Making meaning
The relationship between music and other forms of art – painting, video art and cinema most importantly - has become increasingly important. How do you see this relationship yourself and in how far, do you feel, does music relate to other senses than hearing alone?
I certainly appreciate other forms of art, particularly film. I majored in film at university. But with music, I like that the same piece can mean different things to different people--that it is a personal thing, conjuring up different mental images and feelings within them.
There seem to be two fundamental tendencies in music today: On the one hand, a move towards complete virtualisation, where tracks and albums are merely released as digital files. And, on the other, an even closer union between music, artwork, packaging and physical presentation. Where do you stand between these poles?
For some reason I still prefer physical to the virtual. There's just something about holding it in my hands that appeals to me. To me the packaging, the artwork, the physical format of the album are one entity that should not be separated.
The role of an artist is always subject to change. What's your view on the (e.g. political/social/creative) tasks of artists today and how do you try to meet these goals in your work?
Maybe this is selfish but I make music for my own fulfilment.
Music-sharing sites and -blogs as well as a flood of releases in general are presenting both listeners and artists with challenging questions. What's your view on the value of music today? In what way does the abundance of music change our perception of it?
I'm ambivalent about it really. On one hand the Internet has indeed flooded us with music but on the other it has helped artists reach more listeners. But I do miss the old days when there were a lot of records stores where people could find new music and communicate with others.
How, would you say, could non-mainstream forms of music reach wider audiences?
That's not something I really think about. So in a way ... by definition, non-mainstream music will not reach a wider audience.
Usually, it is considered that it is the job of the artist to win over an audience. But listening is also an active, rather than just a passive process. How do you see the role of the listener in the musical communication process?
As I said earlier, it may be selfish but I make music for myself so I'm not really thinking about the audience when I'm performing. I think art ceases to be art when the creator makes it simply to appeal to the audience.
Reaching audiences usually involves reaching out to the press and possibly working with a PR company. What's your perspective on the promo system? In which way do music journalism and PR companies change the way music is perceived by the public?
Even if I didn't have an audience I would still be making music but I really appreciate the work that labels do to promote their artists.
Please recommend two artists to our readers which you feel deserve their attention.
Visit Hakobune's website hakobunemusic.jp and buy his music at hakobune.bandcamp.com
