Keigo Tatsumi

Name, where are you from?
Keigo Tatsumi (never young beach), Hyogo Prefecture.

What do you do?
Musician／Photographer.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
Rex Orange County’s show at The Forum in LA in January 2020. His gig was part of an event put together by a radio show and Coldplay and Billie Eilish were also on the bill. I’d seen many local shows when on holiday abroad. They were usually with lesser-known bands in small venues. However, watching a live show in a huge, packed hall like The Forum, gave me a much stronger sense of the western musical environment. When I’m at a live show, I often get fixated by the small details — elements of the performance and sound. However, it was the overall flow and set-up of this gig that impressed me the most.

Which subcultures have influenced you?
Films. The first UK film I was aware of watching was 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' by Guy Ritchie (director/screenwriter). I think it was 'Snatch' — the film with Brad Pitt — that first turned me onto it. 'Lock, Stock...' is a film where the music is central to the story, and you can sense that when watching it. I was only around ten years old when I saw it, but I loved the smart editing, perspectives and fashion. It resonated with a naive country bumpkin kid like me.

Of all the venues you’ve played, which is your favourite?
There’s a festival called Sea of Green that’s held deep in the mountains of Fukui Prefecture (west Japan). It’s not on the same scale as some larger festivals, but the atmosphere is brilliant. They manage to blend band culture with club culture. I’ve never experienced an old-school rave party myself, but even though the event has that feeling about it, our band could play in the same space, and it just seemed to work. It’s an event for music lovers to get together, and that’s what I like about it.

If you could be on the line up with any bands in history?
If I’m joining a band, then I would choose Roxy Music. I'd like to perform with them on a stage way out in the wild — similar to the places that Sigur Rós perform in their documentary. It would be my dream to create the sound of 'Avalon' for the modern era. I’d opt for the track 'India' and play it on a loop for around thirty minutes so it resonates in the wilderness (lol).

If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
I’d like to meet Brian Eno because he’d left Roxy Music before the band made 'Avalon' — the album I just mentioned. I have a synthesizer made by a company called Teenage Engineering, and I’d like to bring it to Brian’s favourite cafe and spend an hour creating sounds with him. I’d love Brian to join me as I play around with the synthesizer like I usually do. I’d be very interested to see what kinds of sounds he could create in that kind of space.

Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
The musician Sam Akpro. He creates a sound texture that suggests an association with King Krule — but I’m not 100% sure about the connection. He has a strong sense for visual images and phrasing.