Ochre. Everything is dingy, whether it is dust or sand.
The scene you see is a large traffic jam of colorless buildings and dirty cars. All the cars are honking their horns.
It is very noisy. They seem annoyed, but it is also normal, perhaps because this is their daily life.
Far beyond such a main road is a pyramid like Mt.Fuji. I don’t feel any kind of mystique. Do most people even recognize that it exists for granted, that it was built more than 4,000 years ago, and that it is one of the most important heritage sites on the planet?
Maybe the ratios of people to places aren’t right, but it’s crowded anyway. And the sun is strong and everything is dry. But somehow it is not uncomfortable.
I wonder why. Why this calm mood? This city has existed since time immemorial. It is impossible to imagine the time of the pyramid’s construction from where we are now, but its history is tremendously layered, and one wonders how many rulers have visited, perished, and repeated their visits here. For nearly 5,000 years, the people of the city have survived at the mercy of the ever-changing world. No matter what the times may bring, there is a strength of spirit that will not be daunted. That is what is in the air in this town.
This trip, of course, was also about collecting sounds. As usual, the trip started suddenly and without much preparation. However, there was a lot of foreshadowing.
The first major trigger was three years prior to this, back in 2010.
At the time, I was living in the suburbs of Fukuoka with my two children and wife in a huge old house built in 1975 on a plot of land over 200 tsubo (about 1,000 square meters). At one time, I even rented a room to a junior colleague and received rent. The site was so spacious that it was unthinkable in Tokyo, and I was very active, traveling to Tokyo at least once a month, and about half of the other months to other countries and lands for DJs and live performances. However, the atmosphere with my wife at that time was becoming increasingly difficult. There are many reasons for this, but need not to say here.
At the time, I was working on an album called MOVEMENTS, a huge work with 16 songs on 2 CDs, which I had to control everything from raising the production costs to managing the schedule, etc. I was under a lot of pressure, and also had family troubles. I had constant headaches, and finally my left eye stopped working.
I was almost made a doctor by getting married, but I hate doctors (western medicine) and rarely go to hospitals, but this was indeed an abnormal situation, so I went to a general hospital and had an MRI, CT, etc., but they could not find the cause, Anyway, the doctor gave me steroids, and I had no choice but to cover up the pain, and my body and mind were in a mess.
One day, while I was busy working every day in my studio on my house with such a stagnant atmosphere, I received a call from one of my clients.
One of the members of a party crew called LIFE FORCE, which I suddenly joined in 1995-6, told me that a female artist from Algeria was looking for someone who could remix the music of an Egyptian woman for an exhibition at the Aichi Triennale.
Of course, I had already listened extensively to so-called world music and had some Egyptian sources.
Anyway, I responded that I was interested and asked them to send me the soundtrack, I received this Youtube video and sound file.
The black-and-white video is nostalgic, and from the beginning, the dopey atmosphere will make you balk. Then, a large woman starts to sing. It is truly a solemn world. What’s more, the title of the song is Al Atlal~The Ruins.
Although each piece is nearly 50 minutes long, there is no break in the tension at all, and the audience is just as enthusiastic as ever. Although I think this music falls into the so-called “folk music” genre, it has a sophisticated and magnificent worldview that is the opposite of the “simplicity” of most folk music, and in a sense, it is almost like Western classical music. It was astonishing.
It is too much in line with my personal situation and state of mind as mentioned above, and it brings tears to my eyes. (The separation from my child was just too painful) I could only think that this song was exactly for the “ruins” that exist in my heart.
About a year later, I saw many of the actual “ruins” in Tohoku, and it is very difficult to gouge and heal the folds of the devastated, all-lost human heart. The following is a quote from one of my favorite writers, Yo Henmi, a native of Ishinomaki.
“In tragedy, it is not superficial kindness that saves people. It is only words that have a depth that matches the essence of the tragedy. That is what I am still searching for. “ Yo Henmi
Its sound is different from so-called healing music. The passion and love that stirred in me. I felt a “soul” that soars, encompassing even hatred and anger.
In fact, when I later learned the translation of the song, I found that it was indeed a song about a group of ruins unique to Egypt and one’s own wandering soul after the loss of a loved one.
Al Atlal Lyrics
Even if I didn’t know what this music was all about, there was no doubt that it was a great legacy, and since it had already touched my soul, I could find no reason to refuse it.
This is the woman Zurica who requested it, she intends to create and exhibit an Arabic text object called “Love” for this song “Ruins”.
In the so-called “remixing” process, it is common to have separate data for bass, kick, melody instruments, etc., and then create a unique sound based on that material, but in the case of this black-and-white video, such times and circumstances were not yet that era, and no separate data existed. In other words, there was no choice but to do something about this live recording. So, the process was to roughly create my own beat, place this sound source on top of it, and make fine adjustments so that the layered sounds would match. This is a process that is essentially like waiting for a miracle, but for some reason, at that time, I was hooked right away.
The mood and beat were unwavering, reflecting my feelings and circumstances at the time, and within a few hours I had the prototype for this version.
As a side note, this song, this time with the addition of instrumental sounds recorded in Egypt, will be released in 2016 on the label Malka Tuti in Israel, a powerful country and modern empire hostile to Egypt.
The story itself is also quite interesting. Kaztele, the ringleader of Malka Tuti, told me that Umm Kulsoom, an Egyptian national singer who was once a leader in the Arab world, had unofficially given a concert in Israel, a country that was an enemy of Egypt and Israel. He told me that although Egypt and Israel are enemies as a nation and as an ethnic group, Jewish music lovers in Israel respected Umm Kulsoom’s artistry and were eager to see her perform live, so it was possible. What a good story, I was impressed. As in the previous Hopi passage, the gap can be bridged between people who are in conflict with each other by what they share, what they love and respect.
I then decided to release the original, full-length version that I unearthed in writing this article.
Listening to the song now, I can still feel my aforementioned state of mind, and I can feel my soul struggling and running in the midst of the dark clouds.
Incidentally, in creating the sound of Al Atlal, I asked Latyr from Senegal, whom I was not yet acquainted with at the time, to play the percussion instrument called “Duff”. And it was at Cheeky in Kichijoji, with which I had not yet connected a close relationship at the time. When I asked Latyr if he knew about Oum Kulthoum, he said, “Of course. Her songs were heard and respected not only in Senegal, but in Africa, the Arab world, and all Muslim countries.” The answer left a strong impression.
At the Aichi Triennale, me and Latyr gathered in Nagoya and performed a 30-minute live show. At that time, I was separated from my wife and children, and my eyes were completely rheumatized and my headache was at its worst, I wore sunglasses and could not see clearly, but it was a great relief to be able to give a moving live performance of “Love”.
Life has its peaks and valleys. I was able to discuss this one-on-one with Latyr, a Senegalese-born Muslim, and feel a sense of hope as I watched, albeit with one eye, Algerian-born Zulika and the other international faces who attended the event, all dancing and rejoicing in the live performance of the two of them, myself and Latyr.
And in response to my own post about doing a remix of that unknown great woman in Japan, Oum Kulsoom, Tanishq, a popular belly dancer in Japan, wanted to introduce a woman to me. It was Keiko Oikawa, a violinist who has become an indispensable part of my music production. It was at a party called LINKAGE at WARP in Kichijoji in 2010. Although we had never met before, we hit it off immediately, and I remember talking with her for nearly three hours.
Keiko Oikawa will be performing in Egypt, where she visits every year for training, as part of the group “Sent Htoyo,” which performs authentic Arabic classics, including her own, at several concerts in Cairo. It was not that I had wanted to go to Egypt for a long time, but this was definitely one opportunity. I immediately adjusted my schedule and bought a ticket. June 2013.
Keiko Oikawa and the rest of the band arrived in Egypt first, and I headed to Egypt later. I flew from Narita to Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates). The flight took more than 12 hours.
There is Arabic mood at the Abu Dhabi airport already during transit.
After a 5-6 hour stay It was time to go back to Egypt!
By the way, this Etihad Airways, The food and design are very tasteful, Especially the music! I could listen to a considerable amount of sound sources within the framework of Arab music, and since I was still studying Arab music at the time and was not familiar with it, I was so aggravated that I could not sleep at all.
By the way, in my personal opinion, Japanese music is also available in the airplane music menu, but it is really boring. I can’t feel the originality and the indigenous sound.
I think that one can sense the individuality of a country through its singing style, instruments, etc., but major, successful Japanese pop music is devoid of such elements. This experience motivates me to try to create music included Japanese and Asian feeling.
Anyway, below are some of the photos I was so excited to write down. I can feel the memory of excitement in the quantity of them lol
At that time, in 2013, I was planning to hold a “Arab Music Lecture” with Miss Oikawa starting in January, with myself as her assistant! I was going to share Miss Oikawa’s Arab music and her wisdom to our people.
Below is the flyer of that time.
Below is the meeting after returning from Egypt.
Only 3-4 hours from Abu Dhabi. At last, the African continent is in my sight.
Anyway, it is brown.
Arrival!
The atmosphere is somewhat lurid compared to Abu Dhabi. African mood?
Leave the airport and head to my accommodation.
Anyway, it is crowded. There are a lot of people.
Of course, in Tokyo, too, you can see huge crowd of them if you go to Shibuya.
But something is different. It smells and tastes strong, or something…,
It’s not controlled, it’s more like wildness…,
Crosswalks don’t exist, and even if they have that, I can’t imagine the people waiting there for the light to change lol
And Arrive at the accommodation in Cairo
The place where we will be staying this time is the regular lodging of Mr. Abdallah, a.k.a. Abu-chan, who is also a band member of St. Hitoyo to which Ms. Oikawa belongs. He is a pure(?) Chiba-born Japanese, but he was attracted to the sounds of Egypt and the Middle East, and became a Muslim while visiting there. He is a nice guy with a kind heart. Mr. Hisham, the landlord of the apartment where he stays, also came to greet us.
He is a very nice man, and his wife is Japanese and they have two daughters.
Somehow, within three minutes of meeting Mr. Hisham, we were talking about the “Illuminati”… He seemed to be deeply interested in the subject and asked me to come over to his place later and we could have a relaxed talk.
A good start lol
Are there 10 or so people in Japan who can talk about such things properly? I’m glad to hear that.
Cairo once again. It’s been a while since I bought a copy of “Globe-Trotter” so I took some pictures.
I did not reading it at this time, but It’s looks fun now.
I had already made progress in the Islamization of my life and spirit, so this time Egypt was a practical version of that. (Not that I ever officially became a Muslim.)
The budgets are very different. If you are looking for a cheap place to stay, it is a very reasonable country.
And also,
If you think about it in a normal way Egypt = Pyramids and that is why
It is not that I am not interested. I have a book titled “Flower of Life” and I read this book in my cell at the Noheji police station in Rokkasho Village( Most dangerous nuclear plants in Japan).
Anyway, I decided to visit the museum because I did not feel attracted to the pyramids as a tourist attraction.
They are made of brass or bronze and are said to be instruments that are heavily involved in religions and rituals related to various music and deities.
It is said to sound like this, although I did not encounter it on this trip.
However, it seems to be an instrument that sounds nothing without the spiritual feeling in it lol
Later, I learned in the field that these instruments are still in use today, almost unchanged in shape, which means that their tone has not changed much over the past 4-5,000 years.
This fact that I experienced later became a big inspiration for the work COUNTERPOINT that I created in 2015.
Born in Tokyo, he started playing in bands and DJing at the same time when he was 15. As a DJ, his innovative and original style has taken the world by storm, and his activities have quickly expanded from huge festivals to underground parties both in Japan and abroad. In 2003, he went on a recording tour with local musicians in Cuba. In 2003, he went on a recording tour with local musicians in Cuba, and since then he has been recording all over the world, and started his own label, Crosspoint, as a new guideline for world music. In addition to music production, he also produces video works, picture books and art books, and organized the outdoor festival “Jomon and Rebirth” in 2012. In 2017, he released HIGHTIME Inc. with DJ Tasaka, and in 2018, he released ZERO with MACKA-CHIN of NitroMicrophoneUnderground and MaL of PART2 STYLE. In 2018, he also started the unit ZEN RYDAZ with MACKA-CHIN of NitroMicrophoneUnderground and MaL of PART2STYLE. In the same year, his music under the name of J.A.K.A.M. was released in analog form on the French label HardFist, which led to a live performance at the huge 30,000-person Nuits Sonores Festival, followed by a DJ tour of Europe and Israel. In 2019, the production of MYSTICS, a unit with Marcus Henriksson and Kuniyuki of the internationally popular Minilogue/Son Kite, began, and this year, 2021, the long-awaited album will be released. His original vision is spreading all over the world, crossing all genres. He has been behind the decks at home and abroad with: Acid Arab (FR) / Adam Ffreeland (UK) / Alex Patterson (The Orb, UK) Andy Baz (Background Records, Germany) / Asaf Sammuel (islael) / Dego (4Hero, UK) / Fabio (UK) / Francois K (NY) / Fred P(NY) / Foolish Felix (UK) / Grooverider (UK) / I.G.Culture (People, UK) / Jeff Mills (Chicago) / Joe Claussell (NY) Nick the Record (UK) / Moodyman (Detroit) / Panasea (Germany) PHOTEK (UK) / Storm(MetalHeadz, UK) / Suv (Fullcycle, UK) / Q-Bert & Inbisibl Skratch Piklz, Mix Master Mike with D-Styles, Yogafrog and Shortcut (US) / Theo Parrish(Detroit) / Terre Thaemlitz (US/JPN) / Tom Wieland (Vienna) /DJ KRUSH (JP) / Flying Lotus(US)/ / Boredoms (JP) / FAUST (Germany) / Dennis Bovell(UK) / Dillinger Escape Plan (NY) / Juno Reacter (UK) /Lee Perry (Jamaica) / LKJ (UK) / Lake Trout (US) / Mad Proffesor (UK) / Mala (UK) / Marcus Henriksson(SW) / Meat Beat Manifesto (UK) / Merzbow , MMW (US)/ Yakaza Ensemble(Turkey) etc. His style keeps evolving and defies categorization.
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