INDEX
The Production Process: Combining the Three Members’ Individual Personalities
It seems that King Krule’s “You Heat Me Up, You Cool Me Down” (2021) was a reference for your live album.
Takagi：That might have been the case before we started working on it. That album is interesting among recent live recordings because it manipulates audience sounds, slowing them down and altering them in various ways.
Takagi： During the creation process, when we were a bit uncertain about the direction, I personally listened to albums like Yura Yura Teikoku’s “Namashibirenamame” (2003) and FISHMAN’s “Otoko-tachi no Wakare” (1999).
They didn’t end up being direct references, but I revisited them to get a sense of what live albums can be like. I was curious about how much audience noise is typically included. For this album, we particularly avoided using a lot of ambient sound and relied more on manipulating the direct sound from the PA.
Hashimoto: The idea of making a live album was inherently interesting, so we decided to keep things like live noise and minor imperfections in the performance as they were. In studio recordings, such details are usually cleaned up. That mindset made the mixing process a bit more relaxed.
Hashimoto: Also, I took notes like, “This is where Tomomi Oda plays an incredibly impressive phrase, so let’s make sure the guitar is less audible here.” I’ve applied these insights to my own live performances. Many aspects of this work have influenced the way I approach live shows.
Takagi： There are indeed a lot of such insights. It’s like finally understanding what everyone else was doing [laughs]. We had been working without discerning the finer details of individual performances, so it was good to get organized at this stage. Especially when you’re singing, you almost never notice the details of the playing.
Arauchi： While listening to the mixes during the creation process, it felt like I was seeing Hashimoto’s inner landscape. For example, when the band is getting really pumped up, I would tend to pull it back a bit, but Hashimoto extends it further with effects. I could see his perception of the performance and how he amplifies it. It’s like making big sounds even bigger.
Hashimoto: Like the synth solo in “Fdf” [laughs]. It’s to the point where it’s all you can hear.
Takagi： Initially, Hashimoto was pushing for something like “the incidentality occurring throughout the song.” That was interesting, but then there was back-and-forth with Arau, where we had to find a balance—keeping some of that incidentality while also maintaining the song’s structure and dynamics.
That interaction was the highlight of the production. I was the one facilitating and encouraging, saying things like “yes, yes” and “sounds good.” It was quite challenging, but it’s a fascinating process, and I think it’s something we should continue doing in the future. It’s about how to translate each other’s most distinctive elements into sound.
Arauchi: Isn’t that something you discuss when you first start a band? [laughs]
Takagi： Well, but actually, I think cero might not have done much in terms of blending the three members’ personalities. It naturally happened with the support members, but this live album project was the perfect opportunity to mix the core three together. I even went out to get some nanachiki and Red Bull during the process [laughs].
Hashimoto: That made me happy.
Takagi： That was the best thing we did for this project! It had gotten a bit tense, so I decided that at the right moment, I’d bring in nanachiki and Red Bull [laughs]. After that, we had some really great discussions. That’s my highlight!
