I've realised that if it is to remain relevant, contemporary music needs to change.
To record the perfect album. That is my dearest wish.
For me, Debussy is the door to all 20th-century music.
I don't really know about the art world.
When I imagine some music in my mind, almost automatically, I imagine the piano keys.
I have a longing for violin or organ. Is it too simple to say those sustaining sounds symbolise immortality?
The world is full of sounds. We just don't usually hear them as music.
The first music I got really into was Bach.
I have a lot of sketches and ideas, but when you don't use them, they get stale.
I have been a long time fan of Jean-Luc Godard. It's my dream to work with him.
I think there's a genuine difference between the real and the virtual in music.
Each time I work on a film, I say to myself, 'This is it. This is the end.' Because it is so stressful, it's like torture.
I easily fall asleep during a movie.
I was born and grew up in Tokyo, so I didn't know about nature.
I'm trying to relax, but it's hard.
I always think about music horizontally and vertically at the same time.
For making music for myself, I just need to be happy. I'm the producer, the director, and the listener.
Piano symbolizes interiority.
My concept when making music is that there is no border between music and noise.
For me, change doesn't happen on a linear basis; it zig-zags back and forth.
I'm a terrible drummer; I almost cannot play the guitar nor sax nor trumpet.
The piano is the instrument I can play the most.
I honestly like any sound. Birds. I have a very broad space to accept or enjoy anything except quiet.
I know Brazilian music. I have worked with Brazilians many times.
Playing jazz in restaurants is too stereotypical.
Japan used to be an animistic society before Shinto imperialism was established. But most of us still have an animistic sense.
Japanese people can feel some attachment in what they are making, whether it is a car or a TV or a computer.
