The Interview #12

Interview w/ Shuya Okino – Founder of the legendary KYOTO JAZZ MASSIVE

Shuya, Kyoto Jazz Massive has been shaping the landscape of club-oriented jazz for over two decades now. When you think back to the early days in Tokyo’s underground scene, what was the spirit or philosophy that first drove you and your brother to create this sound?

The music scene at that time was very fragmented, when I opened The Room (my club in Shibuya) it was to give DJ and musician friends a place to hang out together and develop a jazz scene as the underground scene was focused on House and Hip Hop. We’d be playing Japanese Jazz and Fusion tracks and want to make new music inspired by those bands but also reflecting the club scene we were creating.

Your work has always been a dialogue between tradition and the new. How do you see your role today: as a bridge, a pioneer, or something else entirely?

I am always conscious of crossing generations, borders and cultures in my creative activities. 
I am a bridge, also a border-crosser. Ideally everyone creative sees themselves as a connector. 

The „Echoes of a New Dawn Orchestra“ feels like a natural yet bold continuation of your journey. What was the spark behind this project, and how has it reshaped your idea of what Kyoto Jazz Massive can be?

We’ve always featured international artists on our albums so to open that up to a project with the members of Echoes Of A New Dawn Orchestra, bringing their diverse roots from Africa, Spain, Portugal, Colombia, Brazil, the Caribbean, France…, is the realization of the musical unity KJM has always believed in. 

In Japan, there’s a long history of jazz as both an imported and reinvented language. How do you personally navigate the tension between global influence and local identity?

The tension adds to KJM’s sound. As a DJ for a long time I have listened to a lot of music from overseas and at the same time I have discovered a lot of Japanese music. I’m also influenced by the Japanese pop songs I listened to as a child and the traditional folk songs of Japan. As an artist I want to establish my own identity while being part of the global music scene. My composition comes to me naturally while arrangement is a process of trial and error as I consider what I should express as a Japanese person in the world today. 

You’ve worked with an incredible roster of vocalists and musicians across the globe. How do you choose your collaborators and what makes a musical connection last?

I choose people who have become friends to collaborate with. 
The human connection is important to me so I meet them and imagine them singing or playing and write melodies to fit that. Developing relationships as friends naturally deepens and prolongs the musical connection.

The upcoming show at Gretchen promises to be more than just a performance, it feels like a conversation with Berlin’s jazz and club heritage. What can the audience expect from this night? Any surprises you’re willing to hint at?

Yes it’ll be more like a conversation as our live performances allow the musicians‘ personalities to bounce off each other and the audience. Our band like to mix it up a little on stage, same compositions as the albums but when they play live there’s a very powerful energy.  
Please look out for my role on stage, I’m not just going to be the DJ/ composer standing in the back.

Your music often carries a certain optimism, even when it’s complex or melancholic. In these uncertain times, what message do you hope your current work conveys to listeners?

The concept of my music is to reach different generations and cultures and the message in my songs is the expansion of possibilities if we come together. Feeling helpless and divided is understandable at the moment but music can unite and inspire us to find our own power. Our vocalist and lyric writer Vanessa Freeman expresses this in Get Up, Stand Up, Get It Together, and Power. 

Technology has transformed how jazz is produced, performed, and consumed. How do you maintain the human element within this digital evolution?

It’s thanks to technology that I’m able to create songs even though I can’t play an instrument. I create my demos by recording my humming on my smart phone and communicate with a programmer via the Internet. He uses a personal computer and music software. But the human element is always there in production and recording, often live recording. 
Now AI can create a song for you with just a few keywords but it can’t mimic the lived experiences, emotion and passion artists bring to our work for studio recordings and live shows. 
I also think that jazz is the music that requires the most human element for improvisation. AI can’t fake this kind of in the moment creation. 

Looking ahead: What’s next for you, for Kyoto Jazz Massive, and for Echoes of a New Dawn Orchestra? Any sonic directions or dreams you haven’t yet explored?

The third Kyoto Jazz Massive album will be recorded half in Paris with the Echoes Of A New Dawn Orchestra and the other half in Tokyo with Japanese musicians. 
The dream is to collaborate with jazz legends in both cities…. and tour the world.

Finally, what does Berlin mean to you personally and musically? And how does playing at a place like Gretchen shape the energy of your set?

Since the early 2000’s I have felt very connected to Berlin through working with the artists of Sonar Kollectiv, like JAZZANOVA. 3 years ago in Berlin my DJ event attracted over 2000 young people who lined up waiting for 2.5 hours to hear me play all kinds of music until 6:30am in the morning. It was great to see such a young audience enjoy my set. I’m excited about this being Kyoto Jazz Massive live set’s first Berlin gig featuring the Echoes Of A New Dawn Orchestra and that it’s at Gretchen, a venue that has booked some of my favorite DJs and musicians from Mulatu Astatke to Kassa Overall. I hope you’re looking forward to an energetic stage performance that will be a crossover of jazz and dance music, Japanese and Western culture.

 

KYOTO JAZZ MASSIVE ft ECHOES OF A NEW DAWN ORCHETSRA – live @ Gretchen.
Click here for details: https://www.gretchen-club.de/detail.php?id=3156