Wata Igarashi

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Wata Igarashi

Berghain flyer interview -full version.

I did the interview for Berghain flyer for August, and instead of the requested answer in 3000 characters, I did with 3000 words.😅

The interview for the flyer was edited short, but here is the original long version, for those interested.

-Please introduce yourself.

I am Wata Igarashi, a producer and DJ from Tokyo, Japan, currently living in Amsterdam.

-Your path to techno was not straightforward. You previously listened to punk and free jazz, and played guitar. What were the key moments or records that sparked your interest in electronic music, and how did your previous passions influence your concept of techno?

Indeed, my journey with music has been far from linear. I have explored many genres before arriving at techno. Let me explain how it unfolded.

One of the first records I picked up was metal, like Metallica and Slayer. This was after I moved to the UK from Japan for my father’s job. My school friends were into metal and grunge, but I soon found myself drawn to harder thrash metal. Then, I started skateboarding and discovered skate rock, hardcore, and punk through my skater friends and videos. The attitude was so cool, very different from metal bands. When my family moved to Madrid, I started my first band with skater friends. We were into bands like Black Flag, Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Exploited, and GBH, as well as grindcore like Napalm Death. We rehearsed in a moldy storage room at the drummer’s apartment, but soon many skater friends started to come along, they learned the lyrics, and it became pretty much like a show. We did countless sweaty sessions purely for fun, and at that time, I had no idea music would become my life. But this period definitely laid the foundation for my musical journey.

In high school in Madrid, most people preferred going to local discotheques on weekends, but me being a punk and hardcore skater, I totally refused to go to those places. Instead, I stayed out skating or went jamming in the storage room. So, electronic music was still not on my radar then.

After spending my teenage years in the UK and Spain, I moved back to Japan for university in Tokyo. I was still playing guitar but not in a band. In my first year at university, a friend lent me some jazz CDs, saying they were essential listening for any music lover. The CDs included classic Blue Note and Prestige records with a straight-ahead bebop vibe, but I was particularly captivated by John Coltrane’s free jazz records from Impulse! label. I had never heard anything like that before and was fascinated that it was recorded years before I was born, way before hardcore music. Yet, I felt some kind of connection between Black Flag, especially with their instrumental album The Process of Weeding Out, and Coltrane’s avant-garde jazz. It felt as intense and energetic, sometimes even chaotic, almost more hardcore than hardcore. My image of jazz completely changed, and I started an intense search for that kind of jazz I liked. I joined the university’s jazz club, trying to learn how to play like that on the guitar. So funny, I went to my first jazz session with my metal guitar! I started to learn jazz seriously and practiced all day, every day. Initially, I wanted to bring the intense and cosmic feel of free jazz to hardcore band music, but the more I practiced, the more I got immersed in jazz. I was almost feeling there was no coming back.

My first encounter with electronic music came unexpectedly around then. A friend invited me to a psy-trance rave, and though I had no idea what to expect, I went along. The experience was overwhelming with all these decorations in the middle of mountains, but I was more shocked to see so many people united, dancing and losing shit, all day and night. I thought it was just so epic and fun and I started going to more psy-trance parties, while as a musician, still playing jazz and experimental improv music. A little later, my interest shifted more toward techno, with artists like Jeff Mills and Plastikman. Great techno parties were happening every weekend in Tokyo, and I was blown away each time. My guitar style started to change, incorporating more filters and playing with a more rhythmic and psychedelic approach.

When my improv band went on hiatus, I felt I needed sometime off from making music with other people. I wanted to find something I could do by myself. I was working in a music production studio as an in-house composer for TV commercials and advertisements. The studio had many nice synths, and to learn those gears, I started making my first techno tracks. A lot of non-electronic musicians think it’s easy to make techno, but I soon learned it absolutely is not! It requires a lot of good taste to make a standout track. I started collecting techno records to provide me the guide and understanding of what a good techno production is all about. Slowly, my tracks got signed, I started DJing at local clubs, and eventually, I was invited to play bigger shows and release on more well-known labels. This is not what I imagined when I got my first Metallica record. I never thought I’d make techno or any kind of electronic music when I was learning jazz. I’ve been following my instincts and riding the waves that came along, without a specific goal other than making music I love. I guess I am improvising my life with music.

So yeah, my path with music has definitely gone in a winding way like that. And to be honest, I am not even sure if I am at the endpoint of the path with techno.

When I am in the studio trying to produce a new techno track, I usually listen to what my mind tells me to make, without consciously incorporating my previous influences. However, these experiences and the tastes cannot be erased completely, inevitably show up in my productions or DJ sets. For example, without my love for avant-garde jazz like Pharaoh Sanders, I might not have thought to take such weird or psychedelic approaches to DJing.

Also, I must say, I am very grateful for the time I worked as a full-time composer in a music production studio as I got to work in some of the best studios in Tokyo with some of the best studio musicians and engineers. I’ve never studied music engineering at school, but all the lessons were right in my face working with these top studio engineers who would mix my compositions. There was so much I could just absorb by looking at how they do their magic. Seeing them take the music that I made to another level was so enlightening.

I guess the influence of my previous musical passions is apparent in various ways. Punk and hardcore instilled energy and attitude, while jazz introduced me to the harmonic theory and world of improvisation and exploration. As a composer, I was able to learn the basics of music productions. These elements blend into my techno sound, reflecting both my past and present influences. Though it was never intentional, I believe my journey through different genres and experiences has made me somewhat unique and different.

-Your debut album “Agartha,” released last year on Kompakt, is a clear evolution of your sound, moving away from psychedelic minimalism towards a full-blown cosmic drama. What was your concept and approach to the album?

During the COVID era, I had time to think deeply about my passion for composing music. I came up with the concept for Agartha, an imaginary sci-fi movie soundtrack about an ancient underground civilization. Each track was meant to be a soundtrack to a scene from this movie. I noted the imaginary scenes and their descriptions, then scored the music for them. I wanted listeners to imagine the scenes themselves, with hints in the titles. Ok, one example. For the track “Ceremony of the Dead”, I imagined a ritual in a cave hall with a massive fire, where the Agartha tribe sings and dances to praise the dead. Then, dead’s soul flies around and hypnotizes the people.

I don’t consider “Agartha” an ambient album; for me, it’s a conceptual imaginary soundtrack. This approach allowed me to explore a different side of my musicality, one that is more cinematic. The challenge was to create a cohesive, immersive listening and almost visual experience that would transport the audience into the world of Agartha.

Creating Agartha was a deeply personal project. I wanted to reflect my journey and influences through a conceptual lens. The process was both challenging and rewarding, as it pushed me to think beyond the dance floor and into the realm of storytelling.

The reception of “Agartha” was beyond my expectations. I was uncertain if people would be interested in or understand the album when I finished it. I was grateful that Kompakt understood and signed it, and that many people enjoyed it, even making a few end-of-year lists. This positive feedback reinforced my belief in following my creative instincts and exploring new territories in music.

-Do you have certain melodies, loops, or sounds already in mind when you go into the studio, or how do you usually develop your musical ideas?

For most of my techno tracks, the ideas and inspirations come from my DJ sets. During my sets, I often wish I had a specific track, so I try to remember that and create it in the studio. So, I usually know the mood and vibe I want beforehand. I write down music ideas and basic structures, trying to imagine the music in my head before turning on the speakers. This thinking process sometimes takes longer than producing the track. I’d probably look like I am not doing anything, maybe faking to work or something, haha. Anyway, I find this way easier to make decisions and stay focused on the initial goal.

Basically goal is to create a track that works on the dance floor, so it doesn’t matter how I do it or what gear I use. I always thought it’s not the kind of synth that matters; it’s how the outcome works on the floor. That said, I do like synths! I love experimenting and jamming with synths for hours. These experimental bits sometimes develop into tracks, leading to surprising results. It could help me to produce something different or outside of the usual box. But most of the time, I like to develop my musical ideas beforehand. This is just the way I have been working, and I feel comfortable with it. Every producer should approach music in their own way. I believe it is the way to create interesting music.

-Which artists and labels are you currently playing regularly in your DJ sets, and what mood are you trying to create on the dance floor?

When I play, I like to make it a journey. I want people to get lost on the floor. This journey consists of different kinds of ups and downs, so I could play hard, deep, groovy, weird, psychedelic, or whatever I find interesting and fitting for my sets.

There are some very interesting artists out there, and here are some of them:

Stefan Goldman and his label, Macro. His recent techno releases are just so nicely weird yet really functional that it helps create this otherworldly vibe on the floor, which I love. His productions hit differently from much of the current techno, in my opinion, and we need more of this.

Dimi Angelis. His music is simple, raw, and on point. Some of his tracks give a straight hard punch, others hit like a nice repetitive body jab, gradually damaging the floor. Truly hypnotic and psychedelic, in my opinion.

Decoder. This young artist from Texas has so much talent, pounding out so many amazing tracks in the last few years. His tracks really captivate the floor like no other. I am always looking forward to checking his new releases.

-What are you working on at the moment?

Since moving to Amsterdam, I have been appreciating having less time for travel and more time in the studio, leading to being more productive this year. I love testing out these new music at shows and can’t wait to share them officially. I just released WIP09 on my label WIP and have more releases planned for later this year. There are also plans for releases and remixes from other great labels.

Besides producing tracks, I am working on my live sets. I have a few different kinds of live sets coming, including an experimental one, so I am currently working on the ideas. Unlike DJ sets, live performances require a different approach and preparation. I want each live set to be special and memorable and it involves a lot of planning, experimentation, and fine-tuning to ensure that the performance is engaging and impactful, but it is extremely rewarding when the audience vibes with it.

In addition to my solo projects, I am collaborating with other artists and exploring new creative avenues. Collaboration is a fantastic way to learn and grow as an artist. It brings fresh perspectives and ideas, pushing me to expand my musical horizons. I am excited about the projects I have lined up and look forward to sharing them.

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