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CATCHING UP
WITH FPM, DESUTomoyuki Tanaka, AKA, Fantastic Plastic Machine, is busying himself in the studio for his third full-album.
Bon Voyage! And welcome back to the Fantastic Plastic World of Tomoyuki Tanaka, otherwise known to you and I as Fantastic Plastic Machine. It has been two years since Tanaka wowed music critics and fans alike with "Luxury," his second album and the follow-up to 1997's dazzling "The Fantastic Plastic Machine." But lucky for us, the DJ/ producer/remixer/former magazine editor is back in the studio hammering out tunes for his next album, due out for release on Avex this November and for a Spring 2001 release in the US and Europe.
So where's Tanaka been and what has he been doing these past two years? Working on side projects mostly, including a collaboration with Yasuharu Konishi of Pizzicato Five and Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. And DJing. A lot. Following Luxury, the Tokyo-based Tanaka toured extensively, playing just about everywhere on the international club circuit. According to Tanaka, the experience got him to thinking about new ideas and was an important influence in developing the direction for his next album.
"When I went on tour after ["Luxury"], I was DJing in a lot of different styles. I saw so many good DJs in Europe, America, and Japan. I got something out of seeing all these different DJs and their work. When I saw a DJ play a really great set, I always made notes to myself of the ideas I was getting and the new things I could do."
Born and bred in Kyoto, Tanaka worked as a regular DJ in the Kansai club scene in the early and mid 90s, working under the moniker "Sound Impossible." From the beginning, he had been interested in a wide range of sounds, rhythms, and genres that have clearly been brought to bear on his own compositions: Everything from Bach to Burt Bacharach and Serge Gainsbourg to Bossanova, house music and obscure 1960s film soundtracks. Even muzak.
"In a department store elevator, you can hear bad, cheesy music (muzak), but it's also easy to listen to. I thought about this one day, and said to myself, "Ah, that's kind of funny," so I decided to use muzak melodies in my songs."
Both Luxury and The FPM showcased Tanaka's gift for penning catchy pop melodies and working long-phrase samples into diverse sounds and beats. But Tanaka says that to continue creating songs in the same vein as his previous albums offers no challenge, though he is still, admittedly, a junkie for mixing up genres.
"With the new album, I really care about matching disparate sounds - totally different kinds of music - together into the songs. But I want to make my music more natural and get beyond a kind of formula. The live use of sampling techniques is getting to a higher level. These days, anyone can do a sample - it's so easy. I've become bored with it."
"I need to do new things. Lounge, bossanova - these genres are easy to know, but I want to make a genre that no one has tried yet. Of course, it's an ambitious idea, but I want to do it anyway. This is my challenge. I would like to think of myself as an originator, so I want to keep myself meeting the challenge of taking the music to the next step - taking it to a new level."
Despite the amalgam and variety of musical influences, and a desire to push the boundaries of his own innovations, Tanaka's first two albums came across as the ultimate "bachelor pad" records. They seemed beautifully designed for an urbane hipster jet-setting between international airports and winding down on vodka Martinis. Track Four of The FPM is, aptly enough, titled "Bachelor Pad," which, along with the song "Fantastic Plastic World" from the same album, was used in the film "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me." It was a perfect match.
Whether the new album would be the kind of disc Austin Powers would find "groovy" is for long-winded, late-night speculation over red wine. But Tanaka is sure of his mission and what to expect: less sampling, more R&B, older jazz forms and orchestral music, and a guest appearance by an American soul music legend.
"Part of the challenge for me now is writing a track using old instruments, like using a Mellatron, with house music. For this track, I have contacted Isaac Hayes about singing the vocal. I will know soon whether or not he will do it."
"Of course, I will continue to work with the sounds I've always liked, but this time I'm cutting back on the amount of phrase sampling. You won't hear as much sampling on this album. The new sound will use free soul, swing, and classical music.
Incorporating melodies with live string arrangements is the important thing I want to work on. Of course, I'm going to continue to make and spin dance music in creating my 'club sound,' the two-step beat. I just want to make sounds with an open mind."
The portly 33-old Tanaka says he hasn't decided yet on a title for the next album, but for now he's thinking of calling it "Beautiful." "The key word of my image for this album is 'beautiful.' Beautiful people, beautiful life, beautiful days. Such a nice word." Tanaka says he got the idea after killing idle time between recording takes by flipping through Japanese men's magazines that were lying around the studio. "Looking at the beautiful women in the magazines gives me energy, gives me power. It's something simple, but beautiful in everyday life."
With the November release of "Beautiful," "Beauty," or whatever the album will be called, looming on the horizon, Tanaka will be busy in the studio and performing, including appearances at Fuji Rock 2000, New York's annual Summer Stage music fest, plus a visit to Philadelphia for some recording and then to Ibiza, Spain. In October, he will play the CMJ Music Festival and make a promotional tour to Los Angeles in preparation for American and European tours next year. Until then, Monsiuer Tanaka, Bon Voyage and welcome back to your Fantastic Plastic World.
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