01Profile
A Bunta Shimizu Photo
Bunta Shimizu
Creative — Japan
03Interview
Name, where are you from?
Bunta Shimizu, Japan.
What do you do?
Stylist/creative and art director/track maker/writer… I prefer not to limit them. As I've stated on my website, professions are determined merely by the world we live in, which has nothing to do with our real nature what so ever. I am doing what I can do now the best. All for the future.
What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
Not a gig but a clip of a performance by FKA twigs for VALENTINO fashion show. I was rather focused on the person who played cello and backing chorus. Her chorus stops in the middle of the show, must be part of the plan but I was gutted. Apparently her name is Lucinda Chua.
Which subcultures have influenced you?
Orbital. I used to listen to 'Halcyon' at the crack of dawn. Thing is, I have not been to the UK so I cannot really explain in detail. I will learn about it from now on. I am usually surrounded by people in their fifties who usually speak about their raw experiences, which was influential to me. In terms of artists, I like Leigh Bowery, who had done styling for Boy George in Culture Club, and was known as a designer, art director and as an artist himself. My favourite choreographer told me about Bowery, and there's nothing more exciting than when someone you love tells you about the people who created the things or the culture you love.
Of all the venues you’ve played, which is your favourite?
I have started creating music just a year ago and I happened to be playing for a club event which took place in May 2019. I was informed that CDJs did not work properly on the day of the event so I took my PC to perform one and half hours live. Boy, did I only have one hour worth of my original tracks, impatient, I only had an hour left before my turn but I laid down a new track and managed to pull it off. The event turned out to be the most enjoyable moment. Venue was Contact in Shibuya, Tokyo. Improvised singing and rocked some moves with dancers who were on the list. Half of the people on the floor were from overseas who were up for dancing and they literally went crazy.
If you could be on the line up with any bands in history?
Akihiro Miwa. It would be very interesting to let each other know our plans for half an hour each at the beginning, and then we could go live from there. We have never met, but I believe we would get along well. I am also a big fan of World's End Girlfriend so I want to add some voice to blend in, and to hear it. There are too many to mention. For example, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Cocco or Björk. Wednesday Campanella who I used be the stylist for, could be interesting though, not sure put out in the media easily. I much prefer to keep these kind of ideas to myself since I never know where my thought would be 20 seconds later, and this interview will remain on the Internet… Like, having a photo of myself in the past that is different from how I look now and being told, "this is you right now". Because I would look back at it. Ironically, I definitely like myself very much for being able to accept who I was back then.
If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
Not a musician or from the UK but Anne Frank. I can only learn about her though the diary, her museum, I mean only the information that is available right now. I want to know about her true character and personality. I don't care about what era we would be in. I will be happy just to have a conversation with her over tea.
Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
None. I feel it is wrong for me as an artist or an interviewee to be judging it or even be asked about it. I see everyone in the world as heroes. I guess all of us get shined on in some way or another.
—
02Playlist
04Playlist Notes
The first track you played on repeat?
'Halcyon' by Orbital which I mentioned earlier. Frankly speaking, I am still learning about the UK as a whole including history but to be honest I think I would stick with Japan since I was born here. I believe Fred Perry is always great no matter where you are. So, the real first track I played on repeat was 'Kiyoshi no Zundoko Bushi' by Kiyoshi Hikawa. It was early teenage, when my grandfather had it used for his ringtone. What I consciously played on repeat will be 'Tanjou' by Miyuki Nakajima. Just as I was wondering as a little kid in primary, about the reason why people born and then die, then I found her CD at home. Meaning of the lyrics will change as the content of the song grows, like "Alone I can live my life, but with someone else, life is much different…" which is what we experienced during the COVID-19 outbreak. I'm very much looking forward to seeing how I'll feel as I grow up. When I'm in my 40s, 25 years from now, that is in 2045.
A song that defines the teenage you?
'Inochi no Kioku/When I Remember This Life' by Kazumi Nikaido, the main soundtrack for the Studio Ghibli film 'The Tale of the Princess Kaguya'. My life has been one of many encounters and separations in many ways so I have been breathing with awareness about life from my childhood. You have friends and family to take for granted, sometimes fight, laugh or cry with, and have a place to eat and sleep with. It's the best thing that could ever happen to me. There is no such thing as the greatest happiness, and I realized that when I was a teenager. Now that I am in my twenties, a person who has only just started making music and I am fortunate to be in an environment where I can focus on production. I also realize that it is merely a part of my life, just a matter of chance and it's something that has to come. "Everything now is everything in the past" is the lyric in this song. There's very little melody, just the piano and her voice. But it feels very grand. It's not about the number of sounds, it's about the meaning of the sounds that go on there. I guess you could say that it has had a big impact on my life. I sometimes wonder if it would be easier if I could live with the same kind of intensity as the lyrics. My life has just begun, so I want to create a piece of work that will make people in the world think about it by steadily building on it. I am going to create and I want to show those people I've broken up with the way they look. A part of the lyric says "everything in the present is everything in the past" which creates a dynamic magnificence when it blends with the track’s very little melody, just a piano and her voice. This song gave me the opportunity to think away from bothering how many sound inputs should be used, to the reason for the lyrics that rides the sound. I guess one could say that it has had a huge impact on my life. I sometimes wonder if it would be easier if I could live just like the lyrics. My life has just begun, so I want to create a piece of work that will make people have a thought about the track by steadily putting in efforts. I want to show it to the people who have taken separate ways…
One record you would keep forever?
There was a record that I bought one or two years ago. I remember seeing three girls in line but I left it at the house of a girl I used to hang out with, so I am curious about that one. We have been in touch, so I might ask her to bring it to me in the near future. It's my favourite record that I haven't heard yet, and I'm looking forward to listening to it with her. Oh, but it would be nice to get a bunch of friends to have a go at it all together. I'll try to think of a way.
A song lyric that has inspired you?
I write columns, so I read and listen to a lot of lyrics and songs. I prefer words that come directly to me rather than lyrics that I've thought about and written out. A friend of mine who teaches me piano the other day unexpectedly spoke about this but, the morning after we were done with the practice she was tucking herself into the futon (Japanese traditional bedding). As I playfully went up to her to grabbed the futon away from her, she said "Futon is God!". I thought that is an interesting expression that only comes out when emotions are directly expressed in words. Also, one of my few friends I have had for a decade called me up one day so I asked "What's going on?", then he said "Thanks for being alive. later!" and then he hung up. I really thought that I was lucky to be alive hearing his voice. People's words are amazing. They can save you, or push you down. They are an unfathomable blade indeed. I was reminded again that I want to be able to write lyrics with words that save people.
Best song to turn up loud?
'Ue wo Muite Arukou/Sukiyaki' by Kyu Sakamoto. You do actually feel refreshed if you look up and sing this song. I also like an American song, John Denver's 'Take Me Home, Country Road' is another one, which makes the former track the so-called 'Country Road' of Japan. I do not know what it is but we have all heard of it somehow, and I think it's the two best songs we can sing along. I feel so happy when I walk at dawn on a big street in my neighbourhood singing along both songs (of all tracks that cheers me up). Just like, "Oh, I'm actually walking on my own feet".
A song people wouldn’t expect you to like?
'A Song for xx' by Ayumi Hamasaki. The way the melody goes, of course, but curiously most of the lyrics are sung in the past tense which was really good that the song is about looking forward to the future. Another one, this is not a song, but I was at a house where a friend of mine lives the other day. There were two clocks in that house, they were ringing alternately making clicks. When I went here after a week, it clicked differently. Their rhythm changed, either of them shifted out of position slightly. That's when life's misalignment can start like this, and whether you find it interesting or not, I assume that is part of life. We can learn from that misalignment so I like it myself. A lot of fun things are lying around. Here and there. This is my personal opinion but that is what I like about music. Even the melody and the ticking of that clock is different for each person. That's probably true of everything we humans create, or every event you encounter.
New bands you are listening to now?
I'm not in a band or even a musician, but the soundtrack to my favourite game, soundtracks of 'Pokémon' in general (The song in the playlist by the name of QUMU is the background music you hear during the fight with the boss). Limitations in those days when there was only little memory available for music probably made the sound bald. Going back to the artist, I like the lightness of the rhythm produced by the artist under the name of QUMU.
03Interview
Name, where are you from?
Bunta Shimizu, Japan.
What do you do?
Stylist/creative and art director/track maker/writer… I prefer not to limit them. As I've stated on my website, professions are determined merely by the world we live in, which has nothing to do with our real nature what so ever. I am doing what I can do now the best. All for the future.
What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
Not a gig but a clip of a performance by FKA twigs for VALENTINO fashion show. I was rather focused on the person who played cello and backing chorus. Her chorus stops in the middle of the show, must be part of the plan but I was gutted. Apparently her name is Lucinda Chua.
Which subcultures have influenced you?
Orbital. I used to listen to 'Halcyon' at the crack of dawn. Thing is, I have not been to the UK so I cannot really explain in detail. I will learn about it from now on. I am usually surrounded by people in their fifties who usually speak about their raw experiences, which was influential to me. In terms of artists, I like Leigh Bowery, who had done styling for Boy George in Culture Club, and was known as a designer, art director and as an artist himself. My favourite choreographer told me about Bowery, and there's nothing more exciting than when someone you love tells you about the people who created the things or the culture you love.
Of all the venues you’ve played, which is your favourite?
I have started creating music just a year ago and I happened to be playing for a club event which took place in May 2019. I was informed that CDJs did not work properly on the day of the event so I took my PC to perform one and half hours live. Boy, did I only have one hour worth of my original tracks, impatient, I only had an hour left before my turn but I laid down a new track and managed to pull it off. The event turned out to be the most enjoyable moment. Venue was Contact in Shibuya, Tokyo. Improvised singing and rocked some moves with dancers who were on the list. Half of the people on the floor were from overseas who were up for dancing and they literally went crazy.
If you could be on the line up with any bands in history?
Akihiro Miwa. It would be very interesting to let each other know our plans for half an hour each at the beginning, and then we could go live from there. We have never met, but I believe we would get along well. I am also a big fan of World's End Girlfriend so I want to add some voice to blend in, and to hear it. There are too many to mention. For example, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Cocco or Björk. Wednesday Campanella who I used be the stylist for, could be interesting though, not sure put out in the media easily. I much prefer to keep these kind of ideas to myself since I never know where my thought would be 20 seconds later, and this interview will remain on the Internet… Like, having a photo of myself in the past that is different from how I look now and being told, "this is you right now". Because I would look back at it. Ironically, I definitely like myself very much for being able to accept who I was back then.
If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
Not a musician or from the UK but Anne Frank. I can only learn about her though the diary, her museum, I mean only the information that is available right now. I want to know about her true character and personality. I don't care about what era we would be in. I will be happy just to have a conversation with her over tea.
Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
None. I feel it is wrong for me as an artist or an interviewee to be judging it or even be asked about it. I see everyone in the world as heroes. I guess all of us get shined on in some way or another.
—
04Playlist Notes
The first track you played on repeat?
'Halcyon' by Orbital which I mentioned earlier. Frankly speaking, I am still learning about the UK as a whole including history but to be honest I think I would stick with Japan since I was born here. I believe Fred Perry is always great no matter where you are. So, the real first track I played on repeat was 'Kiyoshi no Zundoko Bushi' by Kiyoshi Hikawa. It was early teenage, when my grandfather had it used for his ringtone. What I consciously played on repeat will be 'Tanjou' by Miyuki Nakajima. Just as I was wondering as a little kid in primary, about the reason why people born and then die, then I found her CD at home. Meaning of the lyrics will change as the content of the song grows, like "Alone I can live my life, but with someone else, life is much different…" which is what we experienced during the COVID-19 outbreak. I'm very much looking forward to seeing how I'll feel as I grow up. When I'm in my 40s, 25 years from now, that is in 2045.
A song that defines the teenage you?
'Inochi no Kioku/When I Remember This Life' by Kazumi Nikaido, the main soundtrack for the Studio Ghibli film 'The Tale of the Princess Kaguya'. My life has been one of many encounters and separations in many ways so I have been breathing with awareness about life from my childhood. You have friends and family to take for granted, sometimes fight, laugh or cry with, and have a place to eat and sleep with. It's the best thing that could ever happen to me. There is no such thing as the greatest happiness, and I realized that when I was a teenager. Now that I am in my twenties, a person who has only just started making music and I am fortunate to be in an environment where I can focus on production. I also realize that it is merely a part of my life, just a matter of chance and it's something that has to come. "Everything now is everything in the past" is the lyric in this song. There's very little melody, just the piano and her voice. But it feels very grand. It's not about the number of sounds, it's about the meaning of the sounds that go on there. I guess you could say that it has had a big impact on my life. I sometimes wonder if it would be easier if I could live with the same kind of intensity as the lyrics. My life has just begun, so I want to create a piece of work that will make people in the world think about it by steadily building on it. I am going to create and I want to show those people I've broken up with the way they look. A part of the lyric says "everything in the present is everything in the past" which creates a dynamic magnificence when it blends with the track’s very little melody, just a piano and her voice. This song gave me the opportunity to think away from bothering how many sound inputs should be used, to the reason for the lyrics that rides the sound. I guess one could say that it has had a huge impact on my life. I sometimes wonder if it would be easier if I could live just like the lyrics. My life has just begun, so I want to create a piece of work that will make people have a thought about the track by steadily putting in efforts. I want to show it to the people who have taken separate ways…
One record you would keep forever?
There was a record that I bought one or two years ago. I remember seeing three girls in line but I left it at the house of a girl I used to hang out with, so I am curious about that one. We have been in touch, so I might ask her to bring it to me in the near future. It's my favourite record that I haven't heard yet, and I'm looking forward to listening to it with her. Oh, but it would be nice to get a bunch of friends to have a go at it all together. I'll try to think of a way.
A song lyric that has inspired you?
I write columns, so I read and listen to a lot of lyrics and songs. I prefer words that come directly to me rather than lyrics that I've thought about and written out. A friend of mine who teaches me piano the other day unexpectedly spoke about this but, the morning after we were done with the practice she was tucking herself into the futon (Japanese traditional bedding). As I playfully went up to her to grabbed the futon away from her, she said "Futon is God!". I thought that is an interesting expression that only comes out when emotions are directly expressed in words. Also, one of my few friends I have had for a decade called me up one day so I asked "What's going on?", then he said "Thanks for being alive. later!" and then he hung up. I really thought that I was lucky to be alive hearing his voice. People's words are amazing. They can save you, or push you down. They are an unfathomable blade indeed. I was reminded again that I want to be able to write lyrics with words that save people.
Best song to turn up loud?
'Ue wo Muite Arukou/Sukiyaki' by Kyu Sakamoto. You do actually feel refreshed if you look up and sing this song. I also like an American song, John Denver's 'Take Me Home, Country Road' is another one, which makes the former track the so-called 'Country Road' of Japan. I do not know what it is but we have all heard of it somehow, and I think it's the two best songs we can sing along. I feel so happy when I walk at dawn on a big street in my neighbourhood singing along both songs (of all tracks that cheers me up). Just like, "Oh, I'm actually walking on my own feet".
A song people wouldn’t expect you to like?
'A Song for xx' by Ayumi Hamasaki. The way the melody goes, of course, but curiously most of the lyrics are sung in the past tense which was really good that the song is about looking forward to the future. Another one, this is not a song, but I was at a house where a friend of mine lives the other day. There were two clocks in that house, they were ringing alternately making clicks. When I went here after a week, it clicked differently. Their rhythm changed, either of them shifted out of position slightly. That's when life's misalignment can start like this, and whether you find it interesting or not, I assume that is part of life. We can learn from that misalignment so I like it myself. A lot of fun things are lying around. Here and there. This is my personal opinion but that is what I like about music. Even the melody and the ticking of that clock is different for each person. That's probably true of everything we humans create, or every event you encounter.
New bands you are listening to now?
I'm not in a band or even a musician, but the soundtrack to my favourite game, soundtracks of 'Pokémon' in general (The song in the playlist by the name of QUMU is the background music you hear during the fight with the boss). Limitations in those days when there was only little memory available for music probably made the sound bald. Going back to the artist, I like the lightness of the rhythm produced by the artist under the name of QUMU.