Ethnic Music
pix by Misao Soma
Ethnic Music
I've liked ethnic music for a long time. It's something I
was born with. I don't know why, but even my voice sounds ethnic. My violin has had
an ethnic flavor from the very beginning (...something Turkish , Arabian or Indian
). I didn't realize that initially. But so many people would come and ask me "how
did you learn to make such an ethnic tune?" I got nothing to say because I didn't
learn to be that way. But after I started playing with Tsunemi, I started
studying ethnic music , mostly on my own. Sometimes Tsunemi or my friends who are
into these things would help me. I also go out to those countries to get exposed
to their music... And recorded local source is the best sample.
To
his fansI keep my frustration to myself. People can't care less about that. But the reason
why I'm frustrated with the way things are is that I think people are stuck with
what are given to them by the media, something superficial. I want people to find
out what they really want from the bottom of their soul, what each cell of their
body is craving for. If they know what they want and if they don't like my music,
that's fine. I don't expect everybody in the world to like my music.
If you come to realize what you really want, it will be reflected in the way you
live. People who are having a hard time looking for a job, people who have problems
at work, it applies to all of them. We should all be able to find our own solution.
It may sound too idealistic, but I want people to find out their raison d'etre, why
they live.
Once we find that out, a lot of things will be clear to us. The human being and the
nature, why we are here in the universe at all, that kind of things. I don't mean
to sound religious, but in the end, we may even be able to find out what it means
for us human being to be on earth. I have my own idea on this, but I'm not going
to talk about that now because that'll be too much. Anyway, the point is I want people
to find out what their soul wants. It can be done through anything, movie, book,
talking to people. My music is just one of the means. I'm just hoping that my music
will help people find out what they want, somehow giving them a hint or two.
I think I have a particular philosophy about my music, which is rooted in my frustration.
No matter where we start, we would have come to the same conclusion. I can express
my philosophy in a more tangible way, by talking about my favorite musicians, painters,
and so on. We can do that in this homepage later.
(Oct.11th/'97 at Shin-jyuku Pit Inn)
Interviewed by Soichiro Hayashi, translated by Kiyoe Kondo
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