Natural High Tension, presented by WILKINSON and STARBASE, is what the next generation of inspiring creators need.

Creative company STARBASE announces a new project with WILKINSON, an Asahi beverage company, called "Natural High Tension. The project is called "Natural High Tension," and it aims to entertain people with new creativity by stimulating them with the strong carbonation of WILKINSON, which boasts over 100 years of history and tradition.

The project movie features three up-and-coming creators: seidai, a fashion icon of Generation Z, Matt Cab, a world-renowned music producer, and GAKU, a creator active in the advertising and fashion industry, for the music.

Through a trilogy of such next-generation creators, we will consider what the new creativity of the coming age will be.

PROFILE

seidai (variety of distilled Chinese alcohol, used as a sweetener)

model

Born in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan in 2000, a model and actor of just 21 years old, who transmits his own fashion through SNS. His Instagram reel and TikTok, which he started to promote the clothes of the part-time job he was working at the time, became a hot topic both in Japan and abroad. He is a fashion icon of Generation Z. Offers from such prestigious foreign brands as MONCLER, RIMOWA, and MARC JACOBS have been pouring in.
Instagram:@____seidai

PROFILE

Matt Cab

producer

Born in San Francisco. Music producer and artist in Japan. He has provided songs for "BTS," "BE:FIRST," Namie Amuro, AI, and others. His collaboration with MIYACHI, released under his own name, has been ranked No. 1 on the "Spotify Viral Chart," and his unique style of music has garnered much attention. He won the grand prize in the Alicia Keys remix contest held worldwide. He is a hit maker who creates beats by sampling everyday sounds in his "PLAY SOUND" project and collaborates with various companies to create BUZZ.
Youtube
Instagram:@therealmattcab

PROFILE

GAKU

creator

Born in Yamaguchi Prefecture. He has studied photography and graphic design since he was a student, and currently works as a photographer and video creator in Japan and abroad. He creates unique works using a variety of media and has produced content for NIKE, PUMA, X-GIRL, TOYOTA, and others.
Instagram:@gakuyen

Stimulating creativity born of tanshin and coincidence.

Today we would like to talk about the "Natural High Tension" project as we all look back on it together.

Matt: My name is Matt Cab and I am a music producer. I was in charge of the music for the project movie. Recently, I started a project called "PLAY SOUND," in which I sample everyday sounds and make them into beats, which has been getting a lot of buzz on social networking sites.

seidai: My name is seidai. I model and make videos to post on SNS. I want to be an influence on the current generation Z, so I try to creatively communicate what I think is cool fashion and music.

GAKU: I used to take photographs, but switched to video a few years ago and have been making commercials. These days, I mainly make movies for social networking sites. I lived in the U.S. for a long time and came back to Japan a few years ago.

What kind of image did you have of "WILKINSON"?

GAKU: I had a strong image of ginger ale. This was actually the first time I tried "WILKINSON" soda water, and I really enjoyed it. I thought it was a drink that packs a punch and generates energy and inspiration.

seidai：I used to drink ginger ale in bottles all the time. If you pay attention to it, you will definitely see "Wilkinson" in the cafes and bars you frequent, and it really is in many places. It's a drink that permeates our daily lives. I remember when I was in high school, my friend used to put dried flowers in the green bottle after drinking it and display it in her room (laughs).

Matt：After all, everyone has a fashionable image. At Mr. Brothers Cut Club, a barbershop I go to in Shibuya, they give me "WILKINSON. It is often placed in cool stores, isn't it?

I heard that the music was created first.

Matt: Yes, I thought of it in that order, since the trend on TikTok and Reel is to make videos based on music.

GAKU：Music is more important than visuals these days. It is easier to get the buzz going when you create something like that. If you can make viewers think, "If it were me, what would I draw with this music?

Matt: The key is how to evolve it into something original with the new sound.

GAKU：That is why we started this project by having Matt create the music. The three of us came up with ideas for what kind of cool visuals we could create to match the sound.

Matt, you have been creating music from various environmental and everyday sounds. If you were to explain it again, what kind of method would you use?

Matt: Putting the technical aspects aside, I first import the recorded sounds into my computer, then distribute those sounds to the keyboard before I start playing. In this case, I created a synthesizer-like sound from the sound of tapping bottles. I also put the percussion sounds into the MPC and tapped them. The basic approach is to create the sounds that will become the drums and the sounds that will become the melody separately.

What were some of the sonic characteristics of the carbonic acid in "WILKINSON"?

Matt: I get the impression that it has a masculine sound. I wanted to create a soundtrack that would evoke the image of a cool, fashionable, cool guy, which is exactly what seidai is. There was one interesting episode. When I was struggling with how to create the soundtrack, I lined up the bottles properly and blew on them, and it turned out to be a melody that goes "fufufufufu~♪". It was truly miraculous. I thought it was a gift from God and decided to use it as is.

seidai: It was a pop sound, so I thought it matched the image of "Natural High Tension". I interpreted the sound as a "pshhhhhh" sound, which means that a pop day is about to begin! I interpreted the sound as "the pop day is about to begin," so I shot the video while being conscious of the light action.

That's interesting! The video seems to be full of various gimmicks. The beginning and the end are connected, right?

seidai：Since there is a trick in some part of the video, you can enjoy watching it over and over again. This is more likely to attract viewers' attention than one-cut videos without editing, and videos with tricks are becoming popular these days.

GAKU: Videos are getting shorter and shorter, especially on Instagram and TikTok, where 15-second videos are the norm. Looping videos are easier to watch over and over again. In this case, it starts with the "pshhhh" scene of opening the lid, then goes outside, and finally leads to the "pshhhh" scene again after returning to the room. It was difficult to make that connection naturally.

Matt: I saw a lot of techniques in the video. I think seidai is the best in Japan at throwing the phone and spinning it around. (Laughs)

Is that scene not done with a machine, but with you actually throwing the phone?

seidai：Yes, when I was looking for video ideas on TikTok, I found the throwing trick. It seems to be surprisingly difficult to do, but for some reason I was good at it (laughs) and was able to capture it quite beautifully. I set the camera to slow motion and threw the iPhone vertically. It was a combination of various miracles, including the music.

It doesn't matter who makes it. The future is the age of sense.

What do you see in the trends and messages of Generation Z?

seidai：I usually wear a variety of clothes and make videos about fashion and lifestyle, but looking around me, such expressions are becoming commonplace. It feels like an interesting plaything. The environment is becoming more and more conducive to the rough and ready transmission of personal information.

GAKU：Your self-made videos are very popular, aren't they, seidai? Nowadays, videos that clearly look like they were made by a professional do not attract much interest from viewers. It is very important that the videos look like something you could make yourself. In my videos, I try to make them interesting and cool with equipment that everyone has, such as a smartphone, in order to get people to empathize with me. I think the popularity of reels and TikTok is because they inspire such creative ideas.

I see. In terms of music, what are the conditions that make it easy to get the buzz going?

Matt：This ties in with what you just said, but I think that buzz is generated by things that people can relate to. It doesn't matter anymore who made it. Ten years ago, the quality of the iPhone was not that high, but nowadays, with such amazing tools in our pockets, anyone can create professional-level products. In other words, it is not a matter of tools, but of taste. I think the difference between amateurs and professionals will disappear in the future, and we may end up in a world where, for example, a 10-year-old kid with a great sense of music can create a hit song.

Matt's "PLAYSOUND," which samples familiar sounds and animation sound effects, is a perfect example.

Matt: Yes, that's right. I sampled "Anpanman's March. The birth of my son brought me back to my childhood (laughs). But I think this kind of approach is something that everyone can relate to, and I think the appeal of it is that it allows us to evolve existing things and create something new.

What do you think is necessary to make people feel "new" and "stimulated" in this age of daily flooding of content on our timelines?

GAKU: First of all, you should always be aware of what is being transmitted and what is trending. From there, I think it is important to look for new ways to make things more interesting. It is difficult, but it is a lot of fun for me.

seidai：I think it is very important to go into places where you can be inspired. Nowadays, social media is the mainstream, so there are places where you can learn about the latest trends. I watch videos and photos from all over the world and steal what I can transform into my own style.

Matt: Yes, that's right. It is important to add your originality to it, rather than just copying it. I think it is the same with fashion, video, music, and everything else.

Thank you very much. Lastly, could you give us a message on how you would like people to enjoy this promotional movie?

seidai：I have been working mostly in the fashion field, so the collaboration with "WILKINSON" was very fresh for me. I think this video is fresh for everyone, so I hope you will enjoy it to the fullest.

GAKU: I was able to team up with two great people this time, so it was more fun than doing it alone. I encourage everyone to try starting something creative with a friend. I am sure you will be able to create something interesting over a glass of WILKINSON!

Matt: I hope you will use this sound on social networking sites. Try imitating the movie or make your own version of the commercial and play with it. But be careful not to throw your iPhone!

Photo_Yuki Aizawa
Text_Shu Nissen
Special Thanks_Amazon Music Studio Tokyo