The Past, The Present And The Future of Music: An Interview With Junki Inoue
Junki dives deep into the topic of referentiality in underground electronic music, explains the intimate meaning that the music on Saisei has for him, and shares some exciting news of the label
Ever since the first release of SAISEI about a year ago, it was a primary objective of us at Guerrilla Bizarre to ask Junki a few questions about this project. This relatively new label of his picks some previously underlook (and never released on vinyl) electronic music from Japan in 90’s, presenting some truly unique gems to the current scene in record format. To any electronic music and vinyl lover, discovering this catalogue feels like finding an unopened treasure box - for now, the label released three records but has already a few scheduled for 2022. In this interview, Junki shares some exciting news regarding what’s coming from the label, and dives deep into the intimate and personal meaning that the music shared through SAISEI has for him. We also confront him with some questions regarding the topic of referentiality in dancefloor music, connecting the dots between the past, the present and the future of the music we love.
Junki Inoue is not one that needs much of a presentation to whoever follows the scene since sometime. Other than an obsessive music lover and label-head in Junki you got an outstanding selector, one for which the definition of taste-maker doesn’t sound fulsome. From Tokyo, to Berlin and London, where he resides now, Junki’s experience, taste and closeness to some masters of the scene shines through in each one of his sets. We are just delighted to share this interview with him!
Listen as you read: previews from the latest SAISEI record ‘Thought’ by Suzukiski
Hi Junki! It is a pleasure to have you on Guerrilla Bizarre for an interview - we are huge fans of your work, both as a selector and label-head. We will start with a few questions regarding the SAISEI and its most recent release and follow with some more general questions for you as an artist.
We must open by saying that we love what you are doing with SAISEI would be an understatement... Every record released so far felt like discovering a special, hidden treasure from another era. We’d like to ask you about your relationship with this type of Japanese 90s electronic you are releasing on the label. Do you personally know all the artists getting printed on SAISEI? How did the idea of this project come into mind?
Hi, thanks for having me for your interview series, and I really appreciate your nice words about the project.
Of course, I knew them through their old releases, but not personally. I still haven't got a chance to meet them in person but we speak via emails a lot. The idea of this project came into mind during the second lockdown back in 2020. I wasn't planning about launching my own label at all before the pandemic. Still, when the clubs were closed, I strongly felt that I needed to feed myself with something new and wanted to start something personal. This break from gigs and touring gave me a lot of time off to talk to myself and concentrate on working on this new project.
During the lockdown, I was digging many old CDs, mainly from Japan, and I've noticed that there are huge numbers of undiscovered catalogues of gems still out there that only exist in CD format. I was quite surprised that none of the tracks I have released so far didn't exist on vinyl before. CDs were far more popular, cheaper, and more accessible as listening and selling formats in Japan. It doesn't matter whether dance music or not. Much of the pieces are being forgotten. And those music are made for home listening rather than being played at parties by DJs.
“During the lockdown, I was digging many old CDs, mainly from Japan, and I've noticed that there are huge numbers of undiscovered catalogues of gems still out there that only exist in CD format. I was quite surprised that none of the tracks I have released so far didn't exist on vinyl before. “
Most of the stuff was released on a small independent Japanese label or self-released by the artists, so the number of copies they were selling was minimal and was never available outside Japan when they came out. Having that in mind, obviously, these were quite hard to find in Europe, but since I am Japanese, I was able to have them really easy and cheap, and also I could reach the artists and communicate with them in my own language. Which I decided to use it as an advantage.
I think these are all very unique pieces of electronic music in their own way. Also, I believe that these are significant releases in terms of Japanese underground electronic music history and deserve a vinyl release and more recognition. All the recent releases on SAISEI are extraordinary ones to me. I listened to them a lot during lockdown, and I am emotionally attached to them. I felt it was my mission to archive these precious works in vinyl format and introduce them to a wider audience. These artists are very supportive of my idea, even though they had no idea who I was. I am grateful for this good relationship of trust I have built with them as I have given shape to my project.
All these artists are exceptional and became my heroes in these processes, but I'm also grateful for my perfect team, who helps me give shape to my scattered ideas.
What about the last record in the specific? What’s your relationship with Suzukiski’s music?
Initially, I was a fan of two of his records, but most of his other music was only available on CD. I bought all those albums during the pandemic and became more fascinated by his music than ever.
The first one, 'Thought', in particular, it was the first one on the list of releases and definitely one of my dreams to hear and play it on vinyl after the launch of my label. Eight of the twelve short tracks have been re-arranged, re-edited and remastered for club play. We also added an exclusive track - C1. Build [Extitute Mix] for this LP reissue, this was never on the original album but it fits perfectly and made the album a little more musically diverse. Suzuki san was also quite happy with all these ideas so It was the best way to reissue it.
“Most of the stuff was released on a small independent Japanese label or self-released by the artists, so the number of copies they were selling was minimal and was never available outside Japan when they came out. “
I'm honoured to release this masterpiece on vinyl for the first time after almost 30 years of existence. His music is good at getting people move on the dance floor, but I also really like the moment when I listen to some of his softer music with my headphones on, especially after intense clubbing nights. I don't exactly know what this is, but it has something that makes you feel ok to feel alone, and it did help me. I think this is one of the beauties of Japanese electronic music I adore and probably the reason why I was so drawn to their music more than ever during these strange pandemic times.
Saisei launched this year and it's already at its third release and certainly attracting a lot of attention. What’s next for the label, both in the short-term and in your long-term vision?
SAISEI will continue to reproduce/reissue interesting and valuable Japanese works in a genre-less manner. I have 2 or 3 releases planned for 2022 and also launching our sub-label 'SAISEI Cuts' this year. So, 2022 is already looking promising!
• SAIS004 - Various / Sounds Of Transonic
For the 4th release, we have one of the earliest legendary Japanese Techno/ Trance labels with more than 100 CD releases between 1994 and 2004. 6 of the best tracks exclusively selected by SAISEI, all are the first time on vinyl
• SAIS005 - B-2DEP'T / PMA EP
For the 5th, we have a Japanese obscure Techno band active in the early '90s. They are pretty old materials but all tracks are re-arranged and re-edited by SAISEI in 2021, and it's their first vinyl release ever.
SAIS005.5 is a reworked version of the tracks from the 5th EP done by a good friend of mine - Z@P
Nando (Z@P) and I have achieved to create something very special and I am extremely proud of his great contribution to the label.
• Sublabel - SAISEI Cuts
It will be various releases only, focusing on more club tracks that I’ve been collecting individually produced by Japanese and sometimes non-Japanese artists too.
Upcoming SAISEI releases’ covers
With a seamlessly endless catalogue of past electronic music more and more available, there is so much amazing music to discover from different parts of the world and eras within underground dance music. But do you think electronic music endures the risk of becoming too self-referential? Or do you feel that referring to the past serves as an inspiration to create something new?
It's not just about music, but when the world is flooded with such a tremendous amount of information, it may no longer be inevitable for artists to become too self-referential, which I think is symbolic of the current times. There are both good and bad aspects to this, but I see it as a new trend and relatively positive.
For example, when I listen to the work of the younger generation and their play on the scene, I am often surprised to find that many of them have a deep understanding of tastes in music and have already developed their own unique style from an early stage. Which took me and the older generation of DJs/producers many years to reach in the past. The fact that everyone has instant access to an order of magnitude more information than a decade ago, and when all that good information is being increasingly shared, I think it's a phenomenon only possible today when it's a commonplace for them to delve deep and pursue only what they like and the information related to it on a daily basis. And I have the impression that some of those clever kids never limit the scope of their interests and never put up barriers to people or art. I think they all have an extensive range of interests, and they are constantly struggling to dig for inspirational material while keeping their antennas up with a balanced perspective. While stocking the input information more and more into the musical dictionary in their brains, they combine them in unexpected ways and make subtle changes, which I think that's how you come up with alternative works full of originality.
“When I listen to the work of the younger generation and their play on the scene, I am often surprised to find that many of them have already developed their own unique style from an early stage. Which took me and the older generation of DJs many years to reach in the past. “
Unless you are a genius, almost no one can create something innovative without being influenced by the past. Today's famous artists are particularly good at picking out exciting bits and are very dexterous in doing so. I don't know much about anything other than Underground Dance Music, but I'm sure this applies to anything that involves art, whether it's fashion or film. I think it is a fundamental act of creativity to take inspiration and reference from the past when creating something new, and I think it is an essential part of the process. Deep knowledge and understanding of history are the most important keys to creating great work.
As a label owner, I believe that the significant trajectories of our predecessors will always help us create, and I would be happy if SAISEI releases are recognised as new references in the world and play such a role in the future.
So, where do you think underground dance music is headed, into 2022 and beyond?
I think it will continue to be a cycle of new things being created based on things that were sensibly considered outdated a decades ago, just as it has been for the past ten years. That's how times always go around. If I were to talk about my scene, I would say that after a few months or years, the world is flooded with similar or identical ideas to that hot and fresh material that was initially shared and talked about by a small group of well-informed hardcore record diggers and DJs. And those characteristic sounds and styles become a kind of format in the modern underground scene, are transmitted as new things, and become a trend.
Suppose you only follow what's trendy, in other words. In that case, if you don't have enough input, you can only create from the information you unconsciously ingest, and the result may be something conventional.
Nevertheless, as long as dance music 12-inch EPs are for DJ use, there will be a reasonable demand for them, so I don't see any problem in fulfilling a club function. The sound quality is much better than older vinyl most of the time, and DJ-friendly content that immediately fits in with the new music you have on hand tends to be preferred. But if we're just talking about music, not all of that stuff is creative by any means, and knock-offs are very easy to spread.
“I want to continue to be a DJ and label owner who leads the trends from a slightly different angle, not just following them, fulfilling my role each time while sticking to my own style.”
Simply extracting the distinctive parts of a reference as the basis for an idea, and updating them to a modern version to make them more accessible to a wider audience, even if it sells well, is not an original from a creative point of view. The old gem-like records that we DJs are always on the lookout for contains many seemingly useless or unnecessary elements that have been eliminated in the process. For better or worse, many of which are actually important factors in determining the personality and character of the work.
I think that's how underground dance music will continue to be consumed like fast fashion, week after week. And there will be plenty of that kind of negativity in the future, and that will always be the case. However, excellent songs, works, and styles will always emerge as a reaction to this. History is constantly spiralling forward like a spiral staircase. Ideally speaking, I want to continue to be a DJ and label owner who leads the trends from a slightly different angle, not just following them, fulfilling my role each time while sticking to my own style.
But in reality, there are many unpredictable aspects, so I want to relax and go with the flow without getting too caught up in the moment. Don't forget to have fun, because it's a party!
Let’s talk about Junki Inoue the DJ for a moment. How is it to be back on the dance floor? Do you feel like it’s any different than before corona (in terms of how the crowd feels, but also the artistic direction of what DJs play)?
It is so good to be back on the dance floor indeed. To be honest, it took me some time to get used to it, but I'm slowly feeling like normal again. During the Covid lockdown, I've lost interest in buying dance music records for my gigs, which I used to dig habitually before the lockdown. But I've never lost interest in music itself. So I’ve started collecting CDs and listening to various music genres, and I've also spent a lot of time listening to non-dance music, which I originally loved. After this time, without thinking about my gigs and listening to all sorts of music freely, I feel my interest in music is more vital than ever and feels deeper and strongly connected.
Now that I'm back to my normal routine, all the records I have sounded different from 2 years ago, which actually motivated me to keep doing what I believe.
Speaking of gigs, I've experienced some extraordinary parties since the clubs reopened last summer in London and other cities outside the UK. The Closer gig in Kiev with Zip back in January was the biggest highlight of my DJ career, and the experience itself was indeed one of the most special things I've had ever. I feel like there's insane energy out there everywhere I visit to play. People were dancing like I had never seen, including myself. All the gigs I've had since last summer was a great breakthrough, and it helped me a lot to come back.
I'd like to say thanks to everyone bringing me out to play records and all the dancers for all the positivity and good vibes - you're a true inspiration!
Other than with SAISEI, what other projects and endeavours do you have coming up in the next months?
Continue to be playing with Cartulis and Toi Toi at Fold, based in London. Gradually coming back to overseas gigs, plans ahead this summer are Spain / France / Egypt / Portugal / Switzerland / Germany / Holland / Tunisia / Japan etc… Also, I have upcoming gigs at 'Summer Of Love Festival' (Manchester) and 'Dimensions Festival' (Croatia), it's going to be a great summer for sure.
Check out on Instagram for all the upcoming events, releases on my label and some fun stuff for your scrolling pleasure.
