僕たちはモントリオールで同じアパートに一緒に住んでたんだ。2006年ころかな。3人とも音楽に興味があったから、みんなで家にいるときは自分の楽器を引っ張り出して、一緒に音楽作りをしてた。[The] Slowest Runner [In All The World]っていうバンドを始めて、そこではきっちり組み立てられたインストゥルメンタル音楽をやっていたから、もっと即興的なものをやる場としてソンタグ・ショーグンがあったんだよね。このプロジェクトでは常に他よりちょっと実験的なことをやってきていて、プロジェクト単位で動いて、想像力とコラボレーションの原動力になってる。2011年には他のバンドは解散して、ソンタグ・ショーグンを僕らの音楽活動のメイン手段として位置付けた。ツアー、レコーディング、作曲にさらに力を入れ始めたのもこの時だね。
We are Jesse Perlstein, Jeremy Young and Ian Temple and when we play music together, we call ourselves: Sontag Shogun. We are from New York and we love some cats.
When and how did you start playing together as Sontag Shogun?
We all lived in an apartment together in Montreal around 2006. All three of us were interested in music so when we were all home we would take out our instruments and try to create music together. We started a band called [The] Slowest Runner [In All The World] which would play tightly composed instrumental music, so the three of us used Sontag Shogun as a way to do more improvised stuff. This project was always slightly more experimental, project-based and an engine for creativity and collaboration. In 2011, once the other bands had dissolved, we started to treat Sontag Shogun as our main musical avenue and that's when we started touring, recording and composing even more.
What inspires you to create music?
Jesse: Memories inspire me to create music. When I think about times lost I want to recapture them with/through sound.
Jeremy: I have always been interested in experimenting with relationships within sound. Timbres of instruments, reacting and changing the way we listen to environmental recordings, narrated text and found sounds. I am so often provoked to think about everything else going on around me when I'm listening tentatively, that part of my aim in composing electro-acoustic music or musique concrete is to reconstruct and alter the sonic landscape around me .
Do you have a concept when you start to make new record?
Yes and no. When we write music it is a collaboration between three people with three different ideas. All of our songs come from different points of inspiration, so when we bring them together for an album, we don't understand how they connect right away. Part of the recording process for us is to try to find connections between pieces that might sit next to each other. Especially with the inclusion of field recordings that we take while traveling, or commuting, many of our pieces become stories that literally depict our experiences. "Tale" is all about the places we've been, the memories that we've made, and the dichotomy between a frozen moment of the past, and the life it can still have within us as we take it to future places.
But when we take on a collaborative project, like dance or film for example, that music is entirely wrapped in the concept.
Why did you choose the group name "Sontag Shogun"?
Jesse was sitting on the couch painting Susan Sontag as a shogunate warrior in feudal Japan. We're not really sure why it came into his head that day but it has stuck ever since. See the attached painting.
How is the music scene in New York?
The scene in New York is very eclectic, like the city itself. You can really find everything here. We often find ourselves in the more underground sonic arts scene, which lends nicely to our style as well as communicating with like-minded artists and art-appreciators. Our music can sometimes seem too pretty for New York though.
You will come to Japan soon. We can't wait! How do you feel the Japan Tour?
We are so excited! We are preparing a lot and working hard to bring some of our new music to our Japanese fans. Sontag Shogun is officially back in the studio right now recording our next album, so expect to hear some brand new music! We're also super excited to be playing with tons of awesome artists, it's a dream come true.
And we will eat a ton of ramen.
I think this tour will be your first time Japan. How do you feel about "Japan"?
We have never been to Japan before and all 3 of us have always dreamed of coming! Japan to us is a land of dichotomy (the peaceful countryside we have only seen in samurai films and the pulsating, fast-paced life of the cities) which I think we capture in our music as well. While we don't know the Japanese language we are looking forward to communicating through sound and having many interesting experiences along the way! We're all pretty excited to be traveling across much of the country as well.
Right now we are working a new full-length studio album, as well as scoring a dance performance in NYC.
Please give a message to Japanese fans!
We can't wait to see you for Cherry Blossom Season! Come see us play and if you cannot make it listen to our music in your rooms and close your eyes and in your minds, join us.
INTERVIEW in January 2015
TRANSLATED by Naoko Yamada
TEXT by Masato Hoshino