Space Modern Tuuka (Hasunuma Shuta remix feat. Furukawa Hideo)
kukangendai / tsuuka (Shuta Hasunuma remix [feat. Hideo Furukawa])
2013.8.25 on sale ※digital only※
I did a remix of Kukangendai's "Passing." I had novelist Hideo Furukawa read an unpublished text, and we tried to record it in one take at the HEADZ office. I did the engineering myself. Mastering was done by Itsuki Mashiko.
On this occasion, I'd like to explain how to create a remix.
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"How to make a Tuuka remix"
I received Kukangendai's sound materials in various pieces. The recordings themselves had very little dynamics, a neutral, flat sound quality. I started by creating a demo track of about three minutes. At that point, the framework for this remix was already complete. I wanted to add Japanese words to the track, and rather than having the words and music intertwine with the beat like a rapper, I felt that a strong relationship was needed in which the words and music coexist while maintaining their own separate grooves, so I immediately emailed Furukawa. The next day I received a reply saying, "Yes, please!" and I went on to make the composition even more complex and detailed.
After that, I went to Nairobi for a residency, so I decided to record the reading after I returned home. When I had some free time, I recorded with Furukawa. It was a one-take recording in an instant. There was no meeting, no exchange of opinions. At this point, you can really feel Furukawa's sense of distance from the music and how much he enjoys it, which gets me excited too, and a good sense of tension runs through my body. I wrote "instantly," but even though the recording time was actually nearly nine minutes, it felt like the time we were recording was just an instant. I thought that was a very natural length.
Returning to the studio, I made no unnecessary edits to the reading, and arranged the reading so that it sat atop the sound of Kukangendai's remix in as neutral a state as possible. This arrangement meant that I placed the sound in ProTools with the intention of having Kukangendai and Hideo Furukawa battle it out in a big way. My intuition was that it would be a better match if I let them do what they wanted on their own.
Once the recording was complete, I took it to Mashiko Itsuki, who also worked on "CC OO," for mastering. I've worked with Mashiko on many productions, so he understood my tastes and elevated the song to a level beyond my imagination. The mastering was like a flood of dynamics. I was once again convinced that it was a wonderful match.
This is the completed remix. It was released digitally, so I have no idea how far it will reach, but it's been a long time since I've been involved in a song that is this honest and powerful. I'd like to share my feelings here.
September 1, 2013 Shuta Hasunuma
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