A Talk with Matthias Müssig of Gan-Shin and Okami Records

Matthias Müssig is one of the presidents of Neo Tokyo and at the same time founding father of Gan-Shin Records, the first and biggest label for Japanese rock music in Germany and Europe, as well as Okami Records. It was about time to ask him for an interview that should grant us an insight to his work and the Japanese music scene in Europe.

The idea for the foundation of the label wasn't born overnight. In fact, we have to travel back in time for more than ten years. The two managers of the Neo Tokyo store in Munich, Germany, which originally specialized in the sale of manga and anime — some people also used to call them a nine days' wonder — traveled several times to Japan for business. Of course, they got in touch with several people there, and friendships began to grow. Over time, the range of items in the store became wider and customers started to ask Neo Tokyo to import music CDs from Japan directly. In some way, you can say that the great demand of customers for more supply within the store was an important factor in the decision to found the label. However, none of the persons concerned had come from the music industry, and in the end they leapt into dark waters — that's one of the reasons there were and still are several difficulties to overcome each day, including the political aspects of things.

The newly founded label Gan-Shin Records swiftly rose to become a cheap alternative for rock music made in Japan for local fans and opened up the possibility for artists like DIR EN GREY and D'espairsRay to venture into Europe. In the first years of its existence, several visual kei CDs were released throughout Europe. However, Gan-Shin realized pretty early that that wasn't enough. Due to that, Okami Records was founded in 2006. Okami Records became the new platform for metal and J-rock bands.

When we asked if the label chiefs could also imagine creating a sub-label for the increasing artists of the pop genre, Mr. Müssig revealed, "Should the general set-ups fit, we can't totally rule that possibility out." So, it remains unknown whether upcoming releases of Horie Yui or Hayashibara Megumi will find their way to Europe on a new label. So far, several singles and albums have become available via Gan-Shin Records as digital downloads.

During the interview, we were especially interested in questions about the biggest challenge when it comes to the release of Japanese music throughout Europe, for which we received some very interesting thoughts from Mr. Müssig. There aren't any big challenges, but many small ones, which don't only vary from artist to artist, but also include organizational aspects as well as politics and decreasing CD sales in Japan. Despite all that, Gan-Shin and Okami Records haven't lost their courage to move on.

Due to the fact that the label has existed for more than 10 years by now, we also wanted to know what changes in the Japanese music scene the persons behind the label have noticed and how the music in general has changed. The assessments done for these questions were pretty entertaining too. The label noticed changes especially when it came to artists who toured throughout foreign countries at least once: the more impressions and contacts they made abroad, the more they were able to use those experiences in their music and lyrics, which eventually led to changes in their work. Pretty logical in the end, isn't it? Furthermore, as Mr. Müssig mentioned, it became easier for Gan-Shin to bring more unique artists to Europe due to the changing circumstances within the Japanese music industry.

If you take a closer look at the featured artists of Gan-Shin Records and remember their origins, you'll realize quickly that most of them are from the visual kei scene. Because of that, we wanted to know how the label itself or the persons behind it would describe visual kei. "Of course, visuals are pretty important and it is also hidden within the name. But for me, visual kei stands for colourful, Japanese rock and metal music! Furthermore, I do think that the Japanese language is an important element of that musical style," answered Mr. Müssig. Despite all the ups and downs when it comes to the interest in visual kei across Europe, the label chief believes that the scene is still is very attractive for Europeans. A little different is the situation in East-Europe, where the label is recording a growing interest.

A bit of brooding later, we brought the businessman our question: "Which one of your bands, in your opinion, deserves better recognition in Europe?" In the end, Mr. Müssig stated the name of metal band Onmyo-za. However, the persons behind the label also wish that young bands such as DIV, Kameleo and UNiTE will make their breakthroughs there as well.

Next to the origins of the labels and general interest in Japanese music across Europe, we wanted to learn something about how downloads have affected Gan-Shin. During our talk with Mr. Müssig it became clear that although digital distribution has come to be very important for the label, the numbers aren't able to catch up with the proceeds from CD sales. The reason for this does not lie in a lack of interest, but in the modest commission that the label receives per digital sale in general. At this point in time, the label only receives an unbelievably modest commission of 0.03 cents per song it sells via digital distribution. In spite of these challenges, the label will continue moving forward.

While still on the subject of downloads, we also asked for the advantages and disadvantages of both the digital and physical formats. In the end, we received the following assessments: of course, the CD version means that music collectors will have something tangible in their hands. Furthermore, external bonus material can be featured without any problems. Compared to that, any download has the huge advantage of faster, more direct delivery and easier implementation. Design work can be dropped in most areas and another important point is minimal environmental pollution.

In our interview, we also discussed the longstanding collaboration between booking agency Twisted Talent and the labels. Mr. Müssig said, "We aren't only limited to Twisted Talent. We used to organize tours on our own, but when we could no longer handle them alone, we started working with many partners."

Gan-Shin Records had to search long and hard for a booking agency with experience in dealing with the wishes, problems and fears of Japanese artists. The label eventually found what they needed in Twisted Talent, where all employees are former rock musicians who had performed in Japan themselves and, because of that, also understand the culture.

A little more complicated was the answer to our question about a special memorable event for Mr. Müssig. It wasn't that there weren't any; on the contrary, they happen daily. He told us that he attended a DIR EN GREY live recently. "DIR EN GREY's shows in Japan are always enjoyable," he said on the phone.

But even just a funny event shouldn't be left unmentioned: "An amusing event we would like to share with the readers of JaME happened during a trip with our business partners to Japan in 2006. Among other things, we visited MUCC in their studio and realized that even in talented musicians, the heart of a geek and collector beats. Yukke had almost the entire studio lovingly decorated with soft toys and collector figurines. From "Nightmare Before Christmas" to M&Ms, everything was represented (photo below). And it seems as if the enthusiasm hasn't decreased, because in the behind-the-scenes video MUCC sent us recently, we discovered none other than Mr. Sumikko Gurashi Penguin on tour in Japan alongside MUCC. Maybe you will find him in the video yourself (video at the end of the interview)."



Let's take a look into the near future now. This month, the above-mentioned DIR EN GREY (but this time not in collaboration with Twisted Talent) as well as the four musicians of MUCC will return to Europe after a long absence. But there is also news in the release section. Currently in progress are the releases of Matenrou Opera, angela and T.M.Revolution.

Furthermore the label accepted an unusual collaboration with MAVERICK DC and Sony Music Japan, which was entitled J-ROCK EXPLOSION 2014 "BATTLE OF THE BRAVE". As part of that collaboration, Gan-Shin welcomed the lyrical quartet "Kanon" as well as the band umbrella into their midst. It remains interesting and exciting to see who and what Gan-Shin and Okami Records will bring to and release in Europe in the future.

To close our interview, Mr. Müssig left some words for you, which we won't hide: "Dear readers of JaME, since 2003, we have been able to live our enthusiasm for J-rock and visual kei as we bring bands to Europe and release their music here. Above all, we owe this to you and all fans of J-rock and visual kei out there. Thank you very much for your support! We hope that you will continue to follow us and that we can enjoy many unique lives together, such as the upcoming ones of MUCC and DIR EN GREY. We also hope to bring more great music over here and help let the bands we love get the acknowledgment that they deserve.

"If you should have a question or proposal of new bands for Gan-Shin and Okami Records, we're looking forward to your mail (info@gan-shin.de) or a message on both of our sites on Facebook: Gan-Shin Records and Okami Records. Perhaps we can't fulfill all of your suggestions and wishes but we're always looking forward to your tips!"




JaME would like to thank Neo Tokyo, Mr. Müssig, Mrs. Jacobi, Gan-Shin Records and Okami Records for making this interview possible.