commmons SPECIAL

Takeshi Ueda started his solo project "AA=" in December 2008, two and a half years after the activity of THE MAD CAPSULE MARK ETS (MAD) was suspended. Although he overwhelmed us with his overwhelming potential on the 1st album "#1", the 2nd album "#2" released this time also has an impact that is unbeatable. No, it is an album that shows the answer to the question "What is AA=?" with more power than the previous work.
Ueda thoroughly confronted the question, "What kind of music will you play next?" After a long deliberation, he concludes that he is what he is, and creates his own "#1." The lyrics, the rhythm, and the melody are all Takeshi Ueda. That's why the core and deeper sound than the previous work sounds strange and open and relaxed. This is the proof that Ueda is starting to open its wings and play music. What's more, it's amazing that music created with such a private feeling has the destructive power and message that puts one stone in the current music scene.
To commemorate the completion of the album with such an overwhelming scale, I tried to interview Takeshi Ueda.

--It's an album that clearly shows one direction as AA=.

This time, I made a different way of making, including recording. It was very fresh and interesting. As a result, I feel that the work has become more personal and deep in my color.

――Specifically, how is it different from the previous work?

It was the first time for me to do with those members last time, so to know about them, I went into the studio with a band before recording and tried to harden it while doing it freely. But this time, I didn't go into the band before recording, but rather "I'm going to express this together" based on the demo tape I made myself. I'm playing in a band, but I had a strong feeling of receiving sounds as data and materials from each. Because this time, I was able to capture the album as a story from the stage of making songs by myself. That's why I thought it would be messy if I did not make it myself, so I did it in this way including recording. So this time I wrote all the lyrics myself, and in the end I almost did the mix myself.

――The experimental sound that uses a lot of sequencers and mixes is impressive.

This time I wanted to finish the album in a relatively short period, so I started playing with the equipment that I usually use for live performances, rather than putting a lot of effort into it. The first thing to do is to make something like a rhythm-based dance beat and then add a riff to it. It seems that the mechanical image is stronger than the previous work because I made it that way. As a result, I think it's a rather simple and unified album.

――Why do you think the direction of the album and the method of creating it with the equipment seemed so Sukkiri?

After all, I think that making "#1" is big. There was a period when I wasn't doing music for a while (since MAD stopped playing), but with the start of moving AA=, I felt that I could clearly see what I wanted to do and what I wanted to make. There was also a part of myself that I was able to see after performing live. I think that the kind of response that I got by starting (AA=) is definitely connected to "#2".

――Thus, although there are more deep and core sounds than the previous work, the air flowing through the album felt very open and positive.

That may be true. After all, "#1" was a big project, so there was a lot of pressure. This time, I felt that I was able to play with more comfortable tension, I felt that I was able to play more freely, and that the songs did not get bogged down. In that sense, I think it was very good. Maybe it's because my shoulders aren't working, or that I've been able to put my strength straightforwardly. As a result, I'm glad that I was able to create something that is simpler, but more like AA=.

――Do you feel like you have a clearer vision of how to sound as AA= when the second work is completed?

what about....... For me, I feel that the ultimate goal is to create something like the final form of my music, but I don't know. I don't know if there is such a thing. But I'm wondering if I want to get to that sort of place.

――So, what kind of vision do you have for your listeners?

I agree...···. First of all, I'm a fan of myself. You may want to have other people listen to what you like. I like this, so I want others to listen to it. So I don't know what the listener likes. But he says that he is making music that makes sense for someone to listen to. That kind of feeling may be strong.

--So that's it. However, as the market grows and the number of people who expect it increases, I think that the reactions of the people around us, both good and bad, may become a concern. How about that?

I've always wanted to keep my feelings. After all, I think it's boring unless you make a sound and feel something or something you like. Otherwise, people listening to it would be boring. Of course, there are times when I can express myself well, and sometimes I lose myself and feel like I'm about to be swept away by something. But that means that there is expression. At that time, if I was able to express myself who was wondering at such times, that would be all right. So I don't think I need a clear opinion or message all the time, and more importantly that I'm there.

――By the way, how do you deal with the current times and the world?

Probably the part that asks oneself is big. Rather than having something to aim for and guiding everyone with my own music, I don't understand this, I feel painful about it, and I enjoy this kind of emotion. Do you want to express it? I want to scatter them properly. In the first place, when it comes to answers to various things within myself, there are many that do not. But I don't think so if I keep it as it is. Therefore, I feel that I have a basic desire to express myself, including the fact that I don't understand.

――It is said that it is a very real and rather powerful message because you are not releasing any kind of message, but because you are releasing the things inside you as they are. That's the spirit that AA= 's music is consistent with.

Good parts come out in good shape, and bad parts come out properly. I think that kind of thing is real to me. It doesn't have to be beautiful and perfect, it can be done by someone who can make it. However, I'm not that type of person, so I feel like I'm trying to make something that suits me. That's why I want to make sounds that change and grow as we get older. In that sense, there is an infinite possibility for me that AA= can change and I don't know what will happen.

-Mr. Ueda is also engaged in activities other than music, such as launching a fashion brand called .FUZZ REZ ZWEEP. What is the point of doing them?

Originally, when I was absent from MAD, I started by doing something with friends from the MAD era. It's simply interesting that there are expressions that are not music. Especially because it's a place where it's easy to express things like T-shirts. It's fun to be able to express something from a different perspective than music, and sometimes it comes back to music.

――Surely, you have given Mr. Ueda's message in a different form from music. For example, the fact that you are collaborating with WWF on T-shirts sold as a set at commmonsmart this time is one of the big messages.

I agree. When I make a product and sell it as a product, I don't like that. I don't think it fits me well. However, it would be fun if I could give it a different meaning, and I feel that I can develop in many different ways. That is where I would like to continue to challenge.

――In the end, even if you try to convey something by making and selling things, you will not be able to convey what you can convey if it has no meaning, and it will be just a product of shape. Ueda-san seems to be doing everything while understanding such things.

That may be the case. I think it makes sense just to let people know that you're doing this on WWF, and if you buy it or help them, you'll get something more. That makes a lot of sense to me. That's the reason why we are releasing from commmons. There are parts that I can relate to what Ryuichi Sakamoto is trying to do, and I think it's really good that there are people who can work with me like that. If you look only at the genre of music, there are some differences from the label colors. It is interesting to be able to participate in commmons in this way.

text/Miho Saito

interview photo/Kyoko Katsumaru