re.sort - sora
November 2003
In 2004 a man from Kyoto, Japan, named Takeshi Kurosawa released his first full length album under the alias, sora. Combining the solfège symbols “so” and “la”, also meaning sky, sora wove a mysterious persona that continues today. Although, the anonymity doesn’t seem like an attempt to maintain his privacy or market himself mysteriously. Kurosawa instead seems to live the life of a musician not so common in the public eye. As one who has moved on.
Most indie musicians of the past can largely be tracked down today. They largely continue to exist in the public eye and make music in one way or the other. Kurosawa does not. Besides a few Tumblr posts and live shows, almost no information about him exists. In scouring the internet for more information, I found this interview on a site that no longer exists.
More generally how did you work on this album ? Where did you compose it ? What was you aim releasing it ? Is there a story inside Re.Sort ? In what state of mind were you in as you compose it ? Is Re.sort very linked to your own personal story ? first, i collect various sounds. second, i put them together to make one phrase. if the phrase is well, i add sounds again. i feel that i do editing audio files rather than compose. in my way, “vegas” that is a software i use is very important. it is a software for video editing, but also very useful for audio editing like cut-up collage. in this software, i always try to combinate various sounds. the result of these trials is this album. my production is like puzzle. i composed this album in my room…. where is far from resort… haha. well, the aim was not so clear… as i said, it would be “combination” i guess. there is no story in this album. i didn’t remeber my state of mind exactly. it would be not so calm, i guess. i didn’t intend to reflect my personal story. but it is natural that this album was an expression of my desire.
sora’s communication in this interview is incredibly blunt. He hides no doesn’t beat around the bush or present himself with an air of pretention. He is incredibly direct in the discussion of his art, which is incredibly rare to see.
The titles of Re.Sort songs titles are in French, Spanish, English, but not in Japanese. Why ?
there are no special meaning.
Do you regret anything on Re.Sort ?
yes. i’ll improve next time.
This last question is especially jarring to me. I’ve long held the idea that successful artists are so far detached from reality because of the confidence required for their moonshot career. I’ve encountered many small artists who will unabashedly claim they’re the shit, despite it being objectively far from the truth. I can’t even judge this, as I understand that this is essentially a requirement for success in this field. You have to honestly believe that you deserve the attention you are demanding.
I have only been able to attribute this to the fact that this mindset isn’t required to make incredible music, it’s required to even have the chance of being successful. I wouldn’t call sora unsuccessful. He signed to a label and has created a cult favorite that resulted in a 2019 repress of his record. But overall, he would not be considered a successful musician.
In the incoherent mess of ideas that I have in my head for this article, this is where I feel that I should talk about the record itself.
re.sort is one of the most magnetic records I have ever listened too. I’ve never been too much of a fan of musique concrète, as it is oftentimes to lacking in structure. Too abrasive, or too passive. It never manages to draw me in. But something about the soundscapes that sora creates on this record are mysteriously infatuating. I can’t begin to comprehend how he pieced them together, or what they sounded like in his head. But the result is pure magic. The natural rhythms are playful and enthralling, utilizing glitch aethetics in an unusually peaceful manner. Glitch is supposed to break a sound, but nothing here is broken. It’s a world that feels ever present and entirely intentional.
In my head I can’t comprehend how sora originally believed that he would improve on this. It feels beyond a piece of music that can simply be objectively evaluated. But then again, I’m not in his head, and I can’t begin to comprehend what it must have looked like during the creation of this record.
Generally, when talking about an album, I would discuss each track, but that feels like it would be a disservice here. I simply wanted to introduce this piece of art, and discuss some of the things that I had been thinking and researching about it.
Are you working on some new material ? Do you think that your musical orientation will change ?
in fact, lately i’ve been busy with school and work, so i can’t make any songs. yes, it’ll change.
Do you have an aim, composing as Sora ?
in future, as sora, i’ll make pleasant and comfortable sound.
Sadly sora has not continued to release music. There have been a couple live sets and remixes, but no entirely new compositions. It seems that sora really did just get caught up with life. Maybe he lost inspiration for music, or he simply doesn’t have time. Whatever he’s doing I truly hope he’s happy, and greatly thank him for the joy he has provided to the world in this record.
from college ruled