Makoto - Human Elements Podcast - JP - 2005 - Part 6

Biography of Makoto

Born in Tokyo in 1977 Makoto's musical interests started in Kindergarten with Beethoven. 'Though not a musician, my father loved music and there was a lot of it in the house. It was Beethoven's Ninth that first got me hooked, then I went through the whole catalogue.' Classical music totally consumed him until Junior high school, when he heard Ryuichi Sakamoto's Soundtracks for Last Emperor and The Sheltering Sky.

'Hearing Sakamoto started me experimenting with sampling and synthesizers.' He was also steered to Ravel's collected works.

Following that he moved on to jazz, rare groove and soul. Makoto has a large repertoire of musical influences. He cited Leroy Hutson and Marvin Gaye, along with Curtis Mayfield and Lonnie Liston Smith - all major 70's players as well as Blue Note Producer Larry Mizell. Makoto then entered Nippon University where his relationship to sound turned academic, here he studied acoustics, the computer simulation of the simulation of the sounds and reverberations produced in acoustic instruments.

Makoto's first meeting with Drum & Bass came around this time. During this time of his life he was organising events and Djing in Tokyo clubs. This is when he first came across LTJ Bukem's Logical Progression album and Goldie's Inner City Life. Hooked on the drum'n'bass sound, he started to experiment with a sequencer and an Akai sampler. 'I spent about two years trying to re-create the sound of the U.K. drum'n'bass sound'.

Endless hours of exploration and several additions to his equipment led to some recordings, Makoto's relationship with sound were soon recognised and led to releases in his home country.

Encouraged by this good response, it was around this time that Makoto decided to send a demo track to a number of British based labels, including Good Looking Records, in a bid to find out how far he had progressed with his explorations. According to Makoto's memory, 'Bukem replied with a letter telling me to make the beat less frantic and to make changes to the arrangement.' With these comments taken in mind Makoto went on to make the luxuriously textured 12inch release 'Wave'.

'Perhaps in older drum'n'bass tracks the focus was predominantly on the beat, it's about the overall mood. Each track is made to be listened to as music.' 'Wave' was released through Good Looking's Nexus in 1998. In 1999, Makoto's track 'Butterfly' was chosen for one of Bukem's mix Compilations Progression Sessions 4, proof that Makoto had grasped the sound of Good Looking. Later that year Makoto signed a long-term contract & has since gone on to become one of Good Looking's most prolific artists.

Makoto is currently proving himself to be one of the more diverse and promising unknown elements in Good Looking's musical repertoire. Two funk filled tracks appeared on the Earth 4 compilation in the shape of 'Extensions of Life' and 'Peace of Mind', with 'You're Divine' appearing on Earth 5 and getting an exclusive release in Japan. On the Drum'n'Bass front the Progression Sessions series continues to feature many of his tracks. It seems that no matter what type of set Bukem plays, be it Drum'n'Bass, Down tempo or House your sure to find a Dub with Makoto's name on it.

It is 'with the feeling of soul and jazz in mind' that Makoto creates music. He believes in the need to maintain a human feel in Music.

http://www.dj-makoto.com/