We managed to "wrangle" an interview out of Ken Ishii before he thrilled the masses at Carbon, KL. The subject of hot Japanese girls was not brought up at any point during the course of this interview.

What got you into dance music and techno?

I first got into the music back in the 1980's with video games. A group called Yellow Magic Orchestra started using the themes from these video games as samples in their tracks and it got me interested.

What is the scene like in Japan?
The scene is currently stable. It's been quite healthy for quite a while ever since 1995. Since then its been growing with such genres as techno and trance getting a good welcome.

Which artists are you currently into now?

Well I don't really spend my time listening to techno at home. Instead I prefer to listen to stuff like traditional and ethnic music, and even stuff like 70's jazz. My latest interest is Jazzanova.

What are your views on the current issue of breaks becoming the next best thing after prog house/trance?

Well basically as a DJ I feel that breaks was big about 2 years ago but not anymore. But it also depends on the crowds and what their tastes are.

I'm actually working on my latest album that I plan to release by the end of the year under my own label. The album is about 90% done so I'm going to be back in Japan after this for a few days to finish the album before I go off to Brazil.

Where do you think you'll be 5 years from now?

Well hopefully I'll still be DJing and also doing tours that is if I'm still able. But I think I would be putting more thought into producing.

Your top 5 most influential tracks?

1) Yellow Magic Orchestra - Solid State Survivor
2) DAF - Alles Ist Gut
3) Rhythm is Rhythm - The Beginning
4) Steve Reich - Drumming
5) Talking Heads - Remain in the Light

-matt, aug 02

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