INDEX
Seeking Like-Minded Musicians Worldwide
– SMTK will soon perform at METAMORPHOSE ’23, which will return for the first time in 11 years.
Ishiwaka: Japanese band Yanushi is going to be there. I haven’t met him yet, but I love the music of Tanaka Jacob (Yanushi’s guitarist/vocalist). I’m also looking forward to seeing Dorian Concept and Ney Palm, and when Hiatus Kaiyote (Ney Palm’s band on vocals) came on the scene, there was a big buzz among jazz-leaning musicians. At the time, I thought we were making our own music while keeping an eye on what these girls were up to. Of course, I also remember that Ney’s solo album had an atmosphere of “You can’t get through the year without hearing this! I remember Ney’s solo album was like “I can’t go through the year without listening to this!
Ishiwaka: By the way, Simon Marvin, the keyboard player of Hiatus Kaiyote, and Marty are good friends. They once toured together when Marty was in a band called Sex On Toast. I have a feeling that something interesting is about to happen.
I’m glad that the pandemic has settled down and more artists are coming to Japan like this. I recently attended an event called “Temple Of Sound” at Tsukiji Honganji Temple, where I performed with a band called Ghost in The Tapes from London. I thought it was very meaningful. I am glad that there are more and more opportunities like this and I am happy to be there.
– I have the impression that you are doing everything you can as a drummer. It is hard to believe that you are still in your thirties, but how do you see your vision for the future?
Ishiwaka: Most recently, I wrote an orchestra version of my own composition to perform with the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra at the end of this year. There are few opportunities for highly improvisational musicians to perform with orchestras, especially in Japan. I am now looking forward to this opportunity. Lately, I have been returning to classical music because of that, but I have been getting offers for solo recitals, and maybe it is time for me to come here and enhance my music again.
I’ve done a lot of different kinds of music in the past, and I’ve done a lot of works under my own name, like this kind of music for SMTK and this kind of thing for SONGBOOK. I would like to start preparing little by little for an activity that combines them into one. It would be interesting to find musicians from all over the world who play instruments with a similar stance to myself, and create works of their own.
– You are looking for musicians with a similar range of skills to Shun Ishiwaka, and you are going to create something together with them.
Ishiwaka: It would be interesting if such a musician emerges from among teenage musicians. I look forward to meeting them someday.
