PROFILE
Taro Kawahara, bassist, singer, and producer, started his solo project in 2017 and released his first solo EP "Red Focus" in December of the same year. He has been expanding his field of activities, including appearances at major festivals in Japan. This September, he released his long-awaited new album "LIFE LESS LONELY":@tanaakin
It doesn't matter either way whether it is TENDRE or KAWAHARA Taro.
Kawahara-san, do you have any connection with the music of the 80's when "First Down" was born?
Riverbanks: My parents were music lovers, and there was music playing in the house all the time. The music that was playing there was black music from the 80s, like Al Jarreau and Stevie Wonder. That is also the root of my music.
I have the impression that you have been crossing various genres recently, as in your new album "LIFE LESS LONELY". There are also hints of hip-hop.
Riverbanks: Whether it is soul, R&B, or pop music, every genre has its own beauty of composition. But hip-hop is especially free. There are many people who break the very theories of how to make music. So I have always felt a kind of envy, or rather, a feeling of "that's unfair, but I like it.
I see. Was sampling one of your influences?
Riverbanks: It was something that became a part of our songwriting process, even if we weren't consciously aware of it. For example, when making drum sounds, we recorded live drums and pulled them in, and that kind of approach came naturally from the beginning of TENDRE's activities. Picking up the best parts and spinning them into a new form is a culture that should be respected.
You also worked with Ryohu of KANDYTOWN on the album "LIFE LESS LONELY", didn't you?
Riverbanks: Ryohu and I have been friends since we were 20 years old. We started writing songs together, and while he taught me, I began to explore that side of sound on my own.
And I like hip-hop that has a classy appearance, even if the words seem dirty at first glance. For example, I think KANDYTOWN is very good at it. For example, even when they sing "I'm a bad guy," they have a sophisticated appearance. I like that kind of balance.
Ryohu-san and I saw you perform at Shinkiba Coast before, right?
Riverbanks: I was invited to play at a band's event. I played saxophone freestyle and Ryohu rapped over it. Even though most of the listeners were band members, they were still naturally on board with the music. It was the day when I got a vague idea of what it means to be "agel with hip-hop.
Do you find it easy to accept a sound that is different from the roots of R&B?
Riverbanks: I have no resistance to the unknown. I don't get caught up in images or visuals, and if the sound playing there is cool, I dive in. I don't want to be set in my own genre or become rigid about it. If I create strange fetters, I will not be able to do anything, and my thinking will be limited. I lean toward places that look interesting, and if there is someone I think would be interested in coming here, I want to invite them. I am sure we can still do a lot of things.
You say that you will continue to change.
Riverbanks: I have a theme for myself that I should not be biased. I often get insights from people who are playing cool music.
Do you have a clear change in mindset when composing music and lyrics between the past and the present?
Riverbanks: I feel that the desire to send out a message as an individual is becoming stronger. So, it does not matter whether I am TENDRE or Taro Kawahara if I replace them. I just want to give form to the image I have inside of me, and if it is still there in 10 or 20 years, then I have won, and I am fighting against myself.
