Rupert in March issue of Japanese Music Magazine

Rupert contributed to a recent article about the Yellow Magic Orchestra by writer/music journalist, Miki Tayama for Music Magazine, Japan http://musicmagazine.jp/rc/ Here is the translation of the YMO article; Ms Tayama acknowledges, not being a native speaker of English, her translation may be, as she puts it, “awkward”… however, we are sure you’ll find it an enjoyable read: __________  Now I would like to introduce evaluation for YMO by the contemporary artist, Rupert Hine. He is well known as competent hit making producer of Tina Turner, Howard Jones and more. Moreover he himself has the long career as rock musician and released very important albums of Techno Pop in early 80’s. In trilogy-like albums “Immunity”(1981), “Waving Not Drowning”(1982) and “The Wildest Wish To Fly”(1983), Rupert had developed his own way of using synthesiser, studio equipments to make new music of advanced electronic style. In other words, you can see the history of developing synthesiser and new technology for music making by listening Rupert’s three albums.. He was born in 1947 and the same age with Haruomi Hosono, founder of YMO. (They have not known each other personally but) Both of them came to feel strong need to cultivate new kind of music beyond the stagnant situation of rock’n roll in the late ‘70s. He told me in e-mail about the motive for making new type of rock music and his own memories about YMO as follows. NB: I considered Rupert was stimulated by New Wave movement but did not dive into the movement but kept some “away” stance to develop his own way up. I presumed it from his words for my questionnaire. Q: I think your works in the beginning of 80's including your trilogy solos and Robert Palmer's "Pride" have innovative power in making new sound.You seemed to have keen interests in making new sound with new equipment like synthesiser, sampler at that time. If so, does it have some relation with New Wave movement of the time ?Recently A: No. Not directly anyway.As we finished with the 70s, it became necessary for me to challenge any continuation of ‘Rock’ music. It had gone from revolutionary beginnings to a formulaic commercialism.I have always been fascinated by the new.As such, New Wave music, by name at least, would seem to have been the answer. Sometimes it was, but often it was a trashy/punky version of rock.The same old palette of guitar, keyboards, bass and drums seemed to be strangling innovation. So we needed to go beyond New Music and into fresh pastures; virgin territory. Q: Do you know YMO (Yellow Magic Orchestra) at that time (around 1980) ? YMO was the first Japanese electronic-new wave band that seriously tried to appeal to the worldwide market. They released two albums (self titled 1st, "XOO Multiplies") in 1979,1980 through A&M records then more through CBS records. Their tune "Behind The Mask" became rather popular in England and America. Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton and other artists covered that tune. "Computer Game (Firecracker) " was sampled in Jennifer Lopez's "I'm Real" and other songs of hip-hop artists.So if you know YMO, please let me know your impression or evaluation of them.A: Walter Carlos, White Noise, Beaver & Krause, Jean-Michel Jarre, Tomita, Kraftwerk, Ron Geeson, Stockhausen all moved through the 60s and 70s evolving their different contributions to the musical development of electronic sounds in music. YMO appeared quite suddenly for me towards the end of the 70s - and had a ‘bright shiny new-thing’ presence to the flowering movement.There was no particular track that introduced me to YMO. We were stablemates at A & M Records at the same time and I was made aware of them as much by their visual presence within the company’s HQ in Fulham, London. Their posters attracted me to listen to them.I was moved to go to a concert of YMO at The Rainbow in London. My impressions of their performance that night was of 6 players - 3 in the front and 3 behind on risers mostly keyboards. It was very effective and imaginative visually.The stage backdrop was a wall of large boxes of light, from floor to ceiling. Their pattern of programmed changing light was very effective and made complete sense of a visual representation of 'computer music'. Q: I think you and YMO have the same kind of fan audience that is very enthusiastic for searching artists of new and innovative sound( I myself am one of those), in other words, future sound. Could you tell me the reason why you were pursuing new sound so drastic in your three solos ("Immunity" "Waving Not Drowning" "The Wildest With To Fly") ?A: I was always fascinated by how musical electronic sounds could be. However, electronic sound-sources for me were, in and of themselves, too limiting. I separated myself from the electronic ’school’ (thus YMO). By the end of the 70s I had begun a very serious journey into exploring real-world sounds as sonic fuel for musical use. Both Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush were equally fascinated by this direction soon after. Q: YMO used hand-made sampler in making their 1981 album "Technodelic". You used sampling sound very effectively in "Waving Not Drowning". 'Eleven Faces' is the first tune that uses sampled sound as rhythm pattern. That was forerunner method before Art Of Noise.So could you let me know the impression or impact you felt when digital sampler advent in 1980 ?A: I used sampling (as we would now call it) on Immunity. However as ’samplers’ as such did not exist at that time, I was using a varying collection of methods to emulate what we would now call ’sampling.’ For example: the rhythm on “Samsara" were tape-recordings of traffic noise in NY in one speaker and LA in the other was made into tape-loops that were then gated by the input ‘triggering' of my hands close-miked slapping the rhythm onto my knees. This creates a rhythmic pattern that does not involve any percussion instruments. At that time - unique. Q: If you know YMO, do you remember the first YMO tune you listened to ?A: My memory is maybe playing tricks on me but Cosmic Surfin’ is the track that I most remember from that time Q: You are very competent music producer. So if you know YMO, how do you produce them ?A: I simply don’t know. Only a conversation with Ryuichi might have illuminated the answer. I worked with him briefly some 20 years later on One World, One Voice. Q: Do you think the term "Techno-pop" (that term was said to be made in Japan) is suitable to express your trilogy solo albums in early 80's ?A: No Q: What do you think about the fact the works of you and YMO has been regarded as classics of electronic music and loved by younger generation now ?A: I can only imagine that in our own very different ways both of us were keen to push the boundaries of popular music. Q: If you know YMO, do you feel some kind of similarities in music between you and YMO ?A: For reasons that I have expressed already, I don’t feel that there is much similarity between YMO and myself. Q: How do you evaluate the role of YMO in new wave era of 1978~1982 ? In other words, I want to know how European and American musicians regarded YMO at that time.I have no idea how others perceive YMO in this context. Q: How do you remember the new wave (1978-1981) era now ? Do you regard that era as the special time for you still now ?A: Yes. In as much as the ‘old guard’ of rock stars understood that their lifespan was limited. Unless they were prepared to re-invent themselves - and their relevancy to a contemporary audience.So it was clearly a time of ’new brooms sweeping clean’. Many took that creative prod within safe limits - whilst others leapt over an unclear (and uncharted) chasm. Q: Please let me know your favourite tune or album of YMO if you know.A: I had a more general interest in what YMO did in those early years so probably it’s still Cosmic Surfin’. I had a much greater interest in Ryuichi Sakamoto in later years and his collaborations with David Sylvian (for instance).