--What was the trigger that got you started writing songs in the first place?

I think it might have been when, as a child, my piano teacher handed me a blank piece of paper and said, "Write a song on this." Back then, I wouldn't practice at all and would go to lessons without even practicing. I'd listen to my teacher's demonstration and get so moved that I'd think, "Maybe my playing's good enough today?" (laughs). But I continued to write songs, so maybe my teacher saw through my interests and gave me the paper.

Ever since, it's been hardwired into my mind to "if I get a new instrument, I'll use it to compose."

--Next week, on December 16th, you'll be performing at Shindaita FEVER for the first night of "DEERHOOF JAPAN TOUR 2014."

I've written out the sheet music and sent it to the band members, but as of now (December 9th), we haven't even had a rehearsal, so it's still unknown, but I'm confident it will be a great live show. The reason we don't rehearse much is that we take the stance of working hard to perfect each song on our recordings, but when it comes to live performances, we value the "sound that comes alive in the venue" and enjoy the way our songs grow through live performances. So, we don't really try to perfect our songs just before a live performance.

--There are only a few live performances left in 2014. What was the most memorable thing about this year?

As part of our 10th anniversary project, we performed a live performance in which we completely recreated our first album, released on a New York label in 2004. Recreating it from scratch led to new discoveries. I incorporate "rediscoverable gimmicks" into almost all the music I create, and listening to my recordings for the first time in a while brought back memories and a nostalgic feeling of, "Oh, I remember putting something like that in."

But even though they're gimmicks, they're really things only I can understand, and they don't have any message. For example, I might include everyday sounds my parents recorded on a cassette deck when I was a child, just to entertain myself. To other people, it just sounds like noise (laughs).

I've always liked weird music and people who do silly things. For example, I have a silent record. It's silent because I'm doing pantomime (laughs). All you can hear is the sound of applause, and I like to imagine what's going on behind that sound. It's not something that most people understand, but it really impresses me.

--In 2012, you launched your own label, "TONOFON," and you've been working even more energetically than ever.

TONOFON is like a foundation for me. It's not about using TONOFON to do new things, but rather, "I'll use TONOFON to do things that no one else is doing" (laughs). I launched TONOFON to quickly do whatever came to mind, and we're looking forward to the third "TONOFON FESTIVAL" next year. After all, the purpose of a festival is to create the "things you want to see and hear" in the best possible environment.

Of course, it's not just festivals. Creating an environment where music can come to life and seeing and hearing the finished product is what makes me happiest. So, I'd be thrilled if many people could watch the promotional video for MI Card (http://www.micard.co.jp/).


【Shugo Tokumaru Profile】
Born in Tokyo. A multi-talented artist who masters over 100 instruments and handles all production work himself. Since releasing his album "Night Piece" on an American label in 2004, he has released five albums. He has received high praise not only in Japan and the United States, but also in Asia, Europe, and around the world. He was selected as one of Newsweek magazine's "100 Most Respected Japanese People" and appeared on NHK's "Top Runner." He was chosen to appear in a spot commercial for the Vancouver Olympics. He has worked on many commercials, including for MUJI and Google. Tokumaru Shugo is currently working on a new project for 2015. As part of this, he will release a special single, "Lita-Ruta," which comes with a cardboard player, in December. He is serving as music director for the stage adaptation of "Mugifumi Kutse," based on the original work by Ishiishi Shinji, which is scheduled to be performed in Tokyo (Setagaya Public Theater) and Osaka (Theater BRAVIA!) in April 2015. For more information, please visit his official website (http://www.shugotokumaru.com).

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