Interview, Mix Speaker's,Inc.Mix Speaker’s,Inc. in 5 minutes by Mr. X
At the present time, the world in which angels and demons, monsters, fairies, humans coexist is starting to crumble. Again, night after night humans are being attacked by a group of monsters. It seems that such regrettable incidents are frequent…… Under the gravity of this situation, I gathered Little Angel, Little Devil, Skeleton Witch, Digi Vampire, Big Franken and Moon Wolf, and for the sake of world peace begged the six of them to combine and lend me their strengthIt’s pulling on fate’s thread, the six members who had gathered by mistake, and the people appearing surrounded by that --. Everyone, as witnesses of the era、with those eyes, I want you to soundly record their activities from here on after. From there, information about Mix Speaker's,Inc.’s activities is here.
poketto no naka ni wa
JUNK STORY■It has a feeling like Gekidan Shiki. (Gekidan Shiki is a theatre company)This is something incredibly important. So-net Music(from not on So-net)：What were the circumstances under which you 6 gathered?AYA（G／picture: second from the right）：Before this band, all of us, except for YUKI, played in a short-term session band. Through that we thought, let’s make a band we can really put it all into. The beginning was moving with MIKI. Then it was decided that we would play together with S and keiji. We found YUKI living in Kyoto and drug him in (laugh). Lastly we seek stayed.
So-net：You’re known as Creation・Creator Group.seek（B／picture: far left）：Regarding the theme we chose, we thought about what kind of things could we do using more than just music, we came up with a lot of different ideas and ingredients. Without being trapped in the frame of “band,” we thought it would be good if we went and did various possibilities.
So-net： So you’re saying from there the concept of the company form and monsters was decided. seek：We wanted to incorporate construction and assembly into the band name, so we added Inc. The Monster thing had already come out.
AYA：It has the feeling of Gekidan Shiki. (Theatre Company in Japan)
So-net：Gekidan Shiki?Unison：(laugh)
seek：This is really complicated, but it’s really important. Apart from this logo (the logo of the current band’s name) there is one more, something called a company logo. For Gekidan Shiki, the logo is “CATS.”
So-net：Are you talking about your repertoire？seek：Yeah, repertoire. If the band name itself changes it’ll be a problem, and whenever the repertoire changes we’ll change the logo.
So-net：So why did you take up monsters as your first repertoire/gimik? AYA：I wanted to use special effects makeup. I thought that the way we could work that a lot was with monsters.
So-net：Normally, doesn’t having a band means having a lot of different faces? keiji（G／picture: second from the left）：In the beginning it’s feeling it out. If there are members with that kind of experience, or are they complete strangers. Then it’s like, has everyone finally meshed?
S（Dr／picture: far left）： At first playing monsters was hard work, but lately I’ve come to understand that that it’s this sort of thing.
So-net：At your second one-man, 6 new monsters appeared. seek： This is again important! You’re likely to think it was just a mere costume change, but right now we’re each playing two parts. Depending on the story, it’s possible that the cast will increase. There’s a story, and we go with that, we’re thinking and going with live and musical development.
So-net： In what ways is the story reflected in the songs?keiji：From having a story, we pick songs that match that scene.
AYA： Most of the songs have a theme. Characters and such.
So-net：Not just world view, you use a lot of harmony, and there are places where you make us listen to the song. AYA：Their voice quality is similar, so when they harmonize it’s very beautiful.
YUKI（Vo／picture: third from left）： When we tried to join, the truth is it was incredibly similar. But the characters are completely different, so depending on the song MIKI does the main, or I do the main and such. We’re having you listen in that sort of way.
So-net：Besides that, at lives you use the change of the beat of the music.seek：At the one man show two months after we began formal activities, it was good if people know the beat. In that extreme, the song “Friday Night Busters” is a means of fliping the beat like this.
AYA：I don’t think there are many songs where, though it’s the same song the beat changes. Normally, if you do it people don’t really like it. I think one twist suits us.
■”MONSTART” Family” will become the first chapter in a new story So-net：As the story progresses, next there should be a new basis for the songs, right? seek： That I think “MONSTART” Family is becoming a song that hints as to what will develop from here.
keiji： From the songs we made before we decided on the theme of Monstart Family, we picked those that we thought “wouldn’t this match?” but.
So-net：Pop and catchy and easy to listen to. keiji： Speaking from the original piece of music, with just the bridge left, the rest was a different thing. More manic and a piece that’s not at all coming out like the song before.
AYA： The third song is like that, but that’s talking of the past. In an old-fashioned sound there’s a pipe organ and such, and we used that sort of sound.
So-net：It’s an old story that traces back time. seek： Mr.X wanted us to come out with Pandora’s Box at the end of the second one-man. In this song, we thought to explain Mr. X “Really my family, but”… or so returning to Mr. X’s stories of childhood.
MIKI（Vo／picture: third from right）： About 1000 years ago.
seek：There are a lot of key words.。
So-net： Key words like red and blue? seek： Father is the red one, Mother is the blue one, and the two children are effected differently. That’s the theme song for that family.
(*note* seek and S say two different things, but my guess is seek messed up here and the red one is the mom, the blue is the dad – unless Adam Dragon is supposed to be the female…)
MIKI： You get that feel from the title.
seek： It’s a story about the beginning period, when there weren’t monsters in the world. The third cast will appear!
S： It’s Mr.X’s family.
seek： When Mr.X was a little kid.
So-net： Before that, Mr.X is telling the story in the third song “Episode of Pandora.”seek： We want to give an end that says “this continues” in the third song so that people will understand this story. Aya made a sort of rearranged form of the song we use as an opening for lives “Monster Start Instrumental” as a motif. It’s expressing a scene that shows Mr. X’s part of the fable.
So-net：That six heroes come out has a deep meaning too. seek：Right now, actually, with Mr. X included wasn’t it seven? (wry smile) But that puts the story together.
■Continuing with the sold out one man tour in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka, coming releases, and next year's one man.So-net：You also recorded the group of three songs in which you split into units of two. seek： I think this feels like it expresses the pattern of it’s Friday night and there’s a monster party at the company. But if there’s suddenly a dark song the party feel becomes zero.
So-net：That’s Miki and keiji’s lonely 3/4 beat song “Digital Romance.” keiji： Actually, it’s a song that didn’t mesh but seems like it does. In me Miki was the theme.
MIKI： I don’t know that, the theme was at that time keiji’s Digi Vampire, sort of dark, Dracula image.
keiji： The results were okay, like we did good. It went well for a whole different reason.
MIKI： We brought it to a dark place together.
So-net： Continuing with songs that have flavor and atmosphere, if you notice, lets go onto the next, seek and S’s “dekoboko chidouchuu” (“in an uneven strange road”).seek： I wanted to do something that sounded like one song and looked like Aya had remixed it. The limit of what two people can do looks like it’s about here, I thought. Neither of us ever sing.
S： But we got together and talked a lot!
seek： Ah, can I speak truthfully? We didn’t really talk much.
S： Why would you say such a thing?
Together：（laugh）
seek：S doesn’t do anything. Even after the song is made he only says “Ah that’s good,” or “That sucks.” So around there is the feeling of together “in an uneven strange road.”
So-net：The medly ends with Yuki and Aya’s “MASK DE NIGHT.”AYA： I wanted to do a masked ball theme, but mixed with Juliana and a modern masked ball. The two of us practiced dancing and stuff.
YUKI： Initially there was harder furi, but we went with the more simple furi.
AYA： We went with it so that, the instant it was seen, you could do it.
So-net：After the three song CD is released, you have a tour through Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka. seek： Thankfully the three places are sold out, and we’ve decided to do a live January 4th at Shibua O-East. Also a single comes out on December 19th. This is a Christmas song, and it has the feel of something planned. Also, the live DVD from Kinema Club comes out on December 7th. If people who haven’t seen us yet watch this DVD, I think the development can be more fun.
●Text／村山 幸
