Digiki – Dense music
Liner notes
(J)
私が2005年、東京にて制作したアルバム『Beat Vacation』は、2007年にTOKYO FUN PARTY（以下TFP）よりリリースされました。このアルバムのテーマは、「踊らないダンスミュージック」 – ダンスミュージック的な要素を用いながらも、ハウスミュージックというより現代音楽に近い形で、ダンスミュージックを分解／再構築する試みでした。また、Beat（ビートの） Vacation（休息）というタイトルからも、それがダンス／クラブシーンへ訴求するためのものではないという意図を汲み取っていただけると思います。（もっとも、Beat Vacationをお聴きいただければ明白ですが「ビートを楽曲の基軸に置かない」というコンセプトは、失敗に終わったわけですが…笑）
『Beat Vacation』は、様々なアーティストとのコラボレーションを中心に活動してきた私が、初めてゲストなしで作成した、真のソロアルバムでした。そのため、アルバム作成段階では、『Beat Vacation』の素材を、私以外のアーティストへ提供するということは、全く想定していませんでした。
しかしながら、リリースしてしばらくした後、リミックスアルバムを作成することが、意味深いものに思えてきました。TFPとともに企画し、私も初期レジデントDJとして活動したクラブイベント、Julianaの盛り上がりを肌で感じ、来場する若者に、クラブミュージック、それも「良質の」クラブミュージックを届けたい、と願う気持ちが強くなってきたからです。やがて、TFPの主宰、Takashi Otagiriにそれを告げたところ、彼は私を信頼し、全面的に協力することを約束してくれました。
こうして、私がすべてのクリエイティヴコントロールを担当し、この思いを達成するにあたって適していると考えるアーティストを世界中から選出し、一つのアルバムとしてまとめあげるという、Dense Musicプロジェクトが誕生しました。
2008年の現在、音楽はいたるところに在ります。レコードセールスのそのものの落ち込みと反比例して、これまで以上に音楽は重要なものになってきていると言っても過言ではないでしょう。タワーレコードの「no music no life」のスローガンも今もなおリアルに感じられます。ただ、いまや音楽は、数年前からは想像もつかない形でわれわれの耳に届いています。mp3というダイレクトなメディアが物理的なCDに取って代わり、音楽を有機的な流動体へと、そして、もはやiPod、ブログ、yousendit、zSHAREと同義的なものへと、すなわち「フリー」なものへと変容させ、最新のトラックこそが重要視される時代になりました。いわば、「即効性」の経済 – タイトル／場所／アーティストの無限の組み合わせの中で、様々に変化するわれわれの気分を満たしてくれる1曲を、すぐさま手に入れる時代になったと言えるでしょう。われわれのようにCDを聴いて育った世代は、新人アーティストたちのmyspaceページへアクセスし、彼らの属する「シーン」「影響を受けた音楽」の中に、知っている名前を見つけ、彼らの1トラック、1リミックスを求めるのです。Justiceの2007年のシングル『D.A.N.C.E.』のリミックスが、Daft Punkに「影響を受けた」若い「プロデューサー」によって幾百も誕生したのは、こうした背景があると考えています。
一見すばらしい現象です。が、果たして本当にそうでしょうか。プロデューサー、トラック（リミックス）の氾濫によって、聴くに耐えない楽曲がiTunesライブラリに山積みになる – 「オーディオ汚染」を生み出してはいないでしょうか。
こうした流れの中で、「アルバム」を作ることの意義とは何でしょうか。そして、1つのブログポスト以上の価値のあるトラック、アーティストをどのように選定したらよいのでしょうか。
私は、リミックスアルバムの定義そのものを問い直すことから始めました。リミックスアルバムとは、単なる「踊れる」クラブ向け再編集楽曲の寄せ集めではない、と。そして、この思いを胸に抱き、何人何組ものアーティストへ、このDense Musicプロジェクトへの参加を呼びかけました。なるべく異なるジャンル／異なるスタイルから、Dense（密度の高い） Music（音楽） –すなわち、密度／レヴェルの高い、何重もの意味を持ったダンスミュージックを作ることの出来るアーティストへ、声をかけました。無視を決めこんだアーティストも、締め切りに間に合わなかったアーティストもいました。が、すばらしいトラックを届けてくれたアーティストもいました。大々的に公募したわけではないこともあり、限られた数の楽曲しか集めることはできませんでしたが、そのうちの13曲を、『Dense Music』のタイトルのもと、丁寧にコンパイルしました。残念ながら本編から漏れてしまった楽曲も、MumbleboyことKinya HanadaによるDigiki初のプロモーションビデオ「Desktop Music」とともに、ボーナスとしてCDに封入しました。
最後になりますが、このプロジェクトに参加してくれたすべてのアーティストに感謝します。そして、Takashi Otagiriの友情とアドバイスに、Nobuko Hori、Olivier Lamm、Aurelien Estager、Mai Ueda、Eric Kervern、Shane Lester、Robert Duckworth、Roddy Schrock、Alin Huma、Jean-Marc Rabemila、Kumi Okamotoとのディスカッションに感謝します。そして、Christophe Lemaireのファッションのセンスに最大の賛辞を込めて。
Hypo、Emmanuelle de Hericourt、Christian Fennesz、DJ Codomo、Takamasa Aoki、今回は残念でしたが、ぜひ、またの機会に。
アントナン・ゴルチェ／Digiki、東京、2008年2月
(E)
The original Beat vacation album was recorded in Tokyo in 2005 and released on TOKYO FUN PARTY in 2007. Its overall theme could be summarized as non-danceable dance music for its use of beats and elements from the dance music genre but which are fragmented and structured in ways that belong more to contemporary music than to house music.
Beat vacation was never conceived as material to be re-worked by others. It was to be my first, true solo album, without any help from guests. Its title, a reference to the (failed) concept of recording music without using a beat as a base, was clearly an indication that I had no plans to have the songs remixed in a danceable way. Often (wrongly) perceived as a DJ and having done myself my fair share of remixes in the past, I wanted to present true original material, without appealing to any particular audience.
After the release, however, the idea of curating a remix album started making sense for the first time. First, I was involved with a successful regular club event in Tokyo, Juliana, organized by TOKYO FUN PARTY. A younger crowd was interested in club music, and I thought they needed to hear good club music. Then, when talking of the idea with Takashi Otagiri from TFP he assured me I would have total creative control of the lineup of remixers, and that I could ask whoever I thought was right for the project. The Beat vacation remix project was born.
In 2008, Music is everywhere, and more than ever music matters, despite decreasing physical sales. The no music no life slogan of Tower Records is still very much alive, though music finds its way to our ears in ways that would have been quite unimaginable a few years ago. The mp3 and its direct effect, the replacement of physical units by virtually unlimited storage, transformed music into a vital fluid, perceived as free, synonymous with iPods, blogs, yousendit, zSHARE and with a general movement of acceleration, where the latest track released is the one that matters. We live in a (apparently) free economy of the immediatete: we look to maximize our instant gratification with songs that associate, in the smallest unit possible (one track) the highest cultural value, in virtually unlimited combinations of names, places, artists, influences. We, or a majority of a young audience raised with CD recorders, want a track, usually a remix, of an immediately recognizable name, done by a new artist with a myspace page, coming from a place perceived as an up and coming scene, and if possible name-checking established pop values as influences. This gave us the 100+ remixes of Justice’s 2007 single D.A.N.C.E, done by new producers, some of these remixes being their first ever recording, and often name-checking Daft Punk or other artists as influences.
This phenomenon is fascinating, but results in audio pollution – too many new kids, too many new tracks (or remixes), too much music piled-up in our iTunes libraries (because it’s easy), and more often than not, terrible songs.
In this context, does it make sense to do an album? And how select mixes and artists that will last longer than a blog entry?
I think it is essential to challenge the very idea of a remix album. A remix album is not just a collection of danceable tracks and club re-edits. It should be much more than that. With this in mind, I have asked a number of artists to participate in the project. The selection is based on the necessity to connect different genres, ages, styles, under the coherent theme of dense music, i.e. danceable music that presents a density, levels, layers of meaning. Some artists couldn’t make it on time, some turned down the proposal, some did better tracks than others. Since the project wasn’t open to the public (I didn’t ask publicly for remixes) I received a limited number of tracks, of which 13 have been put together to form the narrative of Dense music. The unused tracks, bits and pieces, are also present on the CD as a bonus, as well as the first Digiki music video, Desktop music, directed by Kinya Hanada aka Mumbleboy.
I would like to thank all the artists who participated in the project, Takashi Otagiri for his trust and advice, Nobuko Hori, Olivier Lamm, Aurelien Estager, Mai Ueda, Eric Kervern, Shane Lester, Robert Duckworth, Roddy Schrock and Alin Huma for the discussions. Un grand merci a Christophe Lemaire for his sense of fashion.
And funally very special thanks to non-participants Hypo, Emmanuelle de Hericourt, Christian Fennesz, DJ Codomo and Takamasa Aoki, for their time and actually getting back to me about the project.
Antonin Gaultier, Tokyo, February 2008
Dense music, track by track
01 Intro / Desktop Music (Antonin ‘LV’ Gaultier Juliana re-dub)
The only Digiki track in here, a transition from Beat vacation to Dense music on arid empty beats, taken from a failed attempt of doing a Juliana edit of Desktop music.
02 Kraftpunk (Donovan remix)
I first heard Donovan when they were still called Killdahype with a blog-ready remix of Daft Punk’s Around the world, that was much, much better than the rest of the new blog kids. They agreed to join the project as a challenge, which I thought was an appropriate way to approach the project.
03 Cease & Desist (Audioporno remix)
Again, another blog friendly unit, and again, one that caught my attention with an unusual approach and a good sense of humor. The first track I heard from them was a remix of the theme from Magnum P.I. , I knew things couldn’t go wrong.
04 Non Plus (Germlin dancefloor version)
Germlin and his band Gays Against You contacted me a few times and even did a remix of a song for my Darsh project. This mix of Non plus fits perfectly the project, it is very precisely a dancefloor version: danceable, yes, but on a slippery floor. Watch your feet.
05 Cease & Desist (O.Lamm remix)
Olivier came to Japan and we did a mini tour together, which was a great occasion to talk about music and potentially work together. This track was supposed to be one half of a split release where I was to do a remix of Return of the night goat, a track from Olivier’s excellent Monolith. That never happened, Olivier never sent me the parts for the remix, but he did send me this track.
06 Paper Bits (e*rock remix)
Back when I was looking for a label to release Beat vacation, I sent a demo to Eric at Audiodregs. He replied to me a year later, saying he wouldn’t release the album. He took as an example Paper bits, and wrote that something was missing. I replied asking him to add what he thought was missing in the song. Here is the result.
07 Desktop Music (Duck Rock remix)
Duck Rock is a talented, professional DJ. He just never stops. I have a lot of admiration for that, I don’t think I could spend my time in clubs to play music in the middle of the night. The real surprise here is how good he is as a producer, with this somewhat Kraftwerk-influenced piece.
08 Kraftpunk (Dexpistols ‘Too late’ remix)
I met Daruma and Maar in Tokyo a few years ago, we played together, they came to Juliana and I asked them if they wanted to do something. They immediately said yes, were really excited and then nothing happened. For a year we kept meeting, in Paris, Tokyo, and the track was always “85% ready”. The deadline came and went, no news from the track. Then finally, a few weeks into 2008, Maar sent me the file. They love this track, it’s Daruma’s favorite remix of theirs. Pumping, and interesting how they kept almost nothing from the original.
09 Pancaked Again (overcooked by Jean Nipon)
I met Jean in Paris but it’s not until he came to Japan and played at Juliana that we became friends. When I asked him to remix a track, his answer was more like “yeah yeah why not?” but then finally he send me his take on Pancaked. Head-splitting dance music.
10 Jeon Ju (Pancaked Again Carl Stone remix)
I’ve met Carl in 2005 in Tokyo and he did an amazing (so far unreleased) remix for my Darsh project. I knew I would get something really unique if he was involved with the project, but I was afraid of asking him for another collaboration after the great remix he had done and that I had yet to release. After hard and long negotiations, he agreed to work on something for Dense music. Thank you Carl.
11 Beat Vacation (Mondkopf remix)
Mondkopf is a new producer that suddenly appeared on the blog radars in 2007 with excellent original music and remixes (his take on Johnny Cash comes to mind). I asked him for a remix and the result blew my mind. What’s more, he actually admitted to have worked on this track without hearing the original, which is a great approach.
12 Skip Skap (skip released by Popular Computer)
I’ve always though Popular Computer was the great underestimated artist on Kitsune. Rare productions, not too cliché, not doing it like the cool kids. He was one of the first artists I approached for a remix, and his remix was a good way to define the theme of Dense music.
13 Pancaked Again (Toshiyuki Yasuda remix)
Toshiyuki Yasuda has a long career as a sound producer in Japan (he started Fantastic Plastic Machine) and I’ve been a big fan of his digital Brazilian textures (digital, but not 8 bit). His take on Pancaked is very interesting, at first it seems close to the original but he develops some underlying layers, bringing in a true density to the piece.
