Where are you based?
Tokyo, Japan.
Where do you work? What do you do?
- Co-founder / Creative Director – Big Love Records
- Ikebana Artist
- Editor/Coordinator – GR8
What are you listening to?
At the moment? Sam Gendel – Anywhere is playing in the Big Love Records store.
How do you discover new music?
I fully trust my partner Naka (co-founder/buyer at Big Love) so I check what he stocks, or Shazam what’s playing while I’m at the Big Love store (we can’t remember all titles).
However we have different tastes so when I want to discover new dance/ambient stuff I check my favorite record shops/labels/artists’ Instagram accounts and dig for who they tag or have been tagged by.
It’s an endless journey. I do the same thing with streaming services. I never read music blogs!
What formats do you usually listen to? LP, CD, Cassette, Digital, Streaming Services? Why?
Mostly streaming services and the music Naka plays at the store. As for physical: vinyl – yes! CD – no. tapes – yes. But only outside my house.
“We should also enjoy new gen digital native artists’ music via TikTok etc. They are meant to be heard casually. Music should always reflect the times.”
Where do you do most of your music listening?
I only listen to music at the Big Love Records store, because it’s there. And since it’s always there I want to keep my ears rested on other occasions. I’m not a big fan of headphones so I don’t play music at home because my dog hates noise/industrial music that I want to listen to at home. But while sleeping I play new age or frequencies to let my dog and cat sleep calmly. It works.
How do you find and listen to pre-release music?
I am so lucky that many friends share their music directly with me before the official release.
What are your frustrations with listening to music digitally? Any benefits?
From a listener’s perspective it’s very convenient. But, if you were the artist it could be heartbreaking that your music is easily skipped, shuffled. I appreciate vinyl because they aren’t convenient. It reminds me of how much effort was put into producing. Digital allows you to forget the people behind the music.
However, we should also enjoy new gen digital native artists’ music via TikTok etc. They are meant to be heard casually. Music should always reflect the times. Trying to reject that means you’re becoming a stubborn old person. Your preference should be prioritized but you shouldn’t criticize new ways/styles only because you can’t understand. You should think they’re intertwined in a way but a different industry.
“I only listen to music at Big Love, because it’s there. And since it’s always there I want to keep my ears rested on other occasions. I’m not a big fan of headphones so I don’t play music at home because my dog hates noise/industrial music that I want to listen to at home.”
How do you keep track of everything you are listening to?
I always forget but the good ones will eventually come back to me somehow.
Do you tip other people off to new music? How?
I want to do it gently so I add music to my IG stories or share my playlist.
Anything you want to “promote”?
It’s Big Love Records 15th anniversary and we are renovating!
