~the Gazette - interview for Vif Music about the [NINTH]~part 3
- So, tell us, please, what has changed a lot, what were the biggest obstacles encountered?
AOI: As for guitars, before, both guitars used to sound in unison. This time we didn’t try to bring their lines to each other ideally. We gradually tried different instruments, even those that we don’t have, and thus brought melodies and their parts up to the most expressive progress. Until now, what will be the sound, was solved like this: “Uruha, what are we going to do with the sound?”, but now I began to pay more attention to guitar phrases added by me, deciding how they will sound better. Just when I was working on the sound, sometimes Uruha wasn’t around. Since time immemorial, we have always worked on this together, so I didn’t really understand how to do it.
REITA: Because there was no one at all.
AOI: I worried a lot. And Ruki was busy writing lyrics, so he didn’t come. I recorded with the thought: “It’s not good. What will I do if I had to record something completely different?”
- You talked about “DOGMA” that guitars are off course for digital effectors (so-called “pedals”) And what about the current album?
AOI: Oh, talking about things of two or three years ago… I’m the type of people who don’t look back (laughs).
RUKI: Just like a politician.
AOI: This time we used both analog and digital, as the case may be. But with “Falling” it was hard. With [Falling] we determined the further sounding of the album, and when we all together were going to do preproduction and start recording, it turned out that our initial idea of its sounding and its whole image definitely diverge. Couldn’t decide the supply of the song… We discussed this and eventually decided, how it will sound better, but it took the most time.
- When the issue with “Falling” was solved, the direction of the movement as a whole also emerged.
AOI: Yes. And yet at first we make a lot of different treatments, and as a consequence - there are many unnecessary sounds of instruments. Much became clear only in the process of work, so at that moment I thought that we had finally moved on to the next stage.
URUHA: Approximately from the period of the last collection of ballads [TRACES VOL.2], I recorded everything through a virtual guitar processor almost without using real amplifier. Thanks to this there is a great deal of freedom of action, but since there are a lot of techniques I couldn’t decide: in my head everything sounded not good enough. The moment when I finally calmed down, there was a recording of [GUSH]. It was in the last quarter of the recording process. By that time we had already done a lot and made some mistakes. We rewrote already recorded parts, in which we missed purpose, and even after we finished recording [GUSH], again began to remodel something. It was difficult to cope with everything by having a virtual processor that I use. Everything rolled like a head, changing on the move, and we pretty much made trial and error. In the digital sphere there is a lot of everything, so after some time you want to try again, using some other options.
- Uruha-san very much focuses on the sound quality, probably, because this part of the process was hard for you.
URUHA: Well, I end up achieving the style that truly reflects my idea, but it takes a lot of time. Honestly, when we were working with a ballad, I couldn’t understand the necessary sound. [NINTH] began, leaving behind unresolved issues, but to the stage of work with [GUSH] I realized that it was time to stop in my throwing.
REITA: I recorded in the studio till this time. And then, if possible, I tried to choose the sound until I understand that I’m on the right way. But in the studio there is always a sound engineer, who scans each audio track, and I, in any case, didn’t polish my playing to the utmost satisfaction. But when you record alone, you have such an opportunity. In particular, if we talk about bass, then the volume of sound changes from the change of the strings. If you strongly distort the sound [by effectors], this is unlikely to catch your eye, but if the distortion is reduced to a certain level, it is very interesting to hear the difference in the volume of the sound. Therefore, you can experiment, recording the batch by raising and lowering the volume. I was able to do a filigree work, and on occasion, I want to repeat this next time.
- Is this the first time that you have come so far into the work with sound?
REITA: Yes. If you do everything yourself, it turns out by itself. It takes a lot of time, but the ability to record everything in such a way as to remain completely content, plays a big role.
- Reita-san in social networks raised the question “What is a good bass sound?”.
REITA: … well, it was such a trifle.
URUHA: And what did he write there?
- “I thought that instead of the bass line sounding deafeningly powerful, it will be better if you can pleasantly feel low sounds. I want you not to hear, but to feel.”
AOI: Are you sure you meant the bass?
RUKI: But doesn’t the bass have enough clear parts in the current album? Type of those where you use the bend* ? [* way of playing the guitar] Besides, I thought that you used to play that way often (laughs).
REITA: This varies from case to case! (laughing) If we talk about the orthodox style, then of course, this is my standard style of play, and depending on what kind of song, I use it. Is not it good !? (laughing)
KAI: We had in mind that you shouldn’t say such dubious things (laughs).
REITA: In moments of sudden insights, I begin to want to speculate. Just like an adult man (laughs).
RUKI: Yeah (immediately responded).
REITA: So, now the adult man will speak. Abroad, this is not so, but in Japan, everyone who are in this sphere the bass of the middle setting is mainstream [*so-called “Mid bass” different from the high bass and lower bass] with a distinct sonorous batch. Among them I’m not like everyone else, that’s what I wanted to say.
RUKI: For the moment when you think about it “And when did I become like this?”, it’s better not to say this? (laughing)
- And how did Kai-san go through the recording?
KAI: For [Falling] I was able to devote quite a lot of time. Until now, I almost didn’t record on the real set in the studio, but I wanted to rethink the sound from scratch, and besides all of us together have decided to try everything, that we can, so I tried to record a batch of drum-plates separately. Having done so, the groove [* rhythmic sensation in music, “swing”] turned out very good. Anyway, microphones are always aimed at the main drums, and when the plates come into play, the accent switches to the top [* the top plate in hi-hat], so at that moment there is such a sound breakdown. We had a conversation with a sound engineer that at such a time of entry [plates] it is somehow difficult to enter. So, I determinedly recorded separately the drums, separately the plates. I had experience of such a record earlier, but it didn’t turn out very well. And I thought that, based on that experience, this time I was lucky, and everything turned out.
- Does this method of recording take a decent amount of time?
KAI: Truly so. In conditions when there was no time, the drums were allowed a lot.
RUKI: If to think about it, the “Falling” took most of our time.
REITA: Aha. Perhaps even too much.
KAI: But if we didn’t do all of the above, we wouldn’t finish the album.
AOI: Uh-huh. Its creation was the point when we decided what we wanted to do, relying on the songs written earlier, so I’m sincerely glad that we made it.
◆ If only we could come up with something during the long tour to continue our activity (Kai)
- It’s not surprising that we all look forward for the tour, because for the album we chose 12 songs, looking at the essence of the concerts. I heard that Aoi-san had a dream about the first day of the tour.
AOI: True, I saw it. Although the songs were not finished yet.
REITA: Such dreams are a typical problem for musicians.
- And Reita-san had a dream about a video, where he was shot in a pose of a hanged man, right?
RUKI: He is the character who has such dreams (laughs).
AOI: Dreams about everything related to the group are harmful to the heart.
REITA: Moreover, the dream was so real. Although these are dreams, they are just like that.
RUKI: And I dreamed that I was terribly late for the concert in Toyosu.
REITA: It wasn’t a dream! You were actually late (laughs).
- Was it on Halloween? [*October’17]
REITA: Yes. And two days in a row.
AOI: You didn’t want to come?
RUKI: I wanted to sleep (laughs). But I thought that if I was late, an incredible number of messages would come to me, but, despite the fact that it has already exceeded 13 o’clock, I only got two ones. I was such “What!?”… (laughs).
- So you fell asleep again.
RUKI: No, I woke up (laughs). But in the first instants I didn’t understand what had happened.
- And what was Aoi-san’s dream about the first day of the tour?
AOI: I told everyone: “I don’t remember any batch!”, but, despite this, the intro already sounded, and everyone stepped onto the stage. And I continued to ask: “Wait! Wait!..”(laughs)
RUKI: I often see such dreams. For example, that I didn’t have time to change the outfit.
URUHA: I also have such, about dressing up, when everything has begun on the stage.
REITA: And I once dreamed that I hadn’t put on my nose-bandage.
REITA: I thought in my dream: “The intro already sounds! Really!?”, and didn’t see what happened next. Apparently, I woke up on this.
AOI: Also, there are dreams that the venue was moved.
REITA: Yes-yes, the place was moved, or when suddenly they say: “And this is a new song! Please listen to it! ”
URUHA: And you just: “Whaaaat?! But I don’t know how to play it!”
RUKI: Excuse me, but what “And this is a new song! Please listen to it! ”? (laughs) I would ask to leave it in a dream.
REITA: And let you will see these dreams by yourself (laughs). However, Kai doesn’t say what dreams he saw.
URUHA: Exactly, I didn’t hear a single story from him.
KAI: C'mon, I see them too.
RUKI: It’s just that Kai has some other dreams.
REITA: For example, that he wasn’t paid.
KAI: It sounds too real (laughs). In fact, I see the same dreams as you, just I don’t talk about them. Because I’m nervous most of all.
AOI: It’s just that Kai is arid man. Because he is not such Kai, as everyone sees him (laughs).
- Unknown side of Kai has opened (laughs). By the way, the name of this tour «the GazettE Live Tour18 THE NINTH / PHASE #01-PHENOMENON-», but the title contains a number “01”. Does it mean that it will be like with “DOGMA”, when other activities followed after the tour?
RUKI: You asked this question, knowing perfectly well that the members won’t answer for it (laughs). It seems to me that something will happen. But something concrete, as with “DOGMA”, when the single was released after the album, no!
REITA: Forgive us for this.
RUKI: But, probably, on the second part of the tour Kai will quit. With the words: “I’ll return to the third part” (laughs).
KAI: Ok, so we’ll do it (laughs).
- The name “PHENOMENON” has a very wide range of meanings: phenomenon, danger …
RUKI: We meant the “phenomenon”. Is not the phenomenon starting from the first concert day? Like, the very first concert of the tour can be considered as the specific phenomenon, which determines the whole tour.
- Usually your ideas coincide with reality?
URUHA: We have our own ideas, but that’s what didn’t confirm them, it’s “DOGMA”. If you imagine too much, it becomes difficult to match (laughs). We selected set list with such diligence, thinking: “Here is the ideology of Dogma!”, but in fact it didn’t fall into a heart.
REITA: Don’t you think we a little bit overdid? Then the concert began immediately, without any introductions. We thought that it would spur the fans’ mood, but they couldn’t prepare for this. The next day, we immediately made an introduction.
KAI: And very quickly (laughs)!
REITA: We have an amazing ability to correct shortcomings (laughs). But this time I have no doubt that the concerts will be hot. In addition, the summer after all.
- Reita-san’s bot, by the way, wrote that he wants the audience to start preparing their physical strength.
RUKI: And Reita often writes on Twitter “Rather kill me” (laughs).
RUKI: Always. “Kill me” or “I rather want to die at a concert” (laughs).
REITA: Ohhh, how awkward. I want to die, right now ~! … Maybe you will unfollow me?
RUKI: And “Kill me on the tour” does not write.
REITA: But I do not want to die seriously! (laughing)
RUKI: Anyway, I want to make this tour fun. Something like one more memory, which can reshape the idea of our concerts. But when it starts, again, probably, it will turn out gloomier than I thought (laughs).
REITA: Surprisingly, there is such a feeling.
RUKI: Aha. Because with “DOGMA” there wasn’t such impression.
- I’m eager to know what this phenomenon will become.
KAI: That’s for sure. As for some reason it seems to me that this tour will be long, there are also some doubts about the physical strength. In addition, after “DOGMA” 3 years have passed, and I, frankly, think that we have rested for too long. Of course, without forgetting what Ruki said: “I want to make this tour fun”, I hope that in the process of a long tour, we will think of something, what let us to continue our activity.
translation from japanese to russian by haruurara-kazan on tumblr
translated from russian to english by me
as always thx for reading and sorry for mistakes ^^
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