SPEKKからファーストCDを出せるなんて僕はすごく幸運だと思うよ。ナオ・スギモト(SPEKK主宰者)のレーベルは最高のカタログの一つだよね。アートワークにもすごくこだわってるし、SPEKKのリリースすべてにあらゆる方向からすごく気を配ってる。僕はナオさんに感謝の気持ちでいっぱいだってことは言っておきたいな。彼のところから新作を出したり、彼とコラボレートするのはいつだって最高だよ。SPEKKはナオさんの人生であり、それ自体が芸術作品なんじゃないかと思う。いろんな作品のリリース一つ一つが、SPEKKという大きな素晴らしい作品の一部なんだ。僕の最新のアルバムは『Jardin De Invierno(冬の庭)』っていうタイトルで、レコーディングしたのはLa Cumbreに引っ越した頃に住んでた古い家なんだ。すごく寒くて広い家だよ!温室だったところに小さな作業スペースを作って、窓からは季節が移り変わっていくのが見えた。秋から冬には木の葉の色が変わっていくのとか、家の暖炉の煙なんかが見えるんだ。このアルバムのアートワークは、友達のセシリア・アフォンソ・エステヴェスが手掛けてくれた本当にスペシャルなものなんだよね。
Hello! Very nice to meet you! My name is Federico Durand, I am a musician from Argentina. I was born in the outskirts of Buenos Aires, but I live with my family in La Cumbre, a small town in the central mountain area of my country. I made music using a lyre, tapes and a small collection of instruments. I love to make very simple and dreamy melodies.
When and how did you start to create the music?
I started to make music during my childhood. I used to play music my brother and a friend when I was a child: I played a toy saxophone, tin-can drums and toy-guitar. Later, when I was six years old, I started to make sound-collages with cassette-tapes and my aunt's Hitachi tape-recorder. I didn't realize back then that I was going to make music in the same way when I grow up: a reverie of looping melodies.
What inspires you to create new music?
I took inspiration in everyday life. I live in a town surrounded with forests and mountains, we often go outdoors because we love to discover new places, rivers, in our mountain area. I also love collecting charity stamps: most of them were made by very talented illustrators in early XX century in Denmark and Nordic countries. They are really beautiful. Also, I love books and CDs, tapes and vinyl records. I love coffee and tea. I also love cats.
Your latest and debut records were released by SPEKK. What is SPEKK for you?
I am fortunate to have released my first CD through SPEKK. I think Nao Sugimoto's work (SPEKK owner) is one of most wonderful label catalogues. He also cares very much about artwork and every SPEKK release is very special in many ways. I want to say I feel that I am full of gratitude with Nao-san: it's always a great pleasure for me to release a new work and collaborate with him. I think SPEKK is his life-artowork, every release is like a part of a big and wonderful work. My last album is called "Jardin De Invierno" (Winter Garden): it was recorded in the old house where we live when we moved to La Cumbre. It was a very cold and big house! I arranged a small work place in the winter garden and from the window I could see the pass of the seasons, the change of color in trees and during Autumn and Winter, the smoke of fireplaces of houses. The artwork of this album is really special; it was made by my good friend Cecilia Afonso Esteves.
You will come to Japan soon. I can't wait! I think this will be your second time visiting Japan. How was your first time visiting Japan?
I can't express how happy I was the first time I arrived to Japan! I was dreaming about this travel for such a long time! I meet many new and old friends I knew for a long time, played music in beautiful places all around Japan. It was a pleasure to play music with my friends Tomoyoshi Date, Chihei Hatakeyama, Taylor Deupree, Stephan Mathieu, Corey Fuller, Hofli, Asuna, Will Long (Celer), Sawako, Tomotsugu Nakamura, Ken Ikeda! And also had the chance to see many beautiful live performances! We spent special times in Kumano, Kamakura, Tokyo and Kyoto, living together as travelling-musicians. Also, I was really lucky to know my friend's families. I felt the beauty of Japanese landscape and its culture in everyday life when I made my first travel. So, I can't wait to travel to Japan during March 2017!
Do you have any Japanese favorite artists?
It's really difficult to name my favorite Japanese artists because I have so many! I love Umetaro Azechi's work... he made very beautiful ukiyo-e and I had the chance to meet his work though my friend Satoshi Ogawa (also I admire his work!) I had the chance to have two original ukiyo-e made by Azechi: one is in my daughter's room. Also, I really admire Reiko Kudo: his music is really full of mystery and I think her work 夜の稲 is one of my favorite albums ever! Recently I discovered Otagaki Rengetsu's work (1791-1875), his poetry and pottery work is really beautiful. I also love the musical work made by my Japanese friends, I am fortunate to have so many talented friends... and I love to listen to their music, I collect their CDs and it's a pleasure to record and play music with them. I love Kenji Miyazawa's stories. Also, I love "Kodomo no kuni" children's magazine and it's artists, specially Takei Takeo's illustrations.
Can you tell me any Argentine artists who you recommend?
I would love to introduce you the work of Suma Paz. She made really beautiful and touching folk music. It's really bittersweet music, very raw and tender at the same time, made only with guitar and her special voice. Her music told about the hard life of peasants in Argentina. Sadly, it's quite forgotten in my country. Please, if you have the chance, see this video:
Suma Paz - El Arbol Que Tu Olvidaste
Please let me know your plan in the near future.
I will release 3 special and limited works during my Japanese Tour. A special collaboration with Chihei Hatakeyama, the new Melodia CD (along with Tomoyoshi Date) and our first and album along hofli (Takashi Tsuda) with an original work made by Fuuyanm Neconotesha. After my travel to Japan, I will go to the Patagonia and will spend a week in a mountain-shelter surrounded by glacier and a red, yellow and green forest... I will make music and my friends will film this adventure. Later, this year I will release an LP through 12k, a very special one as it was made in one take using a very old and broken analog Crumar (my first synthesizer!) and some pedals. With my family we had open a small book-shop in our house! We are really happy. Our small shop is focused in illustrated books for all ages. Also, I made very special souvenirs for my Japan Tour!
Please give a message to Japanese fans!
I am so happy to have the chance to play music and meet you! Please, come and say "hello"! Thank you very much! A big hug from Argentina!
INTERVIEW in February 2017
TRANSLATED by Naoko Yamamoto
TEXT by Masato Hoshino