How does the London music scene compare with Tokyo's?
London’s music scene is more established as a business model. Tokyo does have a cool scene, but the market is so small that artists can barely support themselves with their music. It’s such a shame to see so many great producers performing for free, and it’s nothing unusual for them.
You used to be the main songwriter in a band, what was the band’s name and what kind of music did you used to perform?
The name of our band was Anchorsong actually. I named it, so I decided to take it over when others left the band. We played all kinds of music apart from death metal.
Your style of music hints at influences from sixties minimalism like John Adams, Lamonte Young or Steve Reich. Are there any other musicians who have influenced your work?
I saw John Herndon from Tortoise was performing by himself at a small venue in New York, and I found his build-up style of performance very interesting. I discovered the works of Steve Reich much later.
How did the Mawa EP differ to other projects of yours in terms of approaching and developing it?
I’d never used any samples from somebody else’s record until I did it with Mawa. I’ve been into seventies African music for a past few years, and I wanted to make dance music which is inspired by it. I found sampling is the best way to capture the groove of it.
Has your approach to music changed since you moved to London?
No. Focusing on live performance is my approach to music, and it’s never changed since I started my solo career.
Who have you met since you moved here and who you would like to work with?
It’s not in the UK, but I recently met a Japanese beatboxer called Reatmo in Tokyo. I was blown away by his live show and immediately asked if he wanted to work with me. He sent me the entire library of his voice samples other day, and I've been toying with it a lot recently.
What can people expect from a live Anchorsong show?
Simplicity and primitiveness. I believe that’s the key to exciting live music.
Anchorsong is performing at The Bodega on Pelham Street on Saturday 22nd November. You can buy tickets on Tktbox.
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