MDC Interview#60 " Nagazaki "

Nagazaki, DJ/Producer/Graphic & Sound Designer/Cofounder of Prototypes Records, specializes in Industrial Hardcore music, drawing inspiration from genres such as Breakcore, Dubstep, Hardtechno and Neurofunk.

Nagazaki blends hyperactivity and melancholy in his own productions. His distinctive style is characterized by varied kickdrums, an abundance of breakbeats, enigmatic vocals and micro-edits, making him one of the most versatile and eclectic producers on the new Industrial Hardcore scene. With a repertoire ranging from Bass music to Breakcore and, of course, Industrial Hardcore, Nagazaki is renowned for his powerful and unpredictable DJ sets. Prepare for sonic destruction and anticipate the unexpected. 
https://www.instagram.com/nagazaki_hc
https://www.facebook.com/nagazaki404
https://soundcloud.com/nagazaki404

Q. Can you tell us about the environment in which you were born?

Hey, I'm Mathieu, born October 7, 1999 in Orleans, France. No one in my family is involved in music production or music in general, I'm kind of a UFO hahaha. I grew up in a small town near Nantes called Brains, not a lot of activities to do at the time so I spent a lot of years on my old Playstation 2 playing DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi 3 and Tony Hawks games haha.

Q. When did you first become interested in music?

I I've always loved music, when I was a kid I remember my parents listening to a lot of 70s music (Mike Brandt, 10CC, Boney M and many others.... ), but I built my own musical culture from video games like “Smackdown Vs Raw 2009” or “Tony Hawk's Underground 1 & 2”, but there was one REALLY important one for me which was “DJ HERO”, I loved that game, so much content and good remixes/bootlegs from rap and hip hop to electro and rock, after playing this game I started listening to Daft Punk and that's how I got into electronic music, then I discovered Deadmau5, Madeon, Skrillex, and other very popular electronic music producers.

Q. When did you first hear about Hardcore? What did you think when you first heard it?

The first 2 Hardcore tracks I listened to were “Angerfist - Knock Knock” and “Warface & Titan - Chainsaw”.

I remember, at first I was like 'Omg what's that noise' but I listened to more and more Hard music trying to grasp the differences between all the sub-genres, at that time I was listening to a lot of EDM / Big room / Trap music so it was quite different from what I was used to, I spent maybe 2 years trying to listen to all types of Hard music, Psy-Trance, Hardstyle, Frenchcore, Mainstream Hardcore, Acidcore, and then in 2017 I discovered 2 more tracks that built my interest in Crossbreed and Industrial: “eDUB - Don't Play Crossbreed” and “The Satan - Psycho”, it was mind-blowing, so much more different from classic Hardcore in terms of sound design and arrangement, then I also discovered Hallucinator, Detest, N-Vitral, Sei2ure, The Outside Agency and all the players in the Industrial Hardcore and Crossbreed movement.

Q. When did you start making music? What equipment did you first use and what genre of music did you make?

The first time I opened FL Studio was in 2013, but because of my poor understanding of English at the time, I wasn't able to understand anything, I didn't even know what kind of music I wanted to make. Then in 2016, after listening to some hard music, I wanted to try producing my own music. “Laton Raver” - a friend from high school, introduced me once again to FL Studio with Psy-Trance and that was the beginning of a long journey hahaha. As for equipment, I had a decent PC with the Hercules XPS 2.1 40, a crappy audio system that certainly wasn't designed for music production, but was useful at the time.

Q. You do some unique visuals, how did you get interested in visuals?

If I'd never touched FL Studio, I'd probably have studied film. Before my passion for music, I was addicted to cinema and images, and from the age of 10 to 17, I tried to watch as many films as possible, some very good and some very bad. What I loved most were special effects and 3D. I was impressed by the idea that artists could create such convincing environments, characters and scenes. Then I discovered the world of 3D rendering on instagram with artists like Stuz0r, Beeple, Billelis, Jonathan Plesel and Thibault Zeller (Aka Ambre Verse).

Q. Do you have a different mindset/mode when creating visuals and music? Or do they feel the same?

Because the visuals and the music are so different, I don't have the same approach from one to the other. Some parts are similar, like FL Studio Patcher and a nodal system in 3D software, but that's where it ends haha. For the visual part, it depends on the project, but I always try to represent the mood of the music through the visuals. Sometimes it's difficult because the name of the release isn't very evocative, so I have to look for cool 3D elements to integrate it.

For the music, I like to know what I want to do, whether it's going to be a hardcore track in the old N-Vitral style, for example, or a Neurofunk track in the Billain style. Most of the time, if the project doesn't satisfy me in 1 hour, I keep it for sound design, trying to make a few samples for the next project.

Q. When did Nagazaki start? Is this name related to “Nagasaki” in Japan? Did you have any musical activities before Nagazaki?

This project started in 2018, it was the continuation of the old name (those who know will know haha).
Apart from the fact that I really like Japanese culture, I'm not connected to Nagasaki at all, I named this project that way because I really liked the way it sounded, it was more of an aesthetic choice. I replaced the “S” with a “Z” because I don't want to make a direct reference to a tragic past.

Q. How did you get involved with Prototypes Records?

I think the first time I met Iridium was in 2018, at the time Iridium was a duo (Lucas and Alex), I had a party in Paris and Lucas put me up for the night hahaha, since then we've been talking a lot about production and we realized we were on the same wavelength as far as music was concerned. Naturally, the idea of creating our own label was born.

We are both owners and founders of Prototypes, with Iridium mainly in charge of management and me in charge of art direction and design.

Q, Shortly after you released your single on Prototypes Records came the Corona pandemic. How did the years in Corona affect you?

Unpopular opinion: The coronavirus pandemic and the lock-up were the best thing that ever happened to us hahaha, I mean it was the perfect time to work on Prototypes because we were locked up at home, we had so much time to work on releases, the website, and everything else. All the other labels were taking a break, so it was an opportunity to release new music with new artists. I was also learning 3D during this period, so that was super useful, because it felt like the whole world was on pause.

Prototypes Records :
https://www.prototypesrecords.com
https://www.instagram.com/prototypesrecords

Q. Would you categorize Nagazaki's style as Industrial Hardcore? How do you feel it is categorized in Europe? How would you describe your music?

That's a very good question, because I don't even know what my music is, hahaha.
I think it's easy to say that I produce industrial hardcore with a ton of references to all the subgenres of hard music.

I'm happy to be part of this industrial movement, because I think the most competent producers come from industry or Crossbreed. Understanding the rules of different musical genres and being able to mix them requires a lot of hard work and skill. Having said that, I don't consider myself a really competent person, I've just listened to a LOT of music and I can hear when it sounds good or not but I couldn't explain it from a technical point of view.

As I haven't travelled all over Europe yet, I can't say too much, but wherever I've been invited, I've always had good feedback on my music and that of the Prototypes artists. For me, knowing that people have had a good time with my music fills me with happiness.

Q. Is it true that you were very influenced by Breakcore? If so, how and what part of Breakcore influenced you?

Oh yes I’m totally influenced by Breakcore! You can easily hear that in my production, all the breakbeats, the edits, glitches and everything are a part of my music.

I think the thing I love the most in Breakcore is that every producer has their own style (same as all other scenes but it’s more remarkable), also maybe I’m fascinated by Mashcore the oversampling and editing process is totally insane! If I have to name a few really inspiring artists : Ruby My Dear, Krumble, Igorrr, Stellabee, Kobaryo.

Q. How did Spare Limbs get started? What is the concept behind this project?

The SPARE LIMBS project started a few years ago with DJIPE, our first EP was released in 2022 and the concept is making something different than producing classic DJIPE & Nagazaki tracks. We both have a similar vision of what we would like to produce. While Jasper is creating sick atmospheres, I’m more focused on making it more or less Hardcore and DJ friendly (At least on our last EP haha). It’s really refreshing to work with someone that totally understands me, even without talking just by sending a preview we both understand where the other one wants to go, but I have to admit when Jasper sends me projects I have to spend a few hours to adjust everything to my workflow hahaha. This is another really cathartic project.

Q. You are sampling relatively contemporary music and bringing a new feel and sound to Hardcore. Is this intentional?

Nothing is intentional haha, I just sample things I've listened to. Because I'm not very familiar with the Hip-Hop and Metal scene, it's not natural for me to work with samples from these musical genres, don't get me wrong, I really like it when other producers sample these styles, but it's not part of my musical culture. I was raised on pop, electronica, soul and funk mostly, so maybe that's why my music, or at least the samples I use, sound different.

The coolest thing about samples in any kind of music is that you can directly see the artists' references and culture, so it's always interesting to go deeper into the track and see what it's made of!

Q. Your single "Perfect Angle" created something new. It is a very interesting single. Tell me about the background and concept behind the creation of this song.

Perfect Angle is one of the UFO tracks in my discography. I wrote it in a few days, and I don't know if I could do it again today hahaha.

It all started with some kicks that I made during a sound design session, and with these kicks I created some patterns by mixing them with amen breaks. I chose to sample vocals from Marilyn Manson (Groupie) and vocal lines from Silent Hill P.T., which were perfect for the vibe I had in mind.

Songs like Stellabee's "Kuso Yaro" and "Lil Billy Foo Foo" (すてらべえ) served as a reference for me, as did most of Rotator's songs. I wanted to create an atmosphere more than music, based mainly on edits and breakbeats more than kicks, the goal of this piece is clearly to do something experimental.

At first listen, this track may seem scary and disturbing, but it's just a bunch of random and fun samples, as shown in the sample "We also saw this dog with a banana" hahaha.

Q. What is your music production process? What is the main equipment you are currently using?

About music production, my equipment is really basic, I have a PC with a Behringer U-Phoria UMC202HD, a pair of Focal Alpha 50, FL Studio and several hard drives full of samples accumulated over the years. I also have a MacBook, the Akai Fire for FL Studio and the Traktor F1, which will be useful in the future because I’d like to build a Nagazaki liveact but I have no clue how to do it properly for the moment haha.

For production, I prefer choosing a sample, it can be synths / song / melodies or just vocals. Then I’m doing kicks with Samples and Serum or Harmor (more or less 10) and then I’m making a simple drop that I will enhance after with breakbeats, edits, chopped vocals, glitches and more…

The most complex part is always the switch between the intro and the build up because most of the time the vibe is quite different and it can be hard to make everything fit together, but I’m used to it so it’s not a big deal for me today. 

Q. What is the most memorable song you have ever released?

Wow, hard to say!

I will say « Shadow Monster Man », because I think it’s my best track, despite all the technical defaults, for me that track it's the purest form of what a Nagazaki track is, so much different kick variations, full of edits, full of distortion and good energy. 

Q. You have been active in the Hardcore scene/community for several years. What is this scene like for you? Do you think there are good and bad parts or things that need to be improved?

I think we could always make the scene better but I mainly see positive points, I will essentially talk about the Industrial / Crossbreed scene, there are still people enjoying this music, in Europe we always have involved people on socials or at the events, this is a small group but extremely dedicated to that music, the new producers are super talented, most of them have the same state of mind as Prototypes : Making something new based on something « old ». I think the industrial scene is still one of the most interesting scenes, because it’s a blend of a lot of different music genres, with a lot of inspiration from Bass music, Metal and many more…

Q. In recent years, alternative styles of Hardcore and Hard Techno have gained popularity. What do you think about it?

7 or 8 years ago, not many people went to a Hardtechno / Schranz party, today if you don't go or play at this kind of event, you're not hype hahaha. More seriously, I think it's fine, I can appreciate this music in small doses, but for me 90% of music sounds the same, you can make fun of Breakcore by saying “producers have been using the same loop for over 20 years” but for Hardtechno everyone really uses the same packs, the same rumble kicks, the same rave stabs etc.... That's why I can't stand a whole night of this music, all the tracks are too similar for me. I hope the style will evolve because it has potential!

Q. How do you perceive the value of numbers such as streaming plays and followers? When do you feel numbers are helpful to you or other artists in terms of their value?

When it comes to numbers and statistics, I'm a total paradox haha, because sometimes I pay too much attention to them and sometimes I don't care at all. These days, we live in an age where statistics are analyzed by party organizers, labels and so on. But from a purely musical point of view, I don't think these figures reflect originality, risk-taking or even the quality of a piece of music or an artist, especially as we can buy streams, likes and followers on Instagram etc... That's why, as a label manager, I prefer to focus solely on the quality of the demos we receive, and as an artist I try to do the same, I've never made music with the aim of being popular.

Q. What are your favorite artists and labels these days?

Very difficult question hahaha, it depends on the style I think.

- For Drum and Bass / Neurofunk, I'd choose Blockdata and Billain, these guys are real masters in terms of sound design and arrangement, I'm always amazed when I listen to their tracks.

- For Industrial Hardcore, all the artists who have released something on PRSPCT and Prototypes Records, it would be hard to recommend just one, check out both discographies and enjoy :D.

- For more standard music, I really like Kanye West, Arca, Lorn, Björk, Gesaffelstein.

But I think my favorite producer is Cristobal Tapia de Veer, he's mainly known for his work on Utopia (UK) and White Lotus, he's a brilliant producer who mixes a lot of different weird sounds into his music, which makes it unique and full of emotion.

If I can recommend a few releases, have a listen:

1/ “Gesaffelstein - Gamma

2/ “Lorn & Dolor - Drugs

3/ “Cristobal Tapia de Veer - Utopia 2”.

Q. What have you gained from your music career? And what have you lost?

From the outset, music has enabled me to meet friends, fellow producers and amazing people supporting my work, to travel to places I'd never have thought of going otherwise, and to channel my energy and thoughts. What's all this costing me? Hours of sleep and my social life hahahahahaha.

Q. What is your future schedule?

It's May 12 and I've got three new singles ready for release on new labels, a new SPARE LIMBS EP coming out soon on a major label and a fast-paced Hardcore/Breakcore collaboration EP project! As far as dates and parties are concerned, I can't say much more at the moment, but big things are in the pipeline. 

Q. One last message to our readers.

Thanks a lot for reading this! I hope It wasn’t too boring, thanks to all for your support!

Be demanding about what you listen to, never stop discovering, and have fun!

Dōmo arigatō.