The animated movie THE FIRST SLAM DUNK has change into a smashing success in Japan, bringing in over 12.2 billion yen in field workplace income (as of March 21, 2023). Fueled by its success, the ending theme of the movie, “Dai Zero Kan” by 10-FEET has remained within the high 10 on the Billboard JAPAN’s Scorching 100 tune chart for 12 consecutive weeks.
Billboard Japan spoke with TAKUMA, vocalist and guitarist of 10-FEET, in regards to the thought he put into creating the movie’s theme tune and incidental music, his expertise working with director Takehiko Inoue, his music co-writer Satoshi Takebe, and extra, as a part of its Month-to-month Characteristic sequence, specializing in in the present day’s standout artists and works.
Your “10-FEET ‘Collins’ TOUR 2023” started on January 16. How excited are the followers, and the way motivated is the band feeling?
For about three years, leisure wasn’t actually what it ought to have been, so now it looks like all that pent-up pleasure has actually come to the fore. I believe there are followers on the market who’re having enjoyable, wrapping their heads round the truth that stay reveals are doable once more, and there are others who’re coming to the reveals with extra of a passionate spirit — extra impulsively. It feels just like the stay present scene is making a comeback.
Have there been any adjustments in how you’re feeling about stay reveals, or the way you strategy them, due to the pandemic?
It’s been three years since folks may actually be packed shoulder to shoulder at a present. I’m positive there are some folks on the market who’re like, “Is that this actually okay?” So we have to play music and placed on actually highly effective reveals that sweep away these fears and rigidity. I believe if we reach doing that, we will flip these fears and rigidity into drive and pleasure.
It’s been about three months because the movie THE FIRST SLAM DUNK got here out. What’s the response round you been like?
Some associates from means again bought in contact with me once more, which was nice.
Trying on the feedback on the music video, it looks like there are listeners all all over the world. What do you consider the truth that your music has prolonged past Japan’s borders and is reaching folks worldwide?
The lyrics are virtually completely in Japanese, so it appears unusual to me that persons are listening to it outdoors Japan.
It’s been within the high 10 within the Billboard JAPAN charts for a number of weeks. I believe that reveals that it’s introduced you a variety of new listeners.
I’ve been listening to lots of people saying they’d by no means heard of us earlier than, or that it was the primary time they’d heard one among our songs, which is an actual honor. We’ve been taking part in music all this time within the hope that a number of folks would hear and luxuriate in our music.
You had a couple of different potential theme songs, like “SLAM,” “Blind Man,” and “Shinkaigyo.” What made you’re feeling that “Dai Zero Kan” was the perfect match for the theme tune?
Personally, I believe they’d all have been nice. We introduced like eight or ten songs to the film manufacturing crew as potential theme songs. Nevertheless, every time, the director and the music director mentioned that the tune didn’t match their picture for the film. Then, sooner or later the music workers requested us for music for one among Rukawa’s scenes. So we renamed “Odanshi” (the tune that later turned “Dai Zero Kan”) as “Rukawa Odanshi” and despatched it in. (laughs) The director, Inoue, mentioned that “Rukawa Odanshi” was like a bolt from the blue. It looks like each the music director and the music producer have been additionally each like, “That is it.” We made some further adjustments to the association of “Rukawa Odanshi,” and that’s the way it turned the “Dai Zero Kan” we’ve now. Initially, I hadn’t deliberate for “Dai Zero Kan” to be carried out by 10-FEET or as a solo tune, so I simply wrote it how I felt, with out giving it any further thought. I wrote it simply after the pandemic began, and I simply needed one thing actually danceable and exhausting.
For some time, it was within the Billboard JAPAN “TikTok Weekly Prime 20” high 20 for weeks on finish. Trying again, what do you consider the way it was obtained?
We have been fortunate that, because of the movie, the catchy melody bought widespread on TikTok. I believe the important thing a part of the refrain’s melody is its rhythm. For instance, in “Scatman,” the melody and rhythm of the “ski-ba-bop-ba-dop-bop” half are actually distinctive, proper? Since I first began taking part in in a band, I’ve all the time favored these rhythms and melodies the place, in the event you hear all of them day, you’ll keep in mind them for the remainder of your life. That’s why I used to be in a position to take these sorts of rhythmic sensibilities from Western music, write lyrics in Japanese, and create extra original-feeling music with 10-FEET. I believe the rhythm, along with the pacing of the lyrics, make up like 90%, and melodic components make up the opposite 10%.
I see. I’d additionally prefer to ask you just a little bit in regards to the incidental music. If you wrote the music, did you propose it to precise the sentiments of the members of the Shohoku and Sannoh groups, or to convey the texture of the sport itself from a extra goal perspective?
For the incidental music, I thought of how I’d categorical Inoue’s movie ideas within the type of music. For instance, when Inoue requested me to write down music to be used when Kohoku was on the ropes, I wrote what I envisioned as music that embodied being in the midst of a disaster. Then, after I performed it for Inoue, he’d broaden on his idea for the scene, saying, “The sensation of Kohoku being in a disaster actually comes throughout effectively, however this scene can be one the place Sannoh is happening the offensive. Sannoh aren’t simply villains, they’re a very highly effective, cool crew. So this scene can be an thrilling scene through which Sannoh has gotten into the zone of their offense, going all out.” So then I’d come again later with new music and be like, “I believe this has the texture you’re going for. What do you assume?”
In “Slash Snake,” the snare sound felt paying homage to dribbling.
The sound designer, Koji Kasamatsu, edited the incidental music I supplied. For instance, drum snares typically occupy the identical frequencies as folks’s voices — the traces characters are saying. I believe he paid a variety of consideration to the place the snares could be heard and to adjusting their quantity, ranges, equalization, vary, and the like. In rock and music like ours, you’ll typically hear the snares going the entire time, however he did an important job on making changes and enhancing components like that. If there have been scenes the place it felt just like the snare was synching with the dribbling, that must be Kasamatsu working his magic.
Within the climax of the film, the scene the place “Double crutch ZERO” is used stands out for the way it makes use of “stillness” and “motion” to completely different results.
I suppose there must be a variety of switching between occasions when the instrumentation is basically packed and when it’s sparse, the place the sound actually pushes down on you and when it’s extra open, when it’s quiet and when it creates a dramatic, hovering impression. It was my first time making this type of music, however regardless of how a lot time it took, it by no means felt like a chore. It was time-intensive, but additionally extraordinarily rewarding, so I created and submitted a variety of music.
So, it was your first time writing incidental music.
This time, I used to be writing incidental music for SLAM DUNK, which is a manga that I actually cherished. If I bought a proposal to create incidental music for an adaptation of a piece that I wasn’t already aware of, I’d wish to try the unique it was based mostly on, film variations, TV variations, anime variations, and the like. I’d wish to actually internalize that story — make it a part of myself — earlier than writing music for it. I don’t have any expertise but with ranging from floor zero together with the manufacturing crew and creating output utilizing my very own sensibilities. If any alternatives to try this current themselves, I’d love to offer it a shot.
If you wrote music with Satoshi Takebe, was there any course or have been there any discussions that stick in your reminiscence?
He was really a beautiful trainer. I used to be a bit nervous getting into, pondering that if I bought too excited and passionate in answering, I may come throughout as impolite, and I’d annoy or upset him. However Takebe took the lead, saying “You’ve bought to talk up extra.” He began out by creating this surroundings the place I felt free to talk, and from then on we have been in a position to actually change concepts.
In closing, what sort of 12 months do you hope to make 2023?
In 2023, I wish to return to the fundamentals and research music from the bottom up once more, retraining myself musically. In case you’re all the time working with music, you possibly can lose sight of that keenness and impulsiveness. I wish to actually carry these emotions to the fore once more.
—This interview by Tatsuya Tanami first appeared on Billboard Japan
