, and within a mere two days it was downloaded 4,000 times. He has also performed at famous parties such as the Hacienda Oiso Festival 2013, Big Beach Festival 13, and Road to Ultra as a DJ in 2013, and appeared in 2014 on the main stage at Ultra Japan.

[Always Creating Regardless of Genre]

ーBanvox, tell us about when you first started making music.
It definitely wasn’t a good way to start, but the truth is that the reason I started making music was that in 2010, I couldn’t find a reason to be alive. Honestly, I thought it’d be fine if I died. But for some reason at that time I thought, “If I do die, I want to leave something for my parents.” The only thing that occured to me to leave with that motivation was music. I stayed in my room for half a year with just my PC and music software. I really liked hip hop, so I started trying to make hip hop tracks at first. Now I just make whatever music I feel like making at the time without worrying about genres. The dance music I’m working on now came naturally the same way from making the songs I want to make each day.

ーIt seems like you’re making good use of online streaming like SoundCloud and the online streaming label Maltine Records.
When it came to releasing it, the internet was the easiest way to do that. It’s not that I was particularly aware of streaming through the internet, but that for me, the internet was simply the tool to distribute it to the world.

Even after making tunes, there’s no special feeling from “artist” or “music.” For me it’s nothing but music. All I really want to do is create something new somehow. As a result of that, before I knew it, I had completed 450 tunes in a year.

[Daring to Pull Strings and Perform Live]

ーFor you, what’s the difference between making music and live performances?
When it comes to making music, including both music I’ve made as well as other music, you’re constantly thinking about the music that doesn’t exist yet that you want to make. As for the method of producing that “new thing,” that would mean telling you my secrets, so I can’t, but I’m always aware of creating new sounds. And as for the application I use, I particularly like “FL Studio.” I’ve used it since I first started, so I’m familiar with it and it works for me I think.

—What about live performances?
Live performances are where I announce my own works, and it’s as a DJ. When I’m performing in front of an audience, I really focus on them enjoying it. For that reason, I aim for the playlist I would enjoy the most. And I try to make the audience enjoy Banvox performances using sounds that they can’t hear outside of my concerts and by preparing remixes for events. I think hearing new things is what audiences enjoy about Banvox performances. For example, at this year’s Fuji Rock I had a Red Hot Chili Peppers remix.

[Roots as a Creator and Fujiko Fujio’s Works]

ーAs for manga, you’re apparently a fan of Fujiko A. Fujio’s Manga Michi and Fujiko F. Fujio’s Bakeru-kun, correct?
*Manga Michi* was written as an autobiographical manga about Fujiko A. Fujio’s life from childhood through his youth, and I think creators should definitely read it. Even for my musical works, it’s had quite an effect on how I approach music. For example, it also touches on the troubles and dilemmas related to the process of making something from scratch, and allows me to think about how to move onward from that part.

I feel like Bakeru-kun is linked to Banvox and my real self. When the protagonist trades places with the doll, his personality changes. When he’s Bakeru-kun, he’s good at sports, and when he turns back into the protagonist, Kawaru-kun, he’s an elementary school student who’s weak and not very smart, returning to his his true self. Personally, during live shows I have a switch to turn into Bakeru-kun. Recently, though, I feel I’m always Bakeru-kun.

[And to the Ultra Music Festival]

ーWhat was it like, being chosen for the main stage at Ultra Japan in 2014?
At that time I did it freely, so I didn’t really have that sense of it being a new embarkment. At the concert, there being a lot of people there made me want to hurry up and perform, so I wasn’t that nervous, but I was focused on songs that suited the audience. In some sense, when I reflect on it, I worry about whether I matched up with the “Ultra” too much.

ーAnd after that you participated in Ultra Korea 2014.
Compared to Ultra Japan there were more people, but I put everything I had into the performance. I used my own songs for the main performance and uploaded the videos of that to Instagram, and Skrillex liked those. I learned a lot from that event, such as the importance of putting your all into performances, thanks to things like Skrillex praising the songs I worked on afterwards.

ーAnd you’ll be on the same stage as Skrillex at this year’s Ultra Japan 2015, right?
I’m happy, but it’s a bit hard to do. But it’s my second appearance, so I want to try my best to show everyone Banvox. I want to do my best with the music and performance, and bring my all to the concert as Banvox. I plan to get the audience fired up and tell a story using both fast and slow music.

I also think I’ll play many of my own songs this year. I feel even more motivated to do that than last year. I want to express Banvox in a way that you can’t see outside of Ultra, and show new things in an “ultra” way, so I hope the audience really enjoys it, too.

From Apple Store, Omotesando DJ Session / Apple Store, Omotesando © Kensuke Tomuro

© Ultra Japan 2015

This is a Tokyo Otaku Mode original article.

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From Apple Store, Omotesando DJ Session / Apple Store, Omotesando  © Kensuke Tomuro
From Apple Store, Omotesando DJ Session / Apple Store, Omotesando © Kensuke Tomuro

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