Conversation with DJ BAKU

Nathan: Thanks for taking time out with us today to discuss your recent album, Dharma Dance. Regarding this new album, when did you start making the tracks for this album?

DJ BAKU: I started making tracks shortly after my last album, SPINHEDDZ, was released. All together, I spent about two years making the tracks for this new album, 6 months of which was spent adding live instruments.

Nathan: How do you select your samples? Do you have a process that you use?

DJ BAKU: Anything goes really. To be more specific, initially I make a good loop. It can be jazz, progressive, or whatever. On Dharma Dance I used a lot of ska and punk. I then listen to that loop intently and put it on my Chaos mixer right away with four other samples and see what I can do with these loops, which is essentially just playing around with each sample. If there is something that comes out of that, I take it off the chaos mixer and make a proper loop from it. At first I’m just playing around with the Chaos Mixer which doesn’t have very good sound quality. Once I find something I like I capture that sound in good sound quality. From there I start the process. At first I’m just playing around and there is an anything goes mentality and I sample and listen to everything in real time. Within the mess, there is that one standout loop.

Nathan:What in particular makes a standout loop?

DJ BAKU: It can really be anything. Progressive Rock often makes great loops. Sometimes, it’s soul. I honestly couldn’t tell you what will make a good sample. I just screw around everyday no matter what record I’m using. It’s really tough work.

Nathan: How much time do you spend on this on the average day?

DJ BAKU: I have searched from the night to dawns light plenty of times. Sometimes, the entire time was only spent just sampling. You get incredibly tired of going through samples on a regular basis. After I spend a spend a day sampling, I might use the next day to produce a mix tape or practice for an upcoming show.

Nathan: A lot of your music is based on the theme of “kaikoo” (meeting and being introduced to people to collaborate with later), will you “kaikoo” with anyone in the near future?

DJ BAKU: Next time, I want to add more rapping over my music for a few songs. I am also making music under another alias, Noizd Phank, which has an R&B sound. 2 songs have already been released by Noizd Phank. I’m also thinking of doing something else new and different. Instead of having that really aggressive in your face sound that people normally associate with me, this has more of a slow mountain/nature vibe to it. You could almost say it would be good hiking music.

Nathan: It’s great to hear that you are expanding your base, but let’s get back to your current new release, Dharma Dance. What is your favorite track on this album?

DJ BAKU: AKBAH ATTACK is my favorite song. It was the last song that I finished on this album. The last song on an album is usually the easiest and quickest to make for me. Usually that becomes the single cut. I thought AKBAH ATTACK has the most potential to get everyone excited.

Nathan: On your previous album Spinheddz, SPIN STREET was the single for the album. Was that also the last finished song on the album?

DJ BAKU: Exactly.

Nathan: What does Dharma Dance mean?

DJ BAKU: Dharma refers to the laws that uphold the natural world. For example anything that lives will die. If you strike something [throws his fist on the table] it will make a sound. Things which are fairly obvious and expected. So obvious that nobody ever brings such things up in normal conversation. In other words, Dharma Dance is that natural essence of dance music.

Nathan: Users from HearJapan have asked what is the meaning behind the AKBAH ATTACK video and what is the robot stamping?

DJ BAKU: The stamp signifies that it is extremely busy. You get the impression that he works everyday. On top of that, the work is redundant. But somewhere along the line some question marks appear, and it realizes something is wrong. It realizes that this type of work is not made for humans to do daily. During the middle it starts to become crazy. Towards the end, he is set free. The stamps progression goes from being in a very difficult position to becoming very enjoyable.

Nathan: What is the symbolism of the money in the video?

DJ BAKU: What I told the director of the video was, “money is the most important thing, but it is also not important.” There are two sides to every coin. To put it in unpleasant terms, it is “the ultimate shit”. It’s shit, but it’s also very important. If you don’t have any, there is nothing you can do. It’s important in today’s age, but it’s also trivial and worthless. I wanted to add that level of cynicism into it, and I let the director express that in his own way and he came up with the money exploding out of his head at the end. Even on our first album, the cover of the album is very colorful, but there is also 10,000 yen bills, various disposable items, fast food,etc. The concept is are these things really necessary for daily life? Or are they? I myself don’t know, they might not be necessary. I want to make fun music, but I also want that music to have a meaning behind it. In that context, I made that music video. But just watch it and make your own judgments.

Nathan: On your new album, the track VOID IT OUT features doseone from Anticon. How did this collaboration happen?

DJ BAKU: To be honest we hadn’t actually met yet. I had played sets with Jel before in Tokyo. I have always liked doseone and have listened to his CDs. To have complex raps on my tracks, he was the only one who came to mind. His raps are very melodious and he understands music and instruments because he also plays in a band. So, I asked Jel to introduce me to doseone by email. And that’s how it happened.

Nathan: Last year you played a tour in Russia, can you tell us a bit about it?

DJ BAKU: Playing in Russia was amazing. I always had a very dark image of Russia, and there are all those news stories of assassinations. It seemed like a dangerous and mysterious place. By going there myself I realized that it was the complete opposite. Everyone was very alive. It was very similar to Hokkaido, not just to how cold it is, but the warmth of the people. The clubs were also very warm. The sounds weren’t incredibly hard, but nice soft house.

Nathan: What was the fan reaction like?

DJ BAKU: Probably most people there had never heard of me, but the place really lit up. People really liked the scratches and drum and bass. But most people enjoyed the hip hop the best. There were a few people who watched SPIN STREET on youtube who started to talk to me. I was very pleased to hear that people were watching it. To see that people think Japanese music as being so amazing is great. There were also many break dancers and the sound systems were great. I was really blown away by the sound systems. Very different from what I expected.

Nathan: Do you have any tentative plans for shows outside of Japan?

DJ BAKU: Nothing has been solidified yet, but there are good prospects on playing some shows in Austrialia. My first album was also released through N20 and we might do something with them.

Nathan: Are there any artists who have recently had an impact on you or your music?

DJ BAKU: Hmmm, there aren’t too many. But actually you can often find me on youtube checking out what all the other DJs are doing. The artist that I watched last week was DJ Crazy. His technique was very unique. The way he used Serato (DJ Software) was something that I had never seen before. Using a rain mixer, you can connect to Serato through a USB cable. So while looking at the computer, but not touching it, you can do whatever you want like adding effects or changing the tune. I think he is very ahead of his time.

Nathan: The next question is from a fan on HearJapan. Besides hip hop, metal, and hardcore, what can you normally be found listening to?

DJ BAKU: Lately I haven’t been listening to hip hop at all. I’ve been listening to Michael Jackson lately, but nothing specific.

Nathan: Another fan question, How old were you when you started making music?

DJ BAKU: I started DJing at 16. When I started actually making original music was about 5 years after that.

Nathan: How old are you now?

DJ BAKU: I recently turned 30 years old. It’s a little depressing, but at least when I went to Russia everyone thought I was a little kid. They said, “what’s this kid doing playing at this club?”

Nathan: He’s in over his head (everyone laughs). Well thank you for giving me the opportunity to interview you and please let us know when you will be touring abroad next.