Known for his distinctive style at the forefront of the musical avant-garde, Wata Igarashi has carved a unique path with his awe-inspiring compositions. His music effortlessly traverses a spectrum of emotions, from ethereal and organic textures that transport listeners to idyllic landscapes, to darker and melancholic realms that evoke profound introspection.
With an impressive discography encompassing releases on esteemed labels such as The Bunker NY, Semantica, Midgar, and his own imprint WIP-, Igarashi further showcased his artistry with his recent album ‘Agartha,’ released through the renowned label Kompakt. With his presence at the 30th Anniversary of Sònar, we seized the opportunity to delve into his latest project and gain insights into his captivating musical journey.
Here’s our interview with the talented musician and producer, Wata Igarashi, before his appearance at Sònar’s 30th anniversary.
EG: Welcome to Barcelona and Sónar. We are immensely grateful for the opportunity to interview you amidst your busy schedule.
Wata Igarashi: Thank you, I also want to thank you for having been able to advance the Interview, since my sound check has finished before.
EG: How did the sound check go? Are you satisfied with the results?
Wata Igarashi: Yes, absolutely, very happy, it will be massive, I also like the SònarLab outdoor stage.
EG: Is it your first time at Sónar Festival?
Wata Igarashi: Yes, it’s my first time at Sónar, I would love to enjoy the festival more but I’m leaving tomorrow, I would have liked to see Aphex Twin.
EG: We would like to inquire about your recent album, ‘Agartha,’ which was released last May through Kompakt. We understand that the album draws inspiration from an imaginary place. Could you elaborate on how you envisioned scenes and subsequently translated them into musical compositions?
Wata Igarashi: In a certain sense, yes. We could say that I create images in my mind and then I work on the composition of the music. When I was little I was very fascinated by science fiction movies, later over the years I was working in advertising, on television, and there is always a visual concept first. This ‘Agartha’ album, for me, was one more step toward my job as a music composer. I had these visual images from a movie called Agartha. The place doesn’t exist, it’s like a myth, somewhere in Asia, a civilization that lives underground. They perform rituals, they are very spiritual. It is something unknown deep, and dark. They hunt, and look for new caves, they don’t know what will happen.
EG: Tonight, during your performance at Sónar, can we expect you to showcase tracks from your album ‘Agartha’?
Wata Igarashi: No, it’s going to be something completely different for Sónar, because ‘Agartha’ is not for dancing.
EG: But the audience at Sónar are not just looking for a party, they are open-minded and like to discover new sounds.
Wata Igarashi: I understand, however, I’m not ready to do live ‘Agartha’ yet. Producing and performing it’s a different thing. Tonight I will be performing flowered techno that I’ve been making. It’s going to be funny and trippy.
EG: Here we use the expression ‘quemar zapatilla’ which means ‘burn shoes’, will we dance with a lot of energy?
Wata Igarashi: Hopefully it will happen.
EG: And when it comes to composing. What inspires you?
Wata Igarashi: Many things inspire me; art, nature, but mostly I hear it in my head, it’s not testing sounds on synthesizers, it’s rather, using the tools that work very well in my DJ Set, and I create the sounds I hear in my head. First I create the concept, I sit at my desk, without a computer, without sounds, and I write. I create an image, take notes, and I shape it before starting to work with the synthesizers.
“Audio Production, with plugins, and mastering, is also AI. There are no humans involved. It is automatic, sometimes it can be fine, and other times, it is not good at all”
EG: What is your opinion on Artificial Intelligence?
Wata Igarashi: I think it can create the strangest music, I’m not against it, and I don’t think he’s going to take my job away either. I’m interested. I haven’t listened to music made by AI yet. Audio Production, with plugins, and mastering, is also AI. There are no humans involved. It is automatic, sometimes it can be fine, and other times, it is not good at all. The interesting thing is that the music created by humans shows the character of the person. It’s hard to hide, in many artists their sound shows their personality.
EG: And in your case?
Wata Igarashi: It’s hard to judge yourself. Going back to AI, If it can take over certain character traits and make music, I’d be interested.
EG: We want to thank you again for your time, and we wish you every success for your performance tonight, and also for your album ‘Agartha’ released by Kompakt.
Wata Igarashi: Thanks to you too.
Wata Igarashi’s ‘Agartha’ is now available via Kompakt. Stream and buy here.
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