the kind of music I write hasn't changed at all. Then and now, all the music I've written has a mysterious consistency.
Q7. What is your future ambition?
Interview with Mr. Hiroki Kikuta (Released on September 16th, 2007)
"A long awaited interview is here... We interviewed Mr. Hiroki Kikuta a year ago, when he released his first original album, LOST FILES. Some time has passed, and now his second album, Alphabet Planet, has been released. So here, at last, are Mr. Kikuta's responses. We hope you enjoy this interview, and get to know him more."
Question1. Do you have any plans to work on
non-game music projects in the near future (such as film music or solo albums)?
Answer1. As far as future projects go, nothing's been determined yet. However, I'm
planning to release my old TV anime scores, like "The Legend of Snow White" and
"The Adventures of Robin Hood", on CD. I'm also thinking about making a
completely original concept album. I haven't decided what the music will be like
yet, but my idea for the title is "Fermi's Last Theorem".
I'm always open to interesting offers from anyone, no matter what their country
of origin, or what genre the project's in (games, animation, etc).
Q2. Who would you say has been the biggest
influence on you, musically?
A2. If I think about artists who have really influenced me, especially artists
whom people overseas would be familiar with, the one who comes most immediately
to mind is Prince. Early on in my career, I was really influenced by the
progressive rock styles of Yes and ELO, and also by techno-pop like Devo, but it
was really listening to Prince's music that formed my musical aesthetic and made
me aware of the need for originality.
I strive to create works that are striking and artistic, but also melodious and
imbued with a sense of pop.
Q3. What instruments can you play?
A3. Acoustic guitar, Synthesizer and Trombone
Q4. What were the circumstances behind your decision to release Lost Files?
A4. It came about when I was doing a big spring cleaning, and turned up DAT
tapes and floppy disks from the synthesizer I'd used in my mid-20's. That kind
of stuff tends to deteriorate with age, but when I tried playing the material
back, I was overjoyed to find all the data was still intact, and everything
sounded just as it had long before. In contrast to the way I work now, a lot of
the music was unfinished, but it still had a really nice atmosphere and tone,
and I thought my fans would enjoy hearing it. So that's why I put Lost Files
together.
Q5. When you're composing, do you prefer to be given guidelines to follow, or
do you prefer to work freely with no input?
A5. I basically don't compose as if for
presentation. Of course, I'm composing for work, so I have to make my music
useful and relevant to the project to a certain degree, but by and large, I
write what I want to.
If I can't compose freely, I can't put my soul into the process, and the music
becomes a mere series of sounds or symbols.
Q6. Do you have any particular thoughts towards Lost Files? Do you have a message for fans about what to listen for in Lost Files?
A6. Lost Files is full of pieces I included on
the demo tape I submitted to Square to get hired. I was only 28 at the time, so
when I listen to them now, I can hear the sound of my own inexperience. But I
also realized that
the kind of music I write hasn't changed at all. Then and now, all the music
I've written has a mysterious consistency.
Q7. What is your future ambition?
Q7. I've said this in another interview as well, but I'd like to do a musical. The medium doesn't matter to me, whether it's through a games, film, or animation. My dream is just to do an upbeat musical with singing and dancing.
Q8. Do you have a message for your fans overseas?
A8. Please check out my new CD "Alphabet
Planet", which contains the soundtrack to an online game. The game concept was
light and refreshing, so I tried to compose lighthearted music that could be
listened to everyday. Outside of that, I'm also planning to release some
dramatic orchestral music and some remixes this year, so please look forward to
that.
Something I'd really like to do, and it's just an idea, is to have a concert
overseas. Just the other day, I was interviewed by a fan of mine from California. It really makes me happy to know that I've got fans abroad, which is something I never expected. I love traveling, and I think getting to play a show
and interact with fans in another country would be really interesting. But, I'm
not even doing shows here in Japan, so that would probably take first priority
(Laughs).
-- End of the Interview--
We would like to thank for Mr. Hiroki Kikuta to have this special interview with us. We hope all of you enjoyed it! Here are the links to his webpage and the order page for the albums.
Hiroki Kikuta's Official Website
His 1st album, LOSTFILES is available for order from VGMWORLD.COM
His 2nd album, Alphabet Planet is available for order from VGMWORLD.COM
~Interviewed by Kahori Ezaki (CocoeBiz., L.L.C.) Contents Translated by James McCawley. Contents may not be reproduced or published without the permission of CocoeBiz., L.L.C.~