Tatsuro Murakami (Interview)

Today we’re listening to Tatsuro Murakami, a Japanese guitarist and composer from Tokyo. We’ve featured his music twice before. He studied music at the Tatuí Conservatory in São Paulo, focusing on Brazilian Choro music, a precursor to samba and bossa nova. This foundation influences his ambient music. “When I’m composing,” he told us, “I always think about the chord progressions, modal chord substitution, the path of the basses, and the layering of main melodies with voicings – these are fundamental elements of this genre.” His latest album, Mita Koyama-cho, came out a few weeks ago. It’s ten dreamy, languid guitar-led instrumentals. We’re also revisiting his 2023 record, An Imaginary Autumn. A conversation with Tatsuro follows the streaming links.

Mita Koyama-cho - Tatsuro Murakami (35m, no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal

An Imaginary Autumn - Tatsuro Murakami (40m, no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal

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What's your earliest memory of music?

I was raised in a very musical environment. My father is a dedicated collector of vinyls and CDs, and my older sister began playing the violin at the young age of 4. I recall that by the time I was around 6 years old, I was already familiar with many popular songs from the ‘60s and ‘70s as well as classical pieces, particularly those by the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Mozart, and Bach. These early influences inspired me to actively seek out and listen to new music as a hobby starting when I was about 9 or 10.

We were first drawn to your music when we learned about your time studying guitar and composition in São Paulo. Tell us about your journey to Brazil and your interest in Brazilian music.

I got a grant in high school that allowed me to spend a year abroad in Brazil. During that time, I completely fell in love with Brazilian music and felt a strong desire to study it more deeply. After finishing school, I decided to return to Brazil and was accepted into the Tatuí Conservatory in São Paulo. I studied traditional Brazilian music known as "Choro," the foundation of Bossa Nova and Samba – and graduated with a focus on 7-string acoustic guitar and Brazilian/Jazz-style composition. The music is incredibly rich and diverse, and the people are deeply creative. It's been five years since I returned to Japan (I spent about eight years in Brazil altogether), but I’ve continued to stay connected through music and friendships to this day.

How does that background manifest in your ambient compositions and general approach to creating music?

My music study background was pretty much all formed in Brazil, through Choro. So, the influence of that genre is definitely there. When I compose, I always think about the chord progressions, modal chord substitution, the path of the basses, and the layering of main melodies with voicings – these are fundamental elements of this genre.

What is your current studio setup? What instruments and gear did you use to create Mita Koyama-cho?

My main DAW is Pro Tools, and I use RME Babyface Pro FS with Yamaha HS7 monitor speakers. There is also Tascam Portastudio 414 MKII for recording and mixing.

I always use guitars to begin composing. I own four nylon string guitars (three are 7-strings), two steel string guitars, and three electric guitars. Also I have two basses, one of which is fretless. My pedalboard is equipped with ten pedals with midi controls. I enjoy using modern ambient pedals such as Microcosm, but I think these days I love searching more for a clean guitar tone using just comp + drive combo paired with a slight modulation + good spring reverb. There are two old solid state amps in my studio. One is a Guyatone Zip300 and the other is a Roland CA40, which my father used to use when he was in high school. I love my dynamic mic RE20 for recording guitars pairing with another condenser mic AKG C451.

For Mita Koyama-cho, all the electric guitar parts were played exclusively on a Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster – my first “expensive” guitar, which I bought with money earned from a part-time job during my high school vacation in Japan. It offers an excellent balance of warmth and classic single-coil tone in the neck position, and even after 12 years, I still never get tired of playing it.

How do you discover new music these days? Any recent highlights?

I'm always trying to find new music, using sources like Substack, radio mode on streaming services, online music magazines, and blogs. This year, discovering Klark Sound was a real highlight, and I can't get enough of his album This Is Music. I've also been listening a lot to Lisa Bella Donna and Caterina Barbieri for a few years now; I really love the depth they create with modular synthesizers. When it comes to Brazilian music, lately I've been listening to a lot of 70's Brazilian Boogies, with Carlos Dafé being my top pick.

Name an underrated artist from the past 50 years.

Raymond Scott. I really like him as an orchestra arranger, but also as a composer of experimental music. Kestrel is my favorite UK band from the ‘70s and they are totally underrated. Also there is Pedro Santos, a brilliant percussionist who left one of the best albums from Brazil (in my opinion) called Krishnanda.

What are you working on next?

There are a bunch of shows I will be playing in June here in Japan as my releasing tour! I am also working on two new albums. One is a collaboration with Japanese musician TOMC, a brilliant music producer and music researcher. The other is my solo album; I am returning to writing sheet music with acoustic instruments and thinking about a more conceptual album. It might take a while for it to come out, but I'm excited for making this!

I'm also keeping busy working as the Japan-based label manager for U.S. label Mystery Circles. We've got an eclectic mix of upcoming releases that I'm excited to help get out there!