INDEX
“Acoustic Crew, Led by Mr. Sasaki, Feels Like Family” (Uchida)
What is the relationship between Dub Master X and Sasaki?
DMX: I’ve had connections with the Acoustic crew since I was younger. Acoustic is an interesting company. They have a team deeply involved in major rock and pop music, and another one more focused on rave and club music… we call them the “Yama team.” The major music team is a very strict one [laughs].
Sasaki: The proper team [laughs]. The “Yama team” is the one that’s less organized [laughs]. We’ve been involved since the “RAINBOW 2000” days, so we’re more attuned to rave and club music styles.
(RAINBOW 2000 was the first outdoor dance music festival in Japan, held in August 1996, with around 18,000 participants.)
DMX: The “Yama team” was led by an engineer named Ono (Shiro), who has since passed away. Sasaki was part of Ono’s team. I originally worked with the more strict team, but since we were all part of the same company, I eventually started interacting with the Yama team as well. It was like, “Sasaki’s got great sound. I get that low-end vibe.”
Sasaki: The way the sound is constructed is properly “pyramid-shaped,” so to speak. I think that’s where the common ground was. You can tell immediately when you listen to the sound made by someone like that. They’ve definitely been through the club and rave scenes. It’s a huge difference from people who haven’t been through it.
DMX: Exactly, people who build sound like a pyramid are easy to spot. The sound stacked on top of the bass doesn’t get overwhelming.
Sasaki: And then, Uchii and I have known each other since the time he started coming in and out of LIQUIDROOM for DRY & HEAVY’s live shows. My company also manages the sound for live venues, so our engineers are always at the scene. In that situation, we couldn’t just leave the visiting PA people unattended. Uchii was often at LIQUIDROOM, so I’d watch him, and at first, I honestly thought, “Is he okay?” (laughs). At that time, I was doing PA for Audio Active* as well, so there was also a connection there. Listening to Uchii’s PA work for DRY & HEAVY, I thought, “He’s probably not getting it exactly how he wants it.”
*Audio Active: A dub band that has been active since 1987. In 1993, they recorded under the production of Adrian Sherwood, and in 1994, they performed at the UK’s largest rock festival, Glastonbury Festival.
DMX: At events like battle-of-the-bands or festivals, the difference in sound is brutally obvious. It’s really different. I mean, the sound systems are the same, but when the sound is blasted out, the difference in skill is immense. I truly think it’s terrifying.
Uchida: Exactly. So, when Audio Active and DRY & HEAVY toured together, I would ask Sasaki-san tons of questions at after-party izakayas. The things I learned from him have really become a part of who I am today. DRY & HEAVY’s first proper live performance was at LIQUIDROOM, so Sasaki-san and everyone from Acoustic feel like family to me. I was thoroughly taught by them—Sasaki-san, Takeda-san, and Taruya-san. I owe them so much. When I was young, I watched their PA work like crazy. Sasaki-san taught me two really important things.
DMX: Oh really?
Uchida: It’s about the mic preamp (the equipment that amplifies the sound captured by the microphone) settings and how to use the EQ (equipment that adjusts the sound frequencies). I still stick to those principles today.
DMX: The late Ono-san also told me when I was struggling at a gig, “Miyazaki-kun, you should handle this area like this.” The people from Acoustic, they would say, “This guy has potential,” and would give me some advice about PA here and there.
Sasaki: Maybe they only tell people they feel a connection with [laughs].
DMX: Hahaha! Well, we’ve all been through our own mistakes in the past, so we know better.
