MYSTICS『5 ELEMENTS』

#5ELEMENTS #Electronicsound #JAKAM #Japan #KuniyukiTakahashi #MarcusHenriksson #MYSTICS #Sweden #THATISGOOD 2021.04.12

　J.A.K.A.M., Kuniyuki Takahashi, and Marcus Henriksson are three independent sound producers who have worked together on a session. The sound of live instruments such as shakuhachi, koto and arabic violin overlap each other.
Three independent sound producers, J.A.K.A.M., Kuniyuki Takahashi, and Marcus Henriksson, have collaborated to create a sound that is layered with the tones of live instrumentalists such as shakuhachi, koto and arabic violin.The electronic sounds of these MYSTIC artists, who continue to explore music, became a harmony of sounds, and were released on analog record under the title “5 ELEMENTS”.

Inevitable encounters through solo career.

The three musicians, who have been based in different places (Sweden; Sapporo, Japan; and Tokyo, Japan), naturally began to interact with each other in the course of their respective musical projects.

Marcus and I have worked together on other projects before, and when he came to Tokyo three years ago for the first time in a long time, we had a live session and had a great musical exchange.（Kuniyuki）
I met with Kuni many years ago. We made an album together back in 2008. So we go long way back. Love his music and his live sets! I first heard of J.A.K.A.M.’s music when going recordshopping in Shibuya in 2018. Found some amazing records where I could hear electronic dance music was combined with influences of world music. Very inspiring. Soon after a friend introduced me to him and we spoke of doing a collaboration together. At our first meeting in the studio in Tokyo Jakam suggested to name our project mystics.. （Marcus）
I heard that Marcus had been buying a lot of my work, and when he came to Japan, he was going to play a show with Kuniyuki, so I went to Daikanyama UNIT. We met for the first time on the side of the stage before the show, and I could tell that he already understood my sound, so we immediately started talking about doing something. Then Kuniyuki appeared with a whiskey in his hand with a smiling face, and I think the relationship between the three of us started with a sudden round of drinks lol （J.A.K.A.M.)

　The three gathered in 2018 and decided to play a show under the name MYSTICS when Marcus visited Japan two years later in January 2020.The three had already been interacting with each other and improvised their first live show based on the songs they had been working on for the album, and Naoyuki Uchida, the engineer in charge of the overdubs for “5 ELEMENTS,” joined them on the PA. “There were moments when the way we perceive the grooves created by each other’s live sets and DJ activities intersected in the sound of the parts we each played, I felt the interplay of the three of us in the bass groove, and the sense of what to do with the gaps was refreshing.”（Kuniyuki）This live performance further inspired each other and sparked the creation of the album.

The production started with the theme of “5 ELEMENTS”.

　Let’s ask about the production process of the album “5 ELEMENTS”. It all started with a session between J.A.K.A.M. and Marcus.

I started a session with Marcus at a rehearsal studio I was familiar with in Kichijoji, and I told him that I wanted to use the theme “5 Elements”. I explained my own interpretation of the meaning, imagery, and relationships of the five elements of water, metal, earth, fire, and wood, and Marcus immediately agreed. After that, we had a lot of spiritual talks and I was happy to have a deeper conversation with him. As the production progressed with the musicians, we decided that we really wanted percussion, and I imagined various players from African, Arabic, Asian, Latin, etc., but I couldn’t choose just one area, so I thought of Kuniyuki. Kuniyuki’s drumming is unmistakably spellbinding, primitive, and yet sophisticated. Marcus accepted, so I explained about the ‘five elements’ and Kuniyuki added the missing elements to those sounds, which gave the sound more depth” (J.A.K.A.M.).
I overdubbed percussion and keyboards on their recordings in my studio, and recorded new sounds in my own way while listening to the demos.
After that, J.A.K.A.M. mixed more tracks based on what I played, but for a while, J.A.K.A.M. would send Marcus and me new mixes like letters every day. I would listen to the mixes and tell them what I thought, Marcus would comment on them, and then J.A.K.A.M. would send us another mix, sometimes with a completely different image. The mixes were definitely changing a little bit each time, so I think the word ‘MYSTICS’ was appropriate for the time that passed in each process.（Kuniyuki）

5 ELEMENTS” = a story created by the five elements, electronic sounds and live instruments

As a Westerner, Marcus always kept the theme of the album, the five elements, in mind when he was working on the album, but he also understood that there are slight differences in the way the elements are perceived from a Japanese perspective and an ancient European perspective, and he went back to the ancient times in his own way and said, “The collective past of Japan meets the ancient past of Sweden and The collective past of Japan meets the ancient past of Sweden and Europe. The meeting of the inhabitants of one part of the earth with the inhabitants of another part of the earth is a rendezvous of exoplanets on the earth where the power of the elements is discussed, and this meeting forms the vibes of these five works,” Marcus answered in his own way. In this context, he was also thinking about how the existence of music can work in the lives of us, the listeners.

Each song on “5 ELEMENTS” corresponds to a planet in our solar system and is named after the elemental forces that exist in nature. I personally have a deep interest in esotericism and the methods of transforming and healing the human soul through music and magic, and the principles of alchemy and sacred arts are one of the ways to heal and transform the human soul. Music is a living thing, and if it’s really good, it can heal almost anything in the energy field. So it is music that leads the way to the future. If we can find the Tao and harmony within ourselves, we can live a harmonious life that is kind to the environment, and the more people who live that way, the more good vibrations will be created. The more people who live that way, the more good vibes will be created. The more those vibes increase, the more harmonious we can be, the more joyful and happy we will be.（Marcus）

Titled “Water,” “Metal,” “Ground,” “Fire,” and “Wood,” each song has a story to tell, and in addition to the three members of MYSTICS, Shinobu Egashira played the koto, Keiko Oikawa played the violin, and Kenji Ikegami played the shakuhachi. The live instrumental performance of joy, anger, sadness, and sorrow over a borderless electronic sound, as if it were a vocal performance conveying a message, seemed to offer a direction for the future that we humans are heading towards.

I’ve been trying to mix live instruments with electronic sounds for a long time now, but this time I was conscious of imagining and creating sounds with a universal theme that is not limited to any one place or time.
By doing so, I think the impression will be the same even if you listen to it 10 or 20 years from now, and I think it will be possible to create a universal imagination. Also, this time, I asked the engineer Naoyuki Uchida to add dub using equipment from the 1940s, which added depth to the modern DTM-like sound and had the effect of connecting live instruments and electronic sounds.（J.A.K.A.M.）
“This project is not only about healing, but it is also strongly related to my deep interest and knowledge of making music.” By “mystical experience,” I mean a state of being that is out of the ordinary, and I believe that listening to deep music and dancing can bring about a higher state of consciousness, a deeper layer of the psyche (soul), and a mystical experience that is out of the ordinary. I believe that by using technology and ancient principles, we can create a new future that is more environmentally friendly.（Marcus）

Receiving the messages delivered by Mystical artists

The journey of MYSTICS began with the release of the album “5 ELEMENTS”. The pandemic caused by the new coronavirus is forcing humanity to go back to the past and think about the future, and you, the music lover reading this article, can build a better future for yourselves with music. I assure you that the album “5 ELEMENTS” will exist with our new journey that is about to begin. And I look forward to seeing them live at some point in the future.
Finally, I’d like to share with you what each of the members thinks about the future of MYSTICS and their message for the album.

As I mentioned to Marcus in the early stages, I would love to get in touch with Swedish folk music, and collaborate with European instruments and voices in a broader sense. I would also like to collaborate with mystical musicians and artists around the world.（J.A.K.A.M.）
I think there are many elements in our world, and there is always time. I think that music is a record of that moment, but within the record, there is also the flow of time spent and the message, and I believe that it changes with the flow of time, the thoughts of the receiver, and the environment of each person, so I would be happy if you could enjoy the sense of information from the sound.（Kuniyuki）
Hopefully we will be doing a tour when the pandemic is over. And it is exciting to do the release of the vinyl and CD! And who knows.. there might be more music coming as Mystics :). Domo Arigato! Peace love and healing! （Marcus）

Manuscript editing：Kana Yoshioka

■Click here for details.
http://www.nxs.jp/label_content/koko-0085.html
■Click here to purchase the CD.
https://nxsshop.buyshop.jp/items/42680713
■Bandcamp
https://crosspointproception.bandcamp.com/album/5-elements-2
■Streaming
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/jp/album/1561085330?l=ja&ls=1&app=itunes
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/jp/album/1561085330
Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/album/5OPaIMpSVZ5GvuXmLLxODk

Artist Profile

Marcus Henriksson

Marcus Henriksson, also known as Minilogue and Son Kite, is extremely popular in Japan. Marcus started his music career as a DJ in 1993, and since 1999 he has collaborated with musicians such as Karl Axel Bissler, System 7, Mathew Jonson, and Sebastian Mullaert. and have toured the world. His unique style of colorful, tribal, and psychedelic music, unbound by style or trend, has won him many fans. MARCUS HENRIKSSON has been attracting audiences all over the world as a live act and DJ for a long time since his debut, and is one of the influential figures in the establishment of the Scandinavian trance scene, having visited Japan many times for shows such as STARGATE and LABYRINTH. Together with his ally Sebastian Mullaert, he had a successful career as Minilogue/Son Kite, and released works on prestigious labels such as Cocoon, Mule and Wagon Repair, which became popular and influenced the scene. He is currently working as a solo artist, writing songs and managing Home Records, a studio in a deep forest about an hour’s drive from Malmö, a city in the south of Sweden. His music is spiritual, organic, and serious. His DJ sets are always based on the idea of capturing the impact of the first outdoor party Marcus experienced, and his sets have a meticulously thought out story that makes them magical and trance-like.

Kuniyuki Takahashi

Kuniyuki Takahashi is a Sapporo-based artist whose music has always had a unique worldview, regardless of national borders, and
has been highly acclaimed by producers and DJs from around the world. He has released a tribute to the club in his hometown of
Sapporo on Joe Claussell’s [Natural Resource] label, participated in 4Hero’s Dego label compilation, released a remix of Ananda Project’s classic “Cascades of Colour,” and released the single “Earth Beats” on [Mule Musiq]. He has released a number of albums since his first album “We are Together” in 2006, and his 2012 album “Feather World” also features jazz pianist Fumio Itabashi, who has participated in previous albums, and his friend Henrik Schwarz. In 2012, his album “Feather World” was released with the
participation of jazz pianist Fumio Itabashi and his friend Henrik Schwarz, who also participated in his previous albums. In recent
years, he has collaborated with overseas artists such as DJ Nature and Vakula, and DJ Harvey and Gilles Peterson have played “Acid
Air” on the compilation of DJ EMMA’s project “ACID CITY”. In 2017, he released a new album by Newwave Project, which
incorporates his roots in new wave, etc. In 2018, he will release his unreleased works from the 80s on Music From Memory in the
Netherlands. In July, he released a new song on Joe claussell’s label, 16 years after the release of “Precious Hall”. In recent years,
he has been actively performing both in Japan and abroad, including Europe, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, etc., and performs in his own unique style, fusing improvisation and dance music.

J.A.K.A.M.(JUZU a.k.a.MOOCHY)

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 he has quickly expanded his activities 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 the Crosspoint label as a new guideline for world music. In addition to music production, he has also produced video works, picture books and art books, and organized an outdoor festival called Oneness Camp “Jomon and Rebirth” in 2012. At the end of the year, he released his fourth album, which led to the worldwide release of a new album on the Berlin/Israel label Malka Tuti. In 2017, he started HIGHTIME Inc. with DJ Tasaka, and in 2018, Zen Rydaz with Macka-Chin of Nitro Microphone Underground and MaL of Part2Style. In the same year, his music under the name of J.A.K.A.M. was released in analog form by 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 supported Minilogue/Son Kite, will begin, and in 2020, the project will finally start in earnest, with the long-awaited album to be
released soon. Their original vision is now spreading across all kinds of journals and around the world.