RENO had been performing as a guitarist for ViViD. Now he is ready to give a new attacking shot, which is his solo album “UNIVERSE” to be released on November 4th.
He has been active in various fields after ViViD broke up. (Please refer to http://jrock.tokyo/interview/25044/) This album could be one of the stages that he has reached after all those activities. He is also to join many other lives. I have interviewed and asked how he was feeling and thinking for this moment.
It was quite stimulating to perform with various people. I’d like to play with other artists as a part of my solo activity.
―You took part in a tour of MASAKI in this summer who is a highly skilled bassist while you are to perform in various session events. You seem to be expanding the stage where you express yourself, right?
I had always been in a band so I feel I get stimulated through playing with other artists now. Since I started my solo activity, I’ve been offered to perform as a support guitarist, and to produce music for a game. I’m kind of experiencing a new world that I had never known before…Especially, the tour with MASAKI was carried out by members who were more than 10 years older and the leading artists of this field. It was really exciting that I could perform with such people.
-All those members are surely veteran heroes.
Exactly. I played a role as a leader in ViViD and I’m striving for my solo activity under my own will. However, I was a baby in MASAKI’s tour for the first time, therefore, I learnt joy of being led by all those people. They gave me much freedom when it came to perform, so I was able to use various techniques that I had acquired. It was really an inspiring experience.
-So it became an opportunity for you to brush up your sensibility.
Yes, it did. The thing I was happy about was MASAKI told me “You are here not as a support guitarist but a guest player. So you can play freely.” He also said “Add a lot of ad-libs” so I played with all my techniques in a good tense (lol).
-It must be nice to enjoy a live with much impromptu performance.
Exactly. For example, in a live one starts solo and the other members take over in turns, then we can produce a totally different performance depending on the day. When it comes to my turn I don’t usually start with full force but start rather quietly. The whole performance also becomes quiet along with my tone. My emotion elevates and the gain also goes up, and when my performance erupts with fullten all the other member’s performance also bursts. That felt absolutely great. That session was such a wonderful experience.
-You are performing in a music session fest, “Tojosen Ensen no Kai Vol. 18~Singing Otodon and Hikemen Uta Gassen!~” at Hatsudai The Doors on November 14th.
Gorgeous members like MASAKI and Soul Toru are taking part in. All the participating musicians will be divided into three bands and perform. I will be playing with members including Shiji of Janne Da Arc.
―Have you ever performed in a music session before, RENO?
I have played in a session within my production company but I only joined in a session after I started to perform as solo. I found it is really stimulating to play with various artists. I’d love to keep playing in a session as a part of my solo activity.
I wanted to make an album that listeners who used to like ViViD and listen to the songs can naturally get absorbed into and enjoy.
-You started to perform as solo right after ViViD broke up. Are you planning to perform as a solo guitarist? Or are you intend to form a new band?
I made it to produce my first album, “UNIVERSE”, while I’ve been reconsidering myself as a guitarist after the Band broke up. I’m feeling I finally stood on a start line with this album. I guess the information will be disclosed by the time this article is released, but I’m holding a large scale vocal audition including ones from the public.
-Wow! That’s big news!
Performing as a solo lasts for a lifetime. It’s kind of my grass roots where I can go back while I continue my music. I wanted to establish the home through this album, “UNIVERSE”. Because I have that home, I can aggressively perform with confidence. I’m determined to perform in a major in a new duo consists of a vocal and a guitar.
-I see. Perform as solo was always there in your mind from the beginning to advance further in various activities in the future.
That’s right. I believe establishing a firm music ground by producing a solo album is very important. So in the beginning, I planned a flow from a one-man live on June 4th and release of the first album “UNIVERSE” in November, and the Tokyo-Nagoya-Osaka One-man tour featuring the album.
-All the songs in “UNIVERSE” are instrumental mainly with the guitar. But your guitar is adequately singing.
That was my big theme. When you think a solo album produced by a guitarist, you might have an impression that a maniac work with full of technical phrases. I, of course, can make such a work if I have to. In my case, I wanted to make songs that also sound good if a vocal joined when I made a guitar album just like I had always put importance on melodies as I liked songs with lyrics. At the same time, I pursued an expression which not only guitarists but many people regardless of the generation can feel familiar with.
-Even if the listeners of ViViD might first feel a bit weird “What? No lyrics??” they can be absorbed into and enjoy the music once they listen to the songs.
In that way, I wanted to make it easy to listen.
-How d
(It seems that the English report typing missed out the question. Anyway, this is question in Japanese)
―6月4日に行った1stワンマンライブのときのお客さんたちは、どういう反応を示していたのでしょうか??。やはり未知なるスタイルということで身構えてました?
It was rather me who was taking a stance (lol). I was feeling an awkward pressure. Once I started the live the fans also started to move their bodies and enjoyed the music that they had never listened to before. That surly gave me a confidence.
I wanted to expand my solo activities featuring “Collision of Universe”. Therefore, it has become my important song as much as I ended “UNIVERSE” with this song.
-At the same time, I feel something big like enveloping surroundings in each song. That must be reflecting your personality as well.
Like it naturally raises your spirit up.
-What did you aim at by making this album?
(English report error again. This is the question)
―同時に、どの楽曲も包み込むような大きさを感じると言いますか。そこにはRENOさん自身の人柄も映し出されている。そんな印象も、聴きながら感じていました。
It sure expresses my nature as well.
-What did you aim at by making this album?
As I named this album “UNIVERSE”, the outer space is an uncharted territory with unlimited possibility. To plunge into there is such a big challenge for human as well as an experience to make advancement further. I put myself in a position to plunge into a space called a music world which is also uncharted territory. So I named it “UNIVERSE”. Each song in this Album has a linkage with the theme in various ways, too.
-The album starts in an aggressive tune, and I put a slow song “Apollo” for the forth song as a bridge. Lots of dramas are included in “UNIVERSE” including the excitement toward the ending.
I wanted to put stories into each song. As I like various kinds of music, I used all the genres including an aggressive rock, boogie and ballade. I thought “Let’s show various sides as it’s the first album”.
-Through this “UNIVERSE”, you have thrown your own feelings from various sides into the songs.
That’s right. I noticed each song had a face after having finished making the songs. Each song has a life and soul. So I feel like I have got 10 children with different characters at once.
-Did you first decide on the theme “UNIVERSE” and then pursue suitable songs? Or did you make songs as you liked and it settled on “UNIVERSE” as a result?
The center was the last song of the Album, “Collision of Universe”. In fact, the very first song was this one. I thought I’d like to expand my solo activity with this “Collision of Universe” as a key song. It has become a song with my love as I ended “UNIVERSE” with this song.
-I see, various elements were born from this song and have become independent songs.
RENO: That’s right. A story was depicted that everything each song expresses in this Album flows into the last song “Collision of Universe”.
“It’s important to express easy music in an easy way. Music for a game is absolutely opposite to producing an album. It was really a good experience.”
-I like the theme “UNIVERSE”.
It was easy to express but as I made the first theme so big I wonder what I should do with the next one (lol). But it was interesting that I had some new discoveries such as rock music and marvelous effect match well under the theme of the universe.
-You depicted something deep and big in your songs no matter if it’s intense or sorrowful. It probably is your tolerant personality.
Like music that makes you want to expand your arms?! I like that kind of magnificent music both my own music and the one I listen to in private. I like to listen to a soundtrack of a movie or a game probably because I feel the magnificence.
-You have made sound truck for a game “Dragon Ball Z Chou Kyukyoku Budoden”, right?
It was really a brand new experience. All the songs already had titles and themes.
For example, an explanation was written as “solemn music needed“ for “Frieza’s final transformation”. There were some songs that needed to be as plain with a subtle expression in the melody.
I had always put importance on melody so I considered over and over how I could make a song without a melody. At the same time, I tried to put my own ways to some degree into each song.
-Many elements appear in such a short song in the case of music for a game, doesn’t it?
Yes, like jingles and a 15-seconds song. For example, the combating characters are set and I need a song for the scene where the characters appear on a screen. I enjoyed making such music. Especially music for the fighting scene repeats over and over like a loop. So I must make the ending have a flow to continue to an intro. The music player is also just a chassis which is game machine. So sounds that can usually be heard drowned out. Moreover, a battle develops with screaming and shouting with the music behind so it’s no use if I insert subtle sounds to add some color to create an atmosphere. The important thing was to make easy music and convey in an easy way. It was absolutely the opposite to the way I make an album. That was a very good experience.
My mother said “It sounds like the Mongolian continent”. I thought I had explained it was about the outer space (lol).
-You really have been experiencing a lot.
I will put everything I have experienced back into my solo as well as the duo activity.
-Did you choose to form a duo so as to have a good footwork?
I think that could be the strength. I will be the main person to compose and make lyrics. I wanted to establish the base experience so that I can concentrate.
-You are surely going to perform as solo as well. Do you think it’s important to disseminate joy of instrumental music?
Of course. What I think important is let the guitar sing. I will cherish this concept and convey my thoughts.
-I think your instrumental songs are all easy to listen, and can be a comfortable BGM.
I think that’s good. I want listeners to use my songs freely as BGM when you are cooking, driving or studying. Because instrumental music doesn’t have lyrics, we can enjoy in a way we want to through expanding our imagination.
-I couldn’t agree more. I think the interesting part of instrumental music is that you can have your own interpretation.
What I thought interesting was my mother’s reaction to “Collision of Universe”. I had told her it was about outer space as it also appears in the title.
I had an image of a crash of two meteorites in this song. Especially the chorus part depicts a moment of the crush in a slow motion. However, my mother said “This song sounds like Mongolian continent”. I told you this song was about the outer space… (lol). But each listener can have his/her own interpretation and that’s the charm of the instrumental music.
-Is the title possibly the key to find out the feeling that you put in the song?
It’s a key word.
-What does the first album “UNIVERSE” mean to you, RENO?
It’s like my own child. At the same time it could be a business card of RENO, a player as well as a composer. It has become a treasure for my life.
My back born music such as blues, hard rock and 90’s J-POP are included in this Album. That could be a bridge to experience such music. I believe I successfully expressed elements that can be an opportunity for listeners to encounter such music in “UNIVERSE”.
-Exactly…
It tells you all about RENO (lol).
-Lastly, do you have anything that you’d like to say toward the Tokyo-Nagoya-Osaka tour?
CD is also a form that has a story but whether the order of the songs at a live is as it is in the CD or reshuffled, that’s something I want the audience to look forward to.
I will create a new live world so please come and experience “we can enjoy simply with sounds” and “we can enjoy the profound story”. I will distribute my music through iTunes to listeners overseas so I hope they can enjoy. After all, that’s music, instrumental music that can be enjoyed without boundaries.
source: jrock.tokyo
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