Interview: Teruyuki Kurihara

Teruyuki Kurihara is a musician and the author of the side project Cherry. His releases have been issued on such labels as: Blue Tapes, Post Global Recordings, Organic Industries and others. Recently, Kurihara has joined ranks of the legendary German label Mille Plateaux with the release of his third album called Frozen Dust. Data.Wave couldn’t miss the opportunity to talk to Teruyuki and discuss this new album, while touching upon the most relevant questions about the artist.

Teruyuki Kurihara

1. Tell us about the Frozen Dust album. How did you come up with the idea to express two serious themes in your sound: Destruction and Creation?

The themes of destruction and creation are what I felt last year when my hometown was badly damaged by a typhoon

While nature gives us a lot, it can also take away what’s important from us in a second.I was deeply inspired by this magnificent nature, the opposite traits that it has, and this was the start of my idea.

With the inspiration and imagination, a few stories that represent the themes of destruction and creation came to my mind. I wanted the whole album to have a cohesive story, so I put them together like a soundtrack for a movie.

2. Why did you choose this name for the album?

There is a song called Frozen Dust on this album, and the song has all that I wanted to express; my fear of death, my obsession with living and my grief over the loss of a loved one.

That is why I named the album after the song.

3. How much have you worked on this release and what was the most challenging during its creation?

I think it took about three months. Some of the songs had been made many years ago.

The thing I struggled with most was the texture of the guitar’s sound. It wasn’t easy to get the ideal sound.

Cover

4. The Frozen Dust album combines ambient, elements of glitch and even IDM. What kind of style direction would you like to explore in your future albums? Have you already found your signature sound, or are you still looking for it?

I’m still in the quest of establishing my own style, and for that, ambient and minimal glitch are the directions that I would like to explore further into.

5. What makes ambient so interesting to you personally, and is there anyone in the ambient scene you consider an example to follow?

I personally think ambient music goes well with any environment or moods. You can play it while you are working or when you are in the zone to listen to it deeply, you can even feel the movement of very delicate sounds. That is what I find ambient so interesting.

I also like ambient music because it helps you relax.

Just to name a few, my favorite artists in the ambient scene are William Basinski, Oval, Gas, Tim Hecker, Vladislav Delay and the list goes on and on.

6. What kind of feelings would you like your music to carry to your audience?

I don’t particularly desire for my music to carry certain feelings or even my own feelings to the audience, I’m happy as long as they enjoy it in their own way.

Through my music, if they reach to the deep and inner world of the mind, that would be great.

7. Are you attracted by visual art? Would you like to try combining your music with video?

Yes, most definitely. I would love to collaborate with those visual artists who share the same ideas and creativity with me. I’m happy to be in touch if you are interested.

8. What’s your stance on live shows? Do you have any desire to play your own live shows, and have you ever done that before?

I’ve played in Japan and Australia, England, Germany but I would love to do more live performances on a regular basis. Like I said, collaborating with visual artists is one thing that I would be interested in trying in the near future.

9. What kind of set-up do you use to create music? Do you consider it to be perfect as it is or would you like to add any additional devices to it?

My main equipment is Elektron Monomachine, Machinedrum, Korg minilouge, Korg ES-1, Fender Japan Stratocaster, and Compact Effector.

I’m happy with my current setup and I actually don’t feel the need to add any more. I want good recording equipment like monitor speakers and audio interfaces though.

10. What modern Japanese musicians would you point out as noteworthy?

There are many Japanese artists whom I am fond of, but galcid, ENA, Takamasa Aoki, Kyoka, Shuta Yasukochi, Hakobune, and Chihei Hatakeyama are among many who I’ve been paying attention to for a long time.

11. What are your interests besides music? (Any hobbies or pastime activities)

I also draw, and the artwork for Frozen Dust was actually done by myself. I also like to collage. Please check my work on my Instagram.