Emmerald: Have you always played jazz music?
Jazztronik: Well, as a musician I first started playing and studying classical music in high school, and continued through university. During high school, I got into modern music. Jazz is something that came later as I explored other keyboard players like Herbie Hancock and George Duke. As a DJ, I've never played standard jazz in a set and my sets tend to be modern Brazilian & Latin influenced.
Emmerald: "Samurai" is an amazing song. Was there anything in particular that inspired that tune? Which elements of the song took shape first? Did you think of it of something that would become a classic dance song when you were creating it?
Jazztronik: The track "Samurai" started as a tune that I always used to warm up my fingers before a recording/live session. All I did was add some broken beats to the track. It was quite simple really. Sometimes the simple things work really well. It's one of the highlights of our live sets.
Emmerald: What DJs and/or musicians inspire you or influence your sound?
Jazztronik: George Duke is a big influence for sure. I also listen to a lot of Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Sakamoto, Jobim, Ennio Morricone, Brian Eno-- the list is endless.
Emmerald: What instruments to you play?
Jazztronik: Piano, Rhodes and various other keyboards. I also do most of my own beat programming.
Emmerald: How long have you been involved in playing and creating music?
Jazztronik: About 12-13 years I suppose. I've been DJing for about 6 years or so.
Emmerald: What do you see as the next step for underground dance music, particularly for artists who create "broken beat" or "nu jazz" (i.e. non-house dance music strongly rooted in jazz and funk). Do you think those styles of music have reached a peak? What happens now ?
Jazztronik: I don't really know or cannot say what the next step is. I don't think we have reached a peak as yet though. Personally, I think that both 'nu jazz' & 'broken beat' will get bigger this year at least in Japan.
Emmerald: What other artists/producers did you work with on the "Samurai" album?
Jazztronik: I produced, programmed and arranged all the music myself. I didn't use any outside producers at all. I did work with various musicians on the album, and of course vocalists such as Aya & Yurai, who also helped write some of the lyrics for the music I created.
