Making Music is Prison

 

A confession.
This is tough.

We are just about to record “Nabeshima”, the most important album about which I’ve been talking for a while now.

We’ve been in preparing stage in the past several months, and this is already tough.

The reasons, I’m not going to tell you here.
Musical complexity, the skill it requires, the sound I’m trying to achieve, the circumstances, too many songs (this is a double album), limited resources such as time and money. There is much more and I’m not telling you.

 

I was thinking about hiring world class players for this project. That is, of course, not realistic. Not only because we don’t have a big budget but also it will lack the authentic feeling. It means we have to deal with this very difficult piece of music by ourselves.

 

I was thinking about starting this “Patreon” thing and share the recording process with our supporters (audience).
But we couldn’t because we didn’t have enough time and resource to set up and run it properly. (Maybe sometime later…)

 

Can we record some video footage of the recording process and post it on YouTube? No. Unfortunately we can’t. Not only we don’t have a resource for that, but also it will affect the recording quality. Because this is SO INTENSE. We have to really focus on the work. (Do you know the Japanese fairy tale about a crane weaving cloths? When she is weaving those cloths, she should not be seen by anyone.)

 

Especially for me (Tak), when I’m working on music, when I’m in “creative mode”, I can’t do anything else. Because “recording”, “making music” to me is very intense process. It puts such a heavy burden on me, physically emotionally spiritually, I can’t concentrate on other things.

 

In modern age it’s all about the internet. It’s all about social networks right now. But we are not really good about doing those self promotion. (A lot of my favorite bands are not.)

Maybe you think it’s all about balance.
You might say you can do those self promotion and social things while you make music.

However it’s not possible.
Business things, social things and “making music” (art things) are not compatible. They use different parts of your brain.

Sometimes you can, when the workload is light. But when the work is “intense”, you can’t. (That’s why modern musicians don’t actually make music anymore.)
And we are right now working on the most difficult album we’ve ever done.

It is a very lonely job. Sometimes I feel like I’m severed from the world. Sometimes I wonder how lonely it can be to make music.

 

But this is something we have to do.
Because this “Nabeshima” is The Ultimate Japanese Christian Metal we believe in.

I’m not going to explain the detail, but this Nabeshima music is “Full Circle” for us. This is our musical goal. This is our spiritual goal.

After making this album, we can be free. Free for the first time.
We can come back to earth and communicate with people. I’m hoping we can communicate with the world for the first time.

Until then, we are in this music making prison.
But if it’s the mission God gave us, we must do it.

Thank you for your support.
Thank you for your prayer.
See you soon when we get the job done!!

Tak / Imari Tones