CENTRAL_

1980s: the new wave’s storm arrived. Working in a record shop, I was completely struck by that. For a skilled professional musician, it was antithetical. Rock was considered an industry, and it was clear that it had been corrupted: that moment was like a counterpunch. Unrelated to the Billboard charts, and exciting everybody’s personal desire, that three chords music was a dreadful storm. It was and act similar to what Godard did, who, without caring about the camera shake, turned out on the streets with a hand camera and filmed everything he wanted. It was a small revolution. I had already left my band, but I strongly wanted to do something to join that movement. At that time, a personal multitrack recording device on cassette tape became available for the first time, and I immediately bought one.
With the TEAC 144 it is possible to record on four tracks four different instruments or voices. First, the rhythm is recorded. Luckily I was a drummer, but unfortunately I wasn’t a good one. Instead, I have plenty of ideas. I couldn’t do it with only my skill, but because I could try many different rhythms, I played the drum with great energy and enthusiasm. Then, the electric guitar. I tried some cuttings like the Talking Heads, and I looked for some strange effects using a device that produces a sound called phase shifter. When I played in the band, I used to call myself “the man with seven voices”, so I put all my efforts in singing. Maybe it was a scary scene for anyone of my family, to see me with the headphones on making weird noises, but I didn’t care. I listened to all those exciting music that arrived in the record shop, and I listened to it in a critical way: for me, in that moment, I had the chance to express myself without any restrictions.
(Mitsutoshi Takesue)