http://www.redbullmusicacademy.

com/magazine/layered-memories-lm
Interview: Yosi Horikawa
By Max Cole
Share
Max Cole speaks to the Chiba-residing sound designer and Academy alum Yosi Horikawa,
who demonstrates a keen ear for capturing distinct eld recordings and evocative percussive
soundscapes that chart the poetry of nostalgia as much as they play with our sense of aural
perception. In anticipation of his Wandering EP being released next week on First Word, the
DIY audio fanatic brings a selection of new sounds and tracks to the SonarDme this
Thursday, June 14th, inviting us to climb inside his multi-dimensional panoramas.
Popular
1
Diggin In The Carts: Episode 3 - The Dawn Of A New Era
2
The Roots of Techno: Detroits Club Scene 1973 - 1985
3
Trailer: Diggin in the Carts
A DIY ethic has always been at the core of what Yosi does. Ever since childhood, growing up
in Osakas sub-tropical temperatures, he would make his own toys. His curiosity for
engineering and craftsmanship eventually spilled into making music, inspired by the picture of
KRS-One shouting into his headphones on the cover of the Return Of The Boom Bap. Yosis
quiet demeanor doesnt initially strike you as a close t with KRS-Ones loud swagger, but
they share similar pioneering values: if you want a job done properly, better do it yourself.
Fortunately for us, sound and its many characteristics are high on Yosis agenda. His
relationship with audio goes beyond a fascination with its physical properties. He likes to play
with the possibilities of its graphic, emotional scenery, operating within the fuzzy zone of
memory and dreams. When I start making music, Yosi explains, rst of all I decide on a
concept for it. Then I see some imagery, but its not vivid yet. Its like a fog. I choose some
sound materials to use, and usually start with a rhythm. As I continue, the sounds remind me of
a scenery, and I imagine other sounds that might exist in the scenery. Little by little, the scenery
becomes more vivid.
I like to see how people notice the sounds in my track. I'd like to think it brings new joy to our
everyday lives.
One of Yosis earliest releases was back in 2008, when his track Skipping found its way
onto an EP sampler by French beat label Eklektik Records, who subsequently released his
debut album Touch. It sets the template for Yosis approach right from the beginning, as he
condenses the constituent sounds of skipping, the stomping of feet and the whistling of ropes
to harmonic and romantic effect. Its closer to Double Dutch than Eye Of The Tiger,
tapping into childhood memories and schoolyard joie de vivre. Yosi has a knack for picking
evocative sounds that speak to us, whatever the story. Sitting somewhere between locked
percussive grooves and psychoacoustic postcards, his atmospheres confound as much as they
reveal.
But theres more to Yosis music than some careful pruning. His tracks have a readymade
quality to them he encourages us to hear familiar sounds in new musical ways. During his
own school days, Yosi studied a combination of craft, design and technology, covering hands-
on skills such as welding and lm-developing, before graduating with a degree in architecture.
This foundation of concept and craft informs his music-making process. I think its a bit
unusual how Ive come to think about the themes and concept of my music. I like to see how
people notice the sounds in my track. Id like to think it brings new joy to our everyday lives.
You might be tempted to place Yosi in the same Expedit rack as sound conceptualists like
Matthew Herbert, Matmos or Scanner. But while these musicians and their sample-based
projects tend to have a certain thematic rigour, Yosi chooses everyday sounds that people can
relate to, but that lack obvious signicance. His track Cook From South, which samples a
host of kitchen utensils and cooking noises, has more in common with Ola Simonsson and
Johannes Stjarne Nilssons short lm Music For One Apartment And Six Drummers. It brings
to mind Disney-esque fantasies of inanimate objects being jolted to life, a kitchen in the grip of
cartoonish fever. Theres a certain playfulness and fairytale-like naivety, and while the song
contains no clear meaning, it also seems to pose some questions that arent easy to answer.
"I imagine everything has somebody's memory attached to it. I hope people can feel their
memories again when they recognize the concrete sounds."
Sourcing some of Yosis unique samples can be an adventure in itself. Theres stories about
getting lost in forests, or Yosi melting his microphones trying to record the sound of re.
These experiences also help him decide how to arrange the tracks, as he navigates his way
through the fog. He tells us about the story behind the title track from his forthcoming
Wandering EP, and how he set off to record some birdsong before losing his way when it got
dark. As panic crept in and he began to worry that he might not make it home, the birds found
him, and guided him out. I like the story of the sounds, he admits. The story can make us
feel like were in a movie. Sometimes I like to try and tell a story, but more often than not, the
sounds start telling it themselves. If I nd a story then I pay close attention to making it ow as
best as possible. But it means no edit or arrangement is ever the same!
The picture of Yosi standing in a forest, boom mic and headphones at the ready, is oddly
reminiscent of the scene in 24 Hour Party People, where Martin Hannetts hilltop recording
session is interrupted by Tony Wilson. Its easy to imagine a club of die-hard eld recorders,
all desperate to capture the perfect silence, but thwarted by the world that keeps getting in the
way. Does Yosi nd this is the case for him? Well not really, he answers. My wish list for
specic places to record is pretty long! In my experience, I loved the midnight park in Tokyo.
There were a lot of buildings around the park, so the reverb sounded very strange. I have many
other places on the list, but its hard to tick them off, because I nd other interesting places by
chance so often.
By allowing chance and the environment to play such a prominent role in how his tracks
develop, Yosi steps back from the process. Hes like a facilitator, and its the songs
themselves that are the main attractions. His dedication and attention to detail seems to stem
more from a sense of duty than simply artistic ambition, as if he owes it to the song, or to the
listeners mnemonic self. Its a duty he takes very seriously. When faced with the problem of
his kalimba feeding back from the pick-up he installed, he went back to the drawing board and
designed a new kalimba from scratch, building it to his exact specications. And lets not even
mention the challenge of studio monitor delity Yosi has built over 20 pairs of speakers to
date.
My favourite instruments are kalimbas and instruments which came through the Silk Road,
Yosi admits. I feel my own roots from these instruments, like Tibetan bells, Chinese gongs
and singing bowls. But I like to think about each sound from many angles. From a physical
point, as well as a spiritual point of view. I think all the elements inuence how we feel about a
track. Personally, I need to hear the textures of real sounds. I imagine everything has
somebodys memory attached to it, I hope people can feel their memories again when they
recognise the concrete sounds.
Yosi Horikawas Wandering EP is released on First Word Records on June 18th. He
performs this Thursday on the Academy's SonarDmestage at Snar Festival.