LOOP WORLD was released just 10 months after Hoshikai no Shounen & the situation in the world has changed during that time

I think everyone felt the same , but during the period of self isolation , the uncertain feelings of obstruction continued & it was and is still really tough .

The reality is that the music industry as a whole is still in a difficult situation & it is not as good as before . LOOP WORLD was born from this current ongoing pandemic .

There seems to be a big reason for the release of LOOP WORLD during this timing

For the past 6 months , I've been doing online streaming events & I was able to do my best because there were people who watched it + I wanted the fans to be as positive as possible by delivering new songs .

So with this newfound passion , I decided I was going to release another new album & I thought I would personally announce it (during Oct's MOON SIDE STUDIO vol.3 -Gekka no Tegami-) .

LOOP WORLD was released 10 months after Hoshikai no Shounen but it is an album full of feelings that I wanted to convey & share now .

How did you spend your time during the self isolation period ?

For the 1st month , I didn't write much songs & stayed at home , but I soon realised that the COVID-19 situation will not improve anytime soon & due to this , BREAKERZ's 1st online streamed event via SHOWROOM happened in April .

After that , I did my 1st solo online streamed event in June & it was then I came across using a loop pedal (a device that can repeat recording & playback to overlap sounds) during the live broadcast .

Since then , I've been playing with the loop pedal all the time and I've utilised it when comes to arranging songs .

Some of the songs in LOOP WORLD were created with the loop pedal & the device made things I wanted to convey in the album more concrete , so in that sense the existence of online streamed events was great .

I can say that was a turning point for me as a musician .

You can't use the loop pedal without proper technique

It's really difficult . There is a rule when comes to doing recording & the arrangement of a song is like a puzzle . Also , if the timing of pedalling shifts , everything will shift .

If a mistake was made during a performance it can be fix but if a mistake was made while using the loop pedal , it will be repeated endlessly .

That's why I practice from about a month before I did my solo online streamed events . I'm used to it a little bit now but it's still very difficult .

The tension and technique you apply in the loop pedal could be seen in the LOOP WORLD promotional video

The loop pedal has a lot of facades . I recorded LOOP WORLD by myself using a loop pedal , so while it was difficult , I found the recording process fun .

I didn't used a manual as I came upon the loop pedal by chance .

When the sound is repeated , the same melody continues all the time yes ?

That's right . Even for songs that can be made to sound more complicated with a band arrangement , it is important for the loop pedal to show how the sounds do not collide with each other .

In addition , you have to think about how to make the code sound like it's changing . Even if it hits, there are times when it's OK as this was done by repetitive trial & error .

And the album comes with a concept story again & what message did you want to convey?

I came up with concept story quite late & I think there are many other unreasonable things that comes when you are alive & anxious about things which're not visible .

The important thing is the courage to take a step forward despite sadness & suffering . I've fleshed out the settings based on the current situation happening in the world & it's my desire to have power in order to move forward .

In addition to the loop pedal mentioned earlier , the word loop is also a keyword in the concept story

During the self isolation period , I lost my sense of time . I couldn't live properly , I couldn't make any plans for the future & I didn't know what day of the week it was today . I thought it would be the same day or no ?

That situation was exactly like a loop and In the “LOOP WORLD” , which is a loop arrangement of some past songs of mine , is a release that goes back to the past & LOOP WORLD is a release that goes towards the future .

Also , since LOOP WORLD is my 8th album , the two "0" s , which looks like circles, become "8" , and if 8 is laid down , it looks like an infinite symbol . I felt destined for all things related to the number 8 .

The number of songs included in both CDs of LOOP WORLD is 8 each & if you buy both versions of LOOP WORLD , the total cost is 8,888 yen & the staff pointed that out to me (laugh) .

When I realised that everything was connected , I thought that this should be the theme .

How about the visual aspect ? This time , the theme colour is light blue

LOOP WORLD has a light blue and gentle image , isn't it ? Until Hoshikai no Shounen , there were many dark songs in my discography , so this time round I wanted to add more positive sounding songs .

As a result , the visuals weren't terrifying , but rather I used more gentle colours . I used blue in the storybook & this time round I created everything almost by myself from making to writing & taking photos .

I was able to study a lot things because I had time & since I started doing live streaming , my commitment to visual arts has become stronger .

Certainly , the online live videos of yours have colours that pop & stand out

When I look at a video distribution site , the most important thing is whether the image is beautiful or not . When I pursued that avenue , I found that this camera was good and that camera lens was good & this process became more fun for me to experience (laughs) .

I often consult with professional photographers because I want to make videos that would entice viewers to watch them as compared to ordinary live videos .

Are all the songs in LOOP WORLD made after the self isolation period ?

No , there are some songs I wrote during the tour of my previous album Hoshikai no Shounen .

For LOOP WORLD & New “Today” , I changed both songs' melodies which originally were band arrangement to a loop pedal arrangement .

LOOP WORLD was done with a band arrangement with a piano at the end of last year or at the beginning of this year , but it didn't sound good . After a while , I played the song with the loop pedal and said , "This is it!"

With that in mind , I also finished creating New “Today” with a loop pedal.

As for the other instrumental songs , all of them were made after I decided to make an album with the loop pedal .

Please share more details on Maigo no Asa (1st track in LOOP WORLD)

The loop pedal is not used here because Maigo no Asa signifies the entrance to the loop world .

I have released some picture book videos via the MOON SIDE THEATRE YouTube channel & Maigo no Asa was used as the background music for Meiro no Hito picture book video which it has the image of children wondering around lost in the morning .

LOOP WORLD (song) - strong intention to overcome uncertain days and move on to the next step can be sensed

The song has the lyrics 'Tameiki wa Mask no Naka' . I also included the lyrics of a "NOW" situation rather than an imagination & the subsequent lyrics for the song naturally came out unexpectedly so soon .

This is similar when comes to creating a new sculpture . I knew the shape of the sculpture I wanted to create from the beginning & the more I worked on it , the more natural things fall into place .

As I said earlier , LOOP WORLD originally had a band arrangement , but for me to replace it with a loop pedal arrangement , the song's presence increased & it became the lead promo track of the album .

How about Yoru no Kemono ? (Track 3 in LOOP WORLD)

This might sound surprising but the drum like sound in Yoru no Kemono is actually the sound of me hitting the body of a guitar .

You get a different hitting sound depending on where & how you hit the guitar's body so I tried various things & thanks to that , I got better at hitting my guitar (laughs) ; xD

I asked the sound engineer to mix it , but since it's a loop play , basically everything I played is in my hands .

If the sound is not balanced during the time of recording , the sound engineer will be in trouble , so I changed the position of the microphone , fine tuned the adjustment of the sound distortion & things worked out well .

Yoru no Kemono has a dark chaotic atmosphere

During the period of self isolation , there was 1 night when I couldn't sleep .

I felt terribly anxious because I felt I can't live properly even though I was working on a schedule focusing on live performances . Only then did I realise that I was unexpectedly weak . I think that's reflected in the lyrics & melody in Yoru no Kemono .

And after Yoru no Kemono , 3 instrumental songs followed

Jukai

It was the first instrumental song I created with the image of loop play & I think it was the song that pulled up the instrumental section of LOOP WORLD .

Jukai has the impression of sounding dark but it has more of a fantasy image rather than scary . I think I was able to express that feeling well .

Hotarubi

It's a song I made with the hope that it could express a different world .

There is a picture in the storybook that looks like fireworks dancing & it expresses a world view that is beautiful but unusual .

Mayonaka ni Saku Hana

It's a song that has a Spanish flair to it .

The loop play was exciting for all 3 instrumental songs .

And the 7th song New “Today” originally had a band arrangement

This song's lyrics are addicted to the melody . Instead of lamenting changes , embrace them positively . The feelings given off by New "Today" and my current feelings are linked .

Time goes on and on , so it's up to you to change your new days into positive days . It's a song that you can play and feel good about yourself , so I would like all the fans to listen to this song and get well .

The last song Okaeri is a warm and gentle number as the title suggests

When I will physically meet the fans live again , I wanted to say "Welcome back" so I made Okaeri .

I created the rhythm using a banjo & I also included a jazz guitar in the melody . This's the only song in LOOP WORLD I used an electric guitar so it's an image of getting out of the loop world or stepping into a different world .

I wanted to use Okaeri as a prelude for my next album & I'm planning to showcase the song with a piano arrangement during my upcoming Christmas concert (AKIHIDE SPECIAL LIVE X'mas LOOP WORLD) , so please look forward to it .

You can physically meet fans during the upcoming Christmas concert that will take place on 19th Dec

That's right. Hoping to get out of this loop world , I would like to close 2020 with all the support musicians .

Before that , I did my 1st online streamed tour & I will perform 2 times on 19th Dec .

All the performances have different setlists which I think it's very interesting because the live stream changed the atmosphere and setlist according to the theme .

Is it possible to interact with fans during live streaming?

Of course , of course . Fans interaction is very important . If you send me a message , I can imagine the people who are watching it & it will help me even during the live performance .

People who are busy studying , working , raising children , people who live far away who cannot physically attend , people who are sick & cannot go out can participate online even if it's an online streamed concert .

I want to make the Christmas concert a stage that will lead everyone to the future together with the support members & staff . The songs from LOOP WORLD will also be rearranged in a Christmas setting ie. in a band arrangement , so please look forward to it .

As COVID-19 continues , LOOP WORLD is a ray of hope for fans to influence your work & performance positively

What I can do is make positive songs and perform live . I created LOOP WORLD because I have everyone & I hope that my new album will be the driving force for everyone .

I'm sure there are still some people who can't get out of the darkness but I think it's necessary to look into the future .

It's important to take a small step 1st & if you use LOOP WORLD as inspiration , something may change .

I think people can become stronger when they're able to co-exist with suffering & sadness, so let's start with a small step together .