SINKICHI
A pioneer of Japanese ambient DJs, he has been performing at numerous rave parties since the early 1990s.
He has participated in many bands, including SOFT, AOA, Based on Kyoto, and Churashima Navigator.
Founder of the Okinawa-based bass music label “budryukyu” and the Kyoto-based electronic music label “Matsunomi to Senso”.
As a mastering engineer, he has worked on vinyl mastering for labels such as 17853 Records and Crosspoint, contributing to various reissue projects.
He has participated in many bands, including SOFT, AOA, Based on Kyoto, and Churashima Navigator.
Founder of the Okinawa-based bass music label “budryukyu” and the Kyoto-based electronic music label “Matsunomi to Senso”.
As a mastering engineer, he has worked on vinyl mastering for labels such as 17853 Records and Crosspoint, contributing to various reissue projects.
Artist Interview
What are your musical roots?
Miles Davis - Agharta,
YMO - BGM,
YMO - Technodelic,
Ramones - It's Alive,
Ryuichi Sakamoto - LEFT HANDED DREAM,
The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico,
The Clash - Sandinista!,
Isao Tomita - Bermuda Triangle
YMO - BGM,
YMO - Technodelic,
Ramones - It's Alive,
Ryuichi Sakamoto - LEFT HANDED DREAM,
The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico,
The Clash - Sandinista!,
Isao Tomita - Bermuda Triangle
Which artists or labels are you most excited about right now?
- 1.FRANCISKAThe lo-fi sound design and fragile piano melodies resonate deeply with me.
- 2.William BasinskiEvery time I listen to it, I completely lose my sense of time.
- 3.武満徹 / Toru TakemitsuThe subtle harmonic textures are astonishingly intricate.
Kyoto's Local Scene
What is happening in your local music scene right now?
To be honest, since the pandemic I've hardly come down from the mountains except to DJ once a month at DNA PARADISE, so I'm not really up to date with what's happening in Kyoto's music scene.
What local spots would you recommend?
Listening Bar
DNA Paradise— 北車屋町 / Kitakurumayacho
The selections could only come from someone with an exceptionally deep digging background. The sound system combines NEUMANN studio monitors, rare BINSON speakers, and a handmade DICO tube mixer, delivering warm, highly detailed sound. Their freshly made cocktails are also excellent and surprisingly affordable. In Kyoto, where more and more fashionable DJ bars install expensive audio equipment only to leave its potential untapped, this place truly cares about sound. It's friendly, unpretentious, and a place I can wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who genuinely loves music. It's not fancy, but that's part of its charm.
Record Shop
Meditations— 出水町 / Demizucho
The original shop was located in a traditional machiya behind Daitoku-ji Temple. It was a truly ambient record shop where you could spend hours relaxing on the earthen floor while listening to records of whale songs. Their selection of new releases and thoughtful liner notes are outstanding, and the owner's collection of secondhand records from India, which is really his specialty, is absolutely incredible.
Café
cafe mole— 三条 / Sanjo
The owner, who is also the bassist of Kyoto's legendary band SOFT, always plays an impeccable selection of jazz and many other styles. He's so dedicated to sound quality that he'll even transfer CDs and records onto open-reel tape for playback. The café feels like a little forest in the middle of Kyoto. The curry and chai are excellent too.
Label / Series
松ノ実ト蟾酥 / Matsunomi to Senso
This is the cassette label I run myself. Because I want to preserve Japan's physical media culture, every release is packaged with great care, featuring branded Kyoto confectionery boxes and liner notes printed on Echizen washi paper. The label mainly releases music by friends and fellow artists from Kyoto.
Which local DJs/artists would you recommend?
MAMEZUKA
Kihira Naoki
kihiranaoki平野孝則 (Bootsy's Records)
Shuya Okino
shuyakyotojazzYoshihiro Sawasaki
yoshihirosawasakiKURANAKA 1945
zettaimuDAICHI
dna_paradiseKAZUMA
kazumanamikihobobrazil
hobobrazilToshio Bing Kajiwara
hitozoku_recordTETSU SHIRAISHI
ROAST
roast_kyotoYOTTU
yottu421SHUN145
145_shunNISSIE
nissieeeeiiiiju
iiiiju_iiiiju_iiiijuWATARU
watarux78Showcases
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