INDEX
Navigating Music in a Time of Efficiency and Results: Eiko Ishibashi’s Perspective
Do you still find meaning in releasing your music as an album today?
Ishibashi: Honestly, I don’t really understand streaming services. Even when I get notifications that my song has been added to some playlist, I don’t quite grasp what it means and just let it go.
The way it works is that if your track gets picked for popular playlists, it gains more attention and streams increase.
Ishibashi: I think I prefer to keep my distance from that whole system.
But for musicians, landing on influential playlists can be crucial for their career, don’t you think so?
Ishibashi: That might be true. But rather than trying too hard to fit into those popular playlists or getting caught up in worrying about others’ opinions, I believe it’s better to keep making the music I want—even if it means being a bit unconventional—and in the long run, that’s what keeps people listening.
Even so, I imagine it must be incredibly difficult to make a living doing music in a world controlled by figures like Donald Trump or Elon Musk.
Ishibashi: That’s true. Among musicians, there seems to be a lot of pressure and anxiety about having to meet others’ expectations and deliver results.
That feeling of urgency is definitely widespread, and it applies to society as a whole too.
Ishibashi: Yes, it’s about efficiency, but that’s not limited to music. Still, I think the reasons to create music can be much simpler. For instance, it’s perfectly fine to make music just for your closest friends. That kind of music feels the most valuable to me.
There’s nothing more meaningful than music that feels like a personal letter to someone. That matters far more than getting included in playlists. When you have that, an album forms naturally.
Like we discussed earlier about personal responsibility, there are also forces that try to strip the meaning away from things like that, right?
Ishibashi: Exactly. People say, “Isn’t it just self-indulgence?” That kind of dismissiveness. I think serious people especially get caught up in that system without even realizing it.
The scary part is that the more seriously you take your work, the more likely you are to get trapped in that unconscious cycle.
Ishibashi: That’s why I want to do more silly things and spend time being “wasteful,” in ways that step outside of algorithms. I want to create chaos that even I can’t predict.
Would you say your music embodies that kind of approach?
Ishibashi: At the very least, I want to create sounds I’ve never heard before—sounds that surprise even me.
But that’s really the simplest and clearest kind of challenge, isn’t it?
Ishibashi: Yes. I’m not trying to produce a product. But it’s a difficult path. It takes time, there’s no right answer. Each step is small and requires courage. Still, I hope to keep moving forward into the unknown, like Hiraide-san, as a moment in history.
Eiko Ishibashi Antigone
Friday, March 28, 2025
1. October
2. Coma
3. Trial
4. Nothing As
5. Mona Lisa
6. Continuous Contiguous
7. The Model
8. Antigone
https://lnk.to/antigone
