Takaaki Itoh - Deep Sessions
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Describe your history as a DJ/producer. How did you make the shift from music listener to signed music performer/creator?
I started DJing in 1992, and two years later I was throwing techno & hip hop parties in the north of Japan. In 1995 I started producing. Whose work (visual, musical, or otherwise) informs your own the most? So many people, hard to say now, so many years later. Maybe Nitzer Ebb, the EBM. What are some of your long term goals as a producer/DJ? In my opinion, the goal is just to enjoy and be proud of what I do. I never expect anything because I am not in this business because of the usual reasons the big names are in it. What do you think is the unifying aesthetic, form, or approach that has such diverse pieces as Carl Craig's At Les and your own Tune In Turn On both considered "techno" while other electronic music is not? I guess it's because the definition of techno is too wide. Both tracks you mention really make people develop their deepest feelings even if they sound completely different. Provided that a DJ has at least a minimal amount of both, what do you think is more important - technical skill or track selection? Good question indeed...both are very important! I think it also depends on the way you are performing, i.e. playing records has nothing to do with using FS or Ableton Live. What live performances that you've seen have had the biggest impression on you? Well, at the moment Jacek Sienkiewicz. Last weekend in Poland, he just played after me...it was a really simple live act, but I was dancing at stage all the time. A lot of people distinguish techno regionally, particularly with cities llike Detroit and Birmingham. How valid do you think these differentiations are, and do you think that Japan (or areas of it, or shared with another location) has its own techno aesthetic? I don't really believe much on this idea. I think techno is a worldwide creation, and it does not come from only these two cities. About Japan, Japanese artists were trying to copy the style from Detroit ten years ago, now from German techno. I'm definitely not the average artist on that territory. Are there any particular countries in which you enjoy performing/why? Yeah, Spain is the best right now, and like three years ago I used to have a good time in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. What hardware/software do you use? Is there any software you don't yet use that you're interested in trying? I used a lot of hardware when I started producing, but in the last two years I have been using mostly software. Ableton and Reaktor are my favorite programs. At the moment I am not interested in using any other software, but who knows for the future? When do you see the electronic music scene and its various facets going in the future/near future? I haven't really thought about it, but I assume the electronic music will never die. It's been a great pleasure to answer your questions. Greetings for my techno fans in America. -Takaaki Itoh interview by bijan for droid (email) august 16, 2004 |