Natchin: Exclusive interview

Our meeting with Natchin was set for 5 p.m. in the restaurant of an important hotel in Shibuya. Like our interview with DAITA, his manager arrived a little before he did in order to help set up the interview. Natchin arrived, hidden behind a small black hat and majestically greeted us. The interview then started.

You have a very specific playing style that is all yours. You play around with sounds a lot in order to create strong and catchy melodies which, when your voice is added in, feels like a dream. When I especialy think of On soul, Itsumademo or Far away, I get this feeling and it makes me shiver. Is this the effect you were looking for?
Natchin: Yes, these were the songs I had in some corner of my mind from the time Siam Shade was disbanding and when I composed my first solo album. Far away and On Soul can be found on my second album, Stand. They actually sum up everything I went through and felt when the band split. Finding your own style is very complicated but the basis remains the same. But sometimes, I happen to compose something and think "Ah, this is cool". Then, I wake up the next morning and compose the same tune again and think "Eh? Well, maybe it's not so good..."

Do you happen to change something in your compositions at the very last minute, even after everything is set and the musicians have been chosen?
Natchin: Yes. I do not change the basis of the song but if someone has an interesting idea that I agree with, the song may of course change at the very last minute.

Was it after Siam Shade disbanded that you began to think about singing?
Natchin: Oh yes, but way after we disbanded! (laughs) It was about six months after the split actually. I thought about it a little and decided that I should sing.

When you began singing, did you have any problems with it or was it easy or natural for you?
Natchin: Oh no, it was nearly impossible! (laughs) I had to learn to sing because when I was a member of Siam Shade and singing was something I wasn't even thinking of at all! (laughs)

Since your solo career began, did your music and style change?
Natchin: Several things have changed in me since I've started. It would either be the way I compose, record, my attitude during concerts and so on...

Your first album is called Faith. Some of the tracks have very strong and militant English lyrics and it's almost of you wanted to grab the listener's attention and make sure that they lead their own lives and don't let others walk all over them. It's especially apparent in the songs No Restraints and Tobira. Is there any special message you're trying to convey?
Natchin: Yes. Actually, in both of these songs I say "you" to express what I would say to myself. The message I want to give to listeners is what I say to myself.

You left your studies after High School in order to make your band work and it's apparent that no one could've made you change your mind. Does this coincide with the lyrics of some songs? For example when you sing "No one can tell you what you have to do, do what you wish"?
Natchin: Well, in my life, I always run forward and defend my ideals. Even when people sometimes disagreed, I went forward and listened to no one but me. The English lyrics were written by an American, Tim, and he's helped me since the Siam Shade days. (note: Tim is the tall and large guy that appears in Siam Shade's Dreams PV.) Whenever I compose a song, he has to write the lyrics and he asks me what I want to express. I then answer that I want to sing about my life. As we've known each other for a long time, Tim knows what I like and usually writes the English lyrics accordingly.

The songs Awake and Stand have a hard rock sound. Have you thought about exploring other musical styles in the future?
Natchin: Right now, I'm composing music specific to the way I play the bass. The vocal part is a bonus! (laugh)

What about instrumental pieces?
Natchin: No instrumentals, but I've composed more songs than I first thought of when I began. So now, I think of doing music related to the way I play the bass.

On your website, you said you play with a fretless bass. Do you want to compose with this kind of bass?

(note: On a bass or guitar, rectangular areas called "frets" are laid out on the instrument's neck by metal bars in intervals. By locating a certain fret according to it's fret bar or marker, a musician will know the precise location to place their fingers at to create an "in tune" note or chord. On "fretless" instruments, the fret markers are removed and the instrument thus requires intense mastering to make the perfect notes. It also allows the musician to create different sounds.)

Natchin: Yes, it will be a part of future compositions.

Will these pieces be a little more mature? More jazzy?
Natchin: No, I want to find new ways to play the bass rather than the same old "usual" style.

It seems as though your fans want to hear both styles.
Natchin: I always play the bass seriously, whether it's on stage or as a session musician in a studio. I try to express how important the bass is. But, I would prefer doing it with my own compositions.

Right now, you're playing bass for singer Aikawa Nanase. Does this help give you ideas for your own compositions?
Natchin: When you play something that other musicians have composed, you may discover new styles and interesting rhythms. You can learn a lot from that.

When you compose, where does your inspiration come from? Perhaps a recent experience to tell about?
Natchin: Well, it depends. Several things may inspire me, like movies for example.

What kinds of movies have you watched recently?
Natchin: Mainly action movies. I don't only go to the theatre but I also watch moves on TV. As soon as I get an idea I head straight to the studio to compose.

So, depending on the movie you're watching, whether it's a rather violent one or a love story, you will compose according to the mood of the movie?
Natchin: Yes. I really like action movies and I enjoy composing in this kind of mood.

You also produce your own music. Tobira is a very rhythmic song that makes you want to dance when you listen to it. Are you inspired by other bands you like or are the songs the result of your own imagination?
Natchin: Even when it's not very obvious, I think I was influenced the most by musicians I loved a long time ago.

Did you listen to American hard rock?
Natchin: Yes, of course and I loved the band, Journey. I recently re-listened to them and I thought that their style was rather different from mine.

But you have some things in common. Your hard rock is a very direct style like theirs.
Natchin: Oh, really? I really listenend to them alot and their music penetrated the core of my soul. I don't listen to them very much now but when I was a student, I listened to them as well as Duran Duran, Toto and Asia. I also listened to metal bands from Los Angeles and began to like hard rock.

What kind of artist would you like to become?
Natchin: As a solo artist or even as a session musician, I don't want to only work in a studio. I still want to play on stage and be face to face with the audience. I would like to go forward and keep expressing myself through music.

Are there any musicians you would like to collaborate with?
Natchin: There are several. I won't say who or what nationality they are but there's many. I never thought about it while I was with Siam Shade but now that I've began my solo career, I'm able to be a session musician for other artists. Recently, I've played with other bands for different events and I really enjoyed it and would like to continue on doing that.

What advice would you give to young bassists that wish to one day compose?
Natchin: Right now, I'm playing with Marty Friedman (ex Megadeth) and he likes Japanese music a lot. When I ask him what he likes so much about it, he answers that he likes our melodies. So I think a composer has to give priority to the melody first, then add a nice arrangement to it. In Japan, we listen to all kinds of music from all around the world. During the days of Siam Shade, we all grew up with very different musical influences and we "mixed" all of our styles together. I think that you can make something really nice like that.

If the opportunity arose, would you play a concert in Europe?
Natchin: Of course! Before that though, I would like to visit as a tourist first. So if you see me in the street, call out to me! (laugh)