{"id":1045647,"date":"2022-09-01T16:15:14","date_gmt":"2022-09-01T13:15:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1045647"},"modified":"2022-09-01T16:15:14","modified_gmt":"2022-09-01T13:15:14","slug":"meet-4s4ki-the-chaotic-neutral-avatar-of-japanese-electronic-pop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1045647","title":{"rendered":"Meet 4s4ki, the Chaotic-Neutral Avatar of Japanese Electronic Pop"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Columns<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Meet 4s4ki, the Chaotic-Neutral Avatar of Japanese Electronic Pop<\/h1>\n
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The experimental musician, often tagged as hyperpop, changes her sound constantly and feels more alive online.<\/div>\n
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By <\/span>Patrick St. Michel<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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Photos courtesy of the artist<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Many artists flirt with the concept and aesthetic of virtual reality, but few seem as committed to the practice as 4s4ki. The 24-year-old singer-producer, who doesn\u2019t reveal her full name and whose moniker is pronounced \u201cAsaki,\u201d fully embraces her ability to slip away into different realms. As a teenager, she would escape from the physical world by transforming into two distinct characters in the online fantasy RPG Mabinogi<\/em>: a really tall elf and a monster-slaying strongman. \u201cHe looked super macho, like Zangief from Street Fighter<\/em>,\u201d she says of the latter, sitting in a cozy rental office near Tokyo\u2019s bustling Shimokitazawa Station. \u201cI always felt like I was more focused in those game worlds than I was in my real life. My soul kind of migrated there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the last few years, 4s4ki has emerged as one of Japan\u2019s most thrilling new artists, an avatar of sorts for the shifting mood of the country\u2019s younger generation. Digital escape is at the heart of her new album, Killer in Neverland<\/em>. The project, though far from her first, serves as an introduction to her music: She plays around with an array of electronic styles while getting personal, and even includes the first song she ever wrote on her own, \u201cCross Out.\u201d On the lead single, with her Auto-Tuned voice pinballing over a clattering beat, she longs to log out of reality. \u201cHonestly, I\u2019m still not sure which is exactly my \u2018reality,\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cThat helped shape the album.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Born and raised in Saitama Prefecture, a more suburban area just west of Tokyo, 4s4ki grew up listening to Avril Lavigne, soundtracks from anime series like Cowboy Bebop,<\/em> and rap songs uploaded to then-popular Japanese video-sharing site Nico Nico Douga. She started making her own music on a computer in high school, and eventually found work writing songs for upbeat J-pop idol groups and stage adaptations of popular anime such as Kemono Friends<\/em>. \u201cI thought I would be producing for others forever, I never imagined I would be performing myself,\u201d she says, recalling her own awkwardness. \u201cWhen I made the demo for \u2018Cross Out,\u2019 someone complimented me on my singing, and that boosted my confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over time, 4s4ki\u2019s original music morphed from the straight-ahead synth-pop of her 2018 debut to heart-on-sleep genre mix-ups to more discombobulating experiments. She became tagged as Japan\u2019s hyperpop representative, owing to her love of vocal effects and eagerness to bounce around subgenres. 4s4ki has nothing against this mark, but also never volunteers herself as hyperpop. It\u2019s not hard to see why that label was placed upon her, as hyperpop so often is: She went full sugar junkie, dabbled in pop-punk revivalism, and chose a name that prompts the thought, how do you pronounce those 4s?<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Yet she\u2019s also an artist connecting and drawing from myriad Japanese musical scenes of the 2010s. While 4s4ki writes and creates the majority of her songs, she also has a circle of collaborators hailing from the nation\u2019s freewheeling netlabel era, including friends Masayoshi Iimori of Trekkie Trax and the versatile Maeshima Soshi. She first had opportunities to perform live at parties like Tokio Shaman, hubs for mid-decade SoundCloud rappers in the country to hone their craft. She also carries an earnestness and open-hearted viewpoint in her lyrics not far removed from Japan\u2019s pop scene, often conveyed through moments of piano balladry. On Killer In Neverland<\/em>, she writes to console a wounded generation facing a stagnant reality\u2014even if that just means slipping away into the virtual world for a little while.<\/p>\n

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Pitchfork: Walk me through writing a song\u2014what\u2019s your pace like?<\/div>\n

4s4ki: I work very fast, always have. When I feel creative, I can really create. But there are moments where I can\u2019t create anything at all. I have to go with the flow. I\u2019m not so good at keeping notes\u2014like, some artists can write down their ideas, but that\u2019s not me. I keep everything in my brain.<\/p>\n

How has your approach to creating music changed since joining Victor Entertainment, a major label here in Japan, last year?<\/div>\n

In terms of creating, not much has changed. I get to do what I like. I\u2019m really blessed by the environment at the label, and am happy to have a larger platform to share my music with people than when I was an indie artist. It\u2019s also opened up my views\u2014things I used to not be interested in, I can now find a positive element to it.<\/p>\n

Can you give me an example of that in your music?<\/div>\n

Before, I wasn\u2019t really interested in using live drums in my music. I just never considered them for my music. But after joining a major label, I\u2019ve had the chance to become friends with more drummers. Getting the chance to hear them play live totally changed my perception of the instrument. On Killer In Neverland<\/em>, on the song \u201cParanoia,\u201d I decided to use the sound of live drumming on the chorus. I never would have done that in the past.<\/p>\n

\u201cParanoia\u201d stuck out to me because of how dark and introspective the lyrics are, like a lot of self-doubt and questioning is going on there. What was on your mind when making that?<\/div>\n

That\u2019s one of the songs not related to games. It\u2019s actually inspired by a dream I had about being a musician, and when I woke up, I tried to translate that dream into a song. I worked really fast, got down to the main ideas in just a few minutes. The experience also made me dwell on myself, and especially think about my weaknesses. I\u2019ve done that with lyrics before, but \u201cParanoia\u201d was the first time I tried to translate a dream into music.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Another highlight was \u201cFreedom Kingdom,\u201d featuring the South Korean rapper Swervy. You explored Goa trance music on that. Why did you want to try that out?<\/div>\n

I\u2019ve always liked trance music, and further became interested in making it after hearing Porter Robinson\u2019s Virtual Self project. I also have gradually become more interested in psychedelic music and culture, which Goa trance certainly falls under. Really, I\u2019m fascinated by any music culture that would probably be illegal in Japan [laughs<\/em>]. It\u2019s like an unknown world I\u2019ve always wanted to explore. Most people in my generation who came up on trap music are getting bored of it, and migrating to trance.<\/p>\n

What is it like for people in your generation in Japan today?<\/div>\n

I can only speak from my perspective, but I think we are surrounded by this ocean of information. And a lot of it isn\u2019t true. I don\u2019t know what to do. I think a lot of other people my age feel the same way. We don\u2019t know what\u2019s true or not, and don\u2019t know what to put our trust into.<\/p>\n

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Killer in Neverland<\/em><\/div>\n
4s4ki<\/div>\n

Read the Review<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

For me, it\u2019s pretty simple: I believe what\u2019s most convenient [laughs<\/em>]. Take diet or beauty tips online: People say if you eat foods high in calories you\u2019ll gain weight, right? But I choose to believe I can eat as many snacks as I want, and I won\u2019t gain weight. That\u2019s the reality I want, and I can ignore what I find online. You can choose what\u2019s convenient to you, and that\u2019s a more fun way of interacting with the internet.<\/p>\n

You use a lot of vocal effects. What do you think of your voice?<\/div>\n

I never liked my voice when I was younger. I always felt like it lacked uniqueness, and I idealized artists who had distinct voices. When I play the piano, though, I find my natural voice pairs well with the sound of the instrument, and I\u2019m starting to like it a lot more. But I also like approaching my voice as another instrument. Part of the reason I use AutoTune and other voice effects is they allow me to feel more confident and adapt to different styles of music.<\/p>\n

Who were some of the singers you idealized when you were younger?<\/div>\n

A really easy example is Adele. I\u2019m bisexual, and her voice is the kind I find really attractive in a woman\u2014a huskier, sexier, lower voice.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot of young Japanese artists on SoundCloud and Bandcamp clearly inspired by you, with some even covering your music. How does it feel to be an inspiration to these artists?<\/div>\n

It\u2019s a very nice feeling, and it makes me feel like I am aging. I\u2019ve never imagined myself to be someone who would inspire others\u2014I couldn’t imagine it. I appreciate that, but I would encourage them to seek out their own originality. You need to cherish that.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

Source URL: https:\/\/pitchfork.com\/thepitch\/meet-4s4ki-the-chaotic-neutral-avatar-of-japanese-electronic-pop\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Columns Meet 4s4ki, the Chaotic-Neutral Avatar of Japanese Electronic Pop The experimental musician, often tagged as hyperpop, changes her sound constantly and feels more alive online. By Patrick St. Michel September 1, 2022 Photos courtesy of the artist Many artists flirt with the concept and aesthetic of virtual reality, but few seem as committed to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[54],"class_list":["post-1045647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-pitchfork-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1045647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1045647"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1045647\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1045647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1045647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1045647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}