INDEX
The Acoustic Appeal and Yukio Sasaki Behind Both Bands
One clear point of overlap between OGRE YOU ASSHOLE and kanekoayano is that your live sound is often handled by Yukio Sasaki and others from Acoustic. Could you talk about your relationship with Sasaki, and what you prioritize in shaping your live sound?
※Acoustic Co., Ltd. is a sound company led by Yukio Sasaki, handling live sound for a wide range of artists including YMO, Denki Groove, Sakanaction, Hitsujibungaku, and Shintaro Sakamoto, as well as sound systems for venues such as Ebisu LIQUIDROOM and Spotify O East.
Deto: We basically leave everything to Sasaki.
Kaneko: Same for me. During rehearsals I might ask things like, does this sound feel okay, but when it comes to the front of house sound, I leave it to him.
What makes that level of trust possible?
Deto: When you see other bands he works with, it is obvious how good it is. Everyone at Acoustic, including Itoga who is handling the Osaka show this time, has their own individuality, but there is a shared core in the quality of the sound.
Kaneko: I have gone to see several shows that Sasaki was working on, and none of them sound the same. Each one reflects a different interpretation of the band, and they are all great.
I also really like how he lets the sound fully open up. It is not just about volume. For example, when Hayashi is playing a big guitar solo, if I jokingly say before the show, go all out there, he really pushes it to the point where everyone might be taken aback. But it never feels harsh or painful.
I do not really like overly compressed, brittle sounding mixes, but with Sasaki, it feels less about loudness and more about density. That is what I like.
Deto: I totally get that. I have never felt like the sound was hurting my ears.
Kaneko: Exactly. It is loud, but it never hurts.
Both OGRE YOU ASSHOLE and your band have a wide dynamic range in your live shows. When it gets loud, it is really loud, but it never feels harsh or painful.
Kaneko: Yeah, and even when it is loud, it does not feel tiring. That is what is so impressive.
Deto: Sasaki also works with artists like Denki Groove and Sakanaction, and he originally came up doing PA for DJs. So he is used to shaping sound in environments where music is playing all night long.
That is why he is so good at creating a space where you can listen for ten hours without getting fatigued. I think he is always reading the atmosphere of the room and the audience, and adjusting things like volume based on that.
Kaneko: That definitely feels true. It is almost like he is part of the band, building the live together with us.
Deto: This time, Itoga will be handling PA for both bands, which gives me a sense of reassurance. Sometimes at co-headline shows, when each act has a different engineer, the entire atmosphere of the room can shift so much that it almost feels like a different venue.
In that sense, I think this edition of “DELAY” will have a real continuity to it, like a single space being shaped and shared across the night.
