Yosi Horikawa is a sound creator who incorporates field recordings into music. Hence he uses different sounds from nature and other environments in order to create music. He participated in Red Bull Music Academy Madrid and collaborated with many artists. He released several EPs with different labels and his previous album ‘Vapor’ was praised as best album by The Japan Times and Fact Magazine. He played many world class festivals like Glastonbury and Sónar. RBMA produced his first ever documentary film ‘Layered Memories’ which highlights his quest for unique new sounds and was highly acclaimed.
FACTS:
1: I’ve made more than 60 pairs of speakers.
2: When I was 9 years old, my birthday present was hundreds of disposable chopsticks and 20 sellotapes. I remember I thought I can make anything I want.
3: When I was living in small room in Tokyo, my room was always the dark for developing photos.
QUESTIONS:
1. What is the biggest inspiration for your music?
Everything that moves me.
2. How and when did you get into making music?
The sleeve of KRS-ONE’s ‘Return Of The Boom Bap’ taught me the fact that headphones work like microphones. Since then I started to record every sound around me to make beats.
3. What are 5 of your favourite albums of all time?
It’s too hard to choose but I picked up some memorable albums that came up to my mind now:
Jack DeJohnette, Lester Bowie – Zebra
Nas – Illmatic
Miles Davis – Get Up With It
Guy – The Future
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth – The Main Ingredient
Collin Walcott, Don Cherry, Nana Vasconcelos – Codona
Denis Dufour – Terra Incognita
Herbert – Bodily Functions
Black Moon – Enta Da Stage
Bugge Wesseltoft – Moving
Leon Parker – Belief
4. What do you associate with Berlin?
A city where most my friends moved to.
5. What’s your favourite place in your town?
Absolutely my studio.
6. If there was no music in the world, what would you do instead?
Architecture that I learned.
7. What was the last record/music you bought?
CID RIM – Material (which I forgot to buy).
8. Who would you most like to collaborate with?
Daisuke Tanabe. Actually I made few tracks with him and all the process was so smooth. I want to make an EP or Album with him.
9. What was your best gig (as performer or spectator)?
As a performer, Sónar Barcelona 2012. It was far from the best gig technically but it was my first big stage. Can’t forget that atmosphere.
10. How important is technology to your creative process?
We electronic musicians need sound systems to make music and hear music. We hear the vibration of the air that speakers or headphones make. Especially the final output of the sound system needs to be accurate. That’s why I build speakers.
11. Do you have siblings and how do they feel about your career/art?
I have an older brother and sister. My sister is always like a big fan of my music. I know my brother felt sad when I became a musician ’cause my brother and I had been learning architecture together. But now he’s supporting me a lot.
Yosi Horikawa performs at Kiezsalon on Wednesday, 31st July 2019 at Musikbrauerei along Leafcutter John and Haiku Salut!
Photo © Yosi Horikawa
