excite: What did you think when this best album “QUADRINITY ~MEMBER’S BEST SELCTIONS~” was proposed? ken:Even though L’Arc~en~Ciel has released a few best albums in thepast, such as “Clicked Singles Best 13″ and “The BestOf L’Arc~en~Ciel,” I thought it was a good idea becausethis one is in a different form from the other ones. You know how inmost recent cases singles are compiled and released as a best album? Ithink that’s fine too, but I think there was more freedom in theword “best” in the past. So, I’m hoping this containsthat kind of atmosphere, too. excite: Out of all of the released album and singlesongs, there were 53 songs composed by you. How did you go aboutchoosing 7 songs out of that many? ken:How’d I do it? I didn’t think about it too deeply and didit by flow. If this is the first song, then I’d like this to bethe second, and then I want it to continue this way, like that. If Ihad chosen a different first song when making this best album, I thinkI would’ve come up with a completely different list. If I forgetabout the list I made and did it all over again right now, I betit’d turn out to be a different album. “ken best” isthe result of me following my instinct at the time of selection. excite: When I listened to “ken best,” Ithought it was a track list that ken-san the composer would choose.Each song had its expansion and depth, is symphonic, and has differentexpressions. ken: Ifthere was something I imagined while choosing, I’d have to say Ichose songs that brought out the 4 players’ uniqueness. I thought“Kasou” was exactly that type of song when we wereperforming it at the live (TOUR 2008 L’7~Trans ASIA via PARIS~).That moment left a strong impression, so that’s why I chose itlike this. excite: The seventh song is “Niji.” I betthis is a song that contains a lot of different feelings and is ameaningful song for you, so I felt having this song at the end was asuitable choice. kent’s actually more about the flow rather than meaning. “thesilver shining” came and along that flow came “Niji.”But, in the means of composing, I think it was a trigger. There areincreasingly more cases where I can compose a song in no time, and Ithink this song may have been the trigger for that. excite: By “in no time,” do you mean that it comes naturally? kennstead of forcing myself to write a song, I am able to put theatmosphere I am feeling at that moment as it is into a song. ["Niji"]was the first song that I composed that way. excite: After you finished and reviewed your track list, did you feel something anew? ken:Hmmm, I don’t know. Rather than this and that about myself, itwas the same during “TOUR 2008 L’7～Trans ASIA viaPARIS～,” but it felt so good to perform live, so as I was puttingthe list together, I thought about how I wanted to feel that feeling ofthat time again or perform a song that we haven’t playedrecently. Like, “Uwahh, I want to play this, I want to listen tothat” (laughs). excite: It’s interesting how you say you “want to listen.” ken:When I’m playing, there is another me who is a listener.Anticipating how L’Arc~en~Ciel brings out the atmosphere of asong makes it fun. excite: You have composed several songs for your solocareer as well, but is composing different for L’Arc~en~Ciel andfor your solo? ken: Thedifference is having the four of us. Depending on the song, I sometimesdo an “ategaki”[1]. I imagine things like, “I wonderhow this melody will sound when hyde sings it.” When I composed“Coming Closer,” I did an “ategaki” toyukkie’s drumming. excite: It’s the first time I’ve heard an “ategaki” for drumming. ken: Iimagined yukkie playing the drum phrases while composing the song. WhenI compose that way, it naturally becomes a L’Arc~en~Ciel song.Then, when the members sing or play the song that I had imagined, itgoes beyond my imagination and is richer. As the years pass, therichness increases and becomes L’Arc~en~Ciel’s color. excite: Following the best album release, the live DVD“TOUR 2008 L’7～Trans ASIA via PARIS～” will bereleased. The tour as a whole was wonderful, but you truly appear to behaving a great time performing in the Tokyo Dome live footage of theDVD. ken: Iam increasingly feeling the joy of performing. I usually don’tplay a lot during rehearsals. I just check the flow in between songsand get confirmation on things I need to know and don’t try toplay a lot. So, the actual live is a rare time I get to perform, and Itry to enjoy it to the fullest. excite: Has your focus changed when it comes to playing guitar? kenompared to the past? Hmm, I don’t know. A guitar is aninstrument that can create an atmosphere through different techniques,like if you let it be there will be audio feedback and there’spick scrapes and so on. I have always believed that it can bring out anatmosphere and that hasn’t changed, but I think my focus in whatkind of atmosphere to express may have changed. In the past, I thoughtthere was a point of satisfaction after playing up to a certain point.Now, I’m starting to see that there’s no end. excite: Isn’t it difficult not having an end? ken: I do get frustrated sometimes. But at the same time, I notice there is more ahead and that makes it more interesting and fun. excite: Where is the joy in being part of L’Arc~en~Ciel? ken:When I finish making a song, no matter what direction it goes, we canpull it off. I don’t have to restrain myself. There is no‘I can’t make this type of song.’ That is where thereal thrill of composing with L’Arc~en~Ciel and playing guitarcomes from. excite: So the level of freedom is high? ken: I think it’s great how the four of us, who have both flexibility and stubbornness, work together. excite: Each of your stubbornness must be linked to each of your uniqueness. ken: They’re elements we ought to love. I think it’s great that we have those two as the elements we ought to love.
[1] “Ategaki” is a style of writing, where the creatorwrites a piece for the performer. I think the term is more often usedfor scriptwriting, where the scriptwriter imagines the actors actingwhile writing the script, so the script is written for the actors. Inken-chan’s case, he must have been imagining the members playingwhile composing his songs.
excite: What did you think when the member’s selection best album idea was first proposed? yukihiro: I don’t have a lot of songs, so I thought “what should I do?” (laughs). excite: How did you choose the track list? yukihiro: I chose the songs, then put them in alphabetical order. excite: You joined L’Arc~en~Ciel in 1998, wherethere were already 3 talented melody-makers present, and yet you joinedin and composed as well, which I think is amazing. yukihiro composed songs before joining L’Arc~en~Ciel, but I had neverdone it with a band. I didn’t know what to do in the beginning. excite: Then, there was repeated trial and error in the beginning? yukihiro: It’s not just in the beginning, I’m always troubled (laughs). It doesn’t come easy. excite: You still make songs despite the difficulty of creating. Where does this energy to compose come from? yukihirof it’s allowed, I’d like to say “I prefer notcomposing,” but as long as I am a member of this band, itwon’t happen. And when I actually do make something, we worktogether to get it into better shape, and that’s fun. excite: Then, your attention must be different when composing for L’Arc~en~Ciel and composing for acid android. yukihiro:Yes. For acid android, I decide everything, but that doesn’thappen with L’Arc~en~Ciel. Doing things the same way as I do themin acid android with L’Arc~en~Ciel would seem wrong, and I thinkit would be difficult, too. With acid android, this is just an example,but I often compose songs by first coming up with the guitar riff orsampling, so I can only tell them to do everything as I had imagined.If I tried to do that with L’Arc~en~Ciel, then I’d have tomake a request for it all. For one guitar riff, I’d have torequest, “Please play that using the mute like this.” Ifthat happens, then it doesn’t matter if ken-chan is playing it ornot. I think doing that in L’Arc~en~Ciel would be wrong. That issomething I pay a lot of attention to. excite: So, with your solo work, you have the fun ofbeing able to create your own image 100% and, with your band work, youhave the fun of entrusting the members with your song. yukihiro: Yes. With L’Arc~en~Ciel, the song becomes more interesting and cooler if I leave it to them. excite: Your best album’s track list is in all lowercase letters, but why did you choose to use all lowercase? yukihiro just like seeing lowercase letters lined up. I like having lots ofwriting in lowercase. Lowercase letters have tall ones and short ones,make bumps, and look like a design. With uppercase letters,they’re all the same height. That’s boring (laughs). excite: After the release of this best album, the liveDVD “TOUR 2008 L’7～Trans ASIA via PARIS～” will bereleased. Have you seen the footage? yukihiro: Yes, I have. excite: What did you think? yukihiro: “How young” (laughs). excite: But it hasn’t been 2 years yet. I wentto see a couple of shows during “TOUR 2008 L’7～Trans ASIAvia PARIS～” and I thought the band has progressed even further.Did you feel your own growth? yukihiro:No, as I was watching the footage, I kept thinking “Ah, I shouldhave drummed a little slower here” and things like that. excite: Along with your soulful playing, your smileduring the members’ MCs left an impression. You must have beendoing the lives in a good mood, since you were both focused and havingfun. yukihiro: I think I was enjoying that tour. excite: In the “pepsi NEX” CMcollaboration, you are doing a cover of Joan Jett’s “I LoveRock’n Roll.” How did you feel when that was confirmed? yukihiro: I was curious how we were going to do it. excite: Did you pay particular attention to something as you were playing it? yukihiro: I did some things I usually don’t do. I used a ride cymbal and added cymbals to places where I usually wouldn’t. excite: I thought the performance has the power to pull in the listeners. What kind of mood were you in when playing? yukihiro only drummed twice. I figured that’s how it should be.There’s no use in being too serious with a song like this. excite: That’s true, it is a song that focuses on the moment’s groove and spirit. yukihirot was like that. If it was the usual me, I’d ask to do it onemore time and try over and over again, so this method is out of thequestion [for the usual me]. excite: From this “I Love Rock’nRoll”, I felt the fun of doing a band, but where does the fun liein being part of the band L’Arc~en~Ciel? yukihiro: Being asked “What is fun about it?” I don’t have an answer. All I can say is “It’s fun”. excite: How do you plan on continuing being part of L’Arc~en~Ciel? yukihiro don’t have anything particular in mind. When it’s time,my focus naturally shifts toward that direction. I think the time tothink is then. excite: Then when you are to compose with L’Arc~en~Ciel, you will be suffering the difficulty of creating? yukihiro:Yes. I will be suffering. But, that included, I’ll enjoy it all.I know that with this band we can reach that place [of enjoyment] inthe end.
Post time 21-4-2010 10:27 AM
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Author
mekaseh ley 
t’s actually more about the flow rather than meaning. “thesilver shining” came and along that flow came “Niji.”But, in the means of composing, I think it was a trigger. There areincreasingly more cases where I can compose a song in no time, and Ithink this song may have been the trigger for that.
ompared to the past? Hmm, I don’t know. A guitar is aninstrument that can create an atmosphere through different techniques,like if you let it be there will be audio feedback and there’spick scrapes and so on. I have always believed that it can bring out anatmosphere and that hasn’t changed, but I think my focus in whatkind of atmosphere to express may have changed. In the past, I thoughtthere was a point of satisfaction after playing up to a certain point.Now, I’m starting to see that there’s no end.
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