Could you please introduce yourself and tell us more about what’s your musical background ? Did you receive any musical training before going to the Music College in Tokyo ? What instruments do you play ?
it’s nice to hear from you, this is kazumasa hashimoto. i have started to play the piano first. but i didn’t practice that much. when i was a high school student i began to compose using the computers. i tried playing other instruments too but piano is the only instruments that i can play well up to now.

What pushed you to create your own music ? Which artists influenced you most ?
umm.. it’s hard to tell what makes me create music.. it’s a very natural thing for me almost like a life work.. there aren’t anyone who i was influenced by among musicians but i’m influenced by an architect tadao ando.

Yupi is your first album. How did you compose it ? Are the songs of Yupi old or recent ?
basically, i start making by using the piano and the computers. and then for some tracks, i have the musicians record their instruments into the computer and i edit them. the oldest track on this album was made 2 years ago and the newest was made right before the release. but i had to edit them all at the last part because i wanted the album to sound perfect as a whole.
Is there any concept or story behind Yupi ?
yes, maybe... but it’s a secret..

How do you work ? Is the creation process of one of your songs based on a melody, played on a piano for example, or do you hear the whole song in your head and try after to retranscribe ? What inspires you to compose ?
i hear the most part in my head first and this is the most important part. after that i use the piano and computers to put it together. it might not be a inspiration but i get affected by dreams that i see.

Can you tell me more about how you create the arrangements of your songs ? Don’t you use samplers or computers to compose your music ?
i lost my samplers... when i put the pieces together, it’s like a puzzle and i definitely need the computers at that stage.

Why don’t you use any voices in your songs ? Why do you use some special sounds in your songs, like for example birds singing ? What do you think it brings to the music ?
i don’t use voices at the moment because it’s one of the most difficult instrument for me to handle. the special sounds are not just sound effects.. they are treated as instruments.. steinway pianos and television noise are equal to me.

Do you consider your music as minimalist ? Which artists do you feel close to and why ?
yes, i think it’s minimal. i don’t feel close to any of the artists.

How do you deal with playing your music live ?
this is the important task for me right now.. i use the computers at most part but i’m trying to play the instruments more and more recently. now it’s like 50% computers, 50% playing the instruments.

What new musical projects should we expect from you in the future ?
i’m going to keep releasing under my name kazumasa hashimoto. also i’m contacting players right now to perform as an ensemble with percussion and strings. 

When you create Hashimoto music, what’s your final aim ?
it’s not the final aim but i always wish that more people will hear my music.

thanks for the interview !

interview by stéphane
by email
03/07