Japan LoFi Records: interview with Thirsty Girl.
Japan has been sort of a dream for me since I was 5 years old... That’s also why it’s such a huge pleasure and honor for me to introduce to the world JapanLoFi Records and his founder, Thirsty Girl, with this interview.
[All images and photos from ig and twitter].
N: Who is Thirsty Girl? Why this name? Where are you from and how old are you?
TG: The name comes from my favorite Japanese rock band: in the 1990s and 2000s, there were two Japanese bands called Number Girl and bloodthirsty butchers.
Although they were not major bands, they are essential to the history of underground rock in Japan. I was a big fan of theirs. When I decided on my artist name, I borrowed a word from each of the two bands. That's how I came up with the name.
Also, I am 33 years old. I was born in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture, where I still live. “Morioka,” as discussed in the New York Times article, is the location of Japanolofi Records :-)
You’re also a beat maker. How long have you been producing for? What do you use to make beats? What are your main inspirations? Is there any artist that influenced you particularly?
I worked as a beatmaker for four months from June to October 2022. Originally, I played guitar in a rock band and provided music to vocalists as a composer. Recently, I have been commissioned to produce background music for streamers and theatrical accompaniment (cinematic background music) for video productions. In fact, my day job is a composer.
I learned beat making from my senior and A&R of Japanolofi Records, "KOHEI YOSHII". The DAW I use is Ableton Live and SP-404MKII.
My purpose for becoming a beatmaker was twofold: First, I wanted to try my hand at making my own LoFi Hip Hop, which I had listened to as a listener. My first influence was "LoFi Girl". However, while searching for LoFi Hip Hop on Spotify, I learned that there is a wide variety of beats in the world. I was impressed and wanted to make one myself.
The second was to establish a track record for establishing the label. As will be discussed in more detail below, we felt that in order to establish a LoFi/Chillout label, we needed to have a minimum track record. Therefore, we began applying to labels overseas.
With the support of KOHEI and friends, we were able to release songs on a variety of labels, one of which made the Spotify One of the songs made it to the Spotify editorial playlist, which was enough of an accomplishment for me. Of course, I still love LoFi beatmaking. I'm a busy owner and don't have much time for production, but I'd love to release new music when I get the chance.
When “Japan LoFi Records” was born and where? And why? What are the goals of the label? Who are the members of the team?
Japanolofi Records was founded in October 2022. I started preparing for the establishment of the label around July of the same year. I enlisted the help of my best friend and business partner, Damon Broussard, owner of Tsunami Sound. With his support, we signed a contract with DashGo, one of the biggest distributors in the industry. We are the first Japanese online label to sign with them.
Japanolofi Records is a fully organized music label with specialists in each field on its management staff. Each staff member is able to utilize his or her skills and experience.
For example, one of our management staff, a female beatmaker named "Yotsugi," has excellent language skills. She can communicate smoothly with artists from all over the world. She also has knowledge and work experience in legal matters and is an expert in "contracts. She is in charge of drafting contracts with artists and scrutinizing contracts in business-to-business transactions. With her, we have never had any difficulties with contracts. She is a very talented woman.
We have another staff member named TAKESY. He is a web engineer and designer who manages our official website. He is an all-rounder who can take charge of all operations and plays a central role in the label's management.
For A&R, the face of the label, we have appointed KOHEI YOSHII, who is one of the most accomplished Japanese LoFi beat makers. He is my mentor and the father of the label. It is because he was close to me that I made the decision to establish Japanolofi Records.
In addition, the chief designer of the label is streethider. He is a collage designer with a style reminiscent of Banksy and has a large fan base. There are several designers and illustrators on the label, but streethider's artwork is the symbol of the label.
Finally, about the label's goals. We have three goals and organizational philosophies: to establish LoFi/Chillout in the domestic music scene, to expand the interpretation of LoFi/Chillout, and to discover and nurture young and female beatmakers. Achieving these goals is our mission and goal.
Japan LoFi Records started the new year in the best way possible, releasing an amazing compilation with a lot of dope producers from different countries. I’m deeply honored and grateful to the label because a beat of mine has been chosen. Arigato! Who are the other producers and where are they from? And what does “Wabi to Sabi” mean? Why this title?
Really good question! Most of the producers in this compilation album is from Japan.
The title "Wabi to Sabi" comes from the Japanese word,"Wabi” “Sabi". Also, the "to" in between has the meaning of "and" in Japanese.
"Wabi" refers to a mind that feels that there is beauty in things that are modest and frugal. In other words, it is a mind that finds beauty in simplicity. On the other hand, "Sabi" refers to the mind that finds beauty in the changes that appear with the passage of time. Things in this world change over time, becoming dirty or chipped, but this is not deterioration, but beauty. These are aesthetic senses that have existed in Japan for a long time, and It is similar to the LoFi genre we are working on!
We are a label based in Japan, so we wanted to represent our cultural background into this album title, so that we can representative our uniqueness to the world.
What is “LoFi” for you? What does it mean? And what is “hip hop” for you?
I don't want to sound too oblique, but this is truly a turning point in my life. through Lofi Hip Hop, I have met many friends and have had a fulfilling life. If I had not had this encounter, I strongly feel that I must cherish this happiness.
Do you have any plan to do also physical release of the compilations, like cassette tapes or vinyls? And what about merchandising? Who is the graphic designer of the dope logo of Japan LoFi Records?
Currently, we have no plans to sell cassette tapes or records. However, we are always looking into merchandising, and in the future we would like to merchandise and sell not only cassette tapes and records, but also a variety of other goods.
The label's logo was decided upon after discussions and brushing up by all the staff. In that sense, the graphic designer is the entire staff.
It was my wife who finally gave shape to the design.
Are you planning any event in Japan to showcase live sets of the artists of the label and to present the several projects?
That's an interesting idea! I hadn't thought of that idea at this point, but I'll consider it!
I love Japanese food and I can’t wait to try the REAL one in person when I’ll be there. What is your favorite local food? And what is your favorite spot? Do you have any suggestion for a hungry tourist coming to your beautiful country?
Japan has many local foods, but ”kyabetsu yaki” is the best! ”Kyabetsu" means cabbage.
It's a popular food in the Kansai area, so if you're ever in the area, stop by and try some for yourself!
Especially the “Kyabetsu yaki” they serve in Namba, Osaka, is shockingly good!
If you want to see the sights, go to any of the big shrines. The torii gate, which is the motif of our label's logo, can be found at shrines in Japan.
What we recommend to tourists is to please enjoy the authentic taste of Japanese food, such as sushi, which is also available in your country. You will enjoy the best and most authentic flavors!
I bet that many fans of Japan LoFi Records are also Hayao Miyazaki movie fans… Do you also like them? If so, what is your favorite one? What do you thing about Studio Ghibli? And what’s your favorite anime in general?
Of course, I too am an admirer of the works of Hayao Miyazaki. Studio Ghibli is Japan's best animation creator group.
However, in addition to the works directed by Hayao Miyazaki, there are other works created by other directors at Studio Ghibli. And those are good ones too!
My personal favorite is "Umi ga Kikoeru”. It is a clumsy love story about boys and girls in Hiroshima. It is not a dramatic story, and the overall storyline is not very impressive, but the taste of the animation and the realistic storyline, which is close to the real world we live in, will always leave you with a small impression after watching the film.
My favorite non-Ghibli animated film is “Black Lagoon”. Actually, I like films with gangsters in them!
What are your plans for 2023? And what about Japan LoFi Records?
We are different in 2023. We are planning many measures to make our label more widely known. In Japan, Pops, Rock, and HipHop with rap music make up the majority of the music scene. We want to establish a LoFi scene here.
To achieve this, we believe it is important for us to have an influence on the world, and our staff members are always looking for ways to achieve this.
We are also constantly looking at ways to reach out directly to the Japanese market.
We will continue to excite our listeners and provide them with the best LoFi experience possible.