Part 1

Name: Kou Katsuyoshi
Nationality: Korean
Occupation: Sound artist, curator
Festival: MultipleTap
Festival Recommendations: ftarri at Suidobashi, Tokyo, Japan. pool at Sakuradai, Tokyo, Japan.

When did you start in a curatorial role - and what or who were your early passions and influences?

My music and curatorial roles started at the same time - about 10 years ago. Now, I curate the "MultipleTap" festival, which I initiated two years ago. In my case, there is no real influence in terms of my curatorial functions, simply because I never intended there to be a 'curatorial role'. It was not my purpose. The reason I started "MultipleTap" is that I wanted to detach this particular kind of music from the music alone.

What do you personally consider to be the incisive moments in your work and/or career?

Over time, I met a lot of people and visited a lot of places. These encounters have been and continue to be very important for my activities.

Some of the people who have been particularly vital are Satoshi Hironaka, Takahiro Kawaguchi and Suguru Hironaka (all from skillkills), Tatsuhisa Yamamoto, Yoshimitsu Ichiraku (doravideo), Toshiji Mikawa (incapacitants, hijokaidan), Makoto Oshiro, Ko ishikawa, Toshimaru Nakamura, all of the musicians who participated in "MultipleTap", the ftarri record shop and label (suidobashi, Tokyo), pool (sakuradai,tokyo) and more ... There is nothing I got from "music" itself, but I got various things from these particular people.

How would you describe and rate the music scene of the city you are currently living in and how much does it get featured in your programming?

Japan has a mixed up, chaotic scene that includes traditional and experimental music, ssw, rock, punk, hard core, and extreme avant-garde music ... All of these are happening within close proximity of each other. Still, my event is the only show for of its kind on the Japanese scene.

Is objectivity in any way a goal in your own work? What, other than your personal taste, are criteria for defining quality?

Eventually, different artists, communities and locations around the world will feel the need to connect. What we do is to expand this kind of music on a global scale. And if we can detach this kind of music from the music, I think we can do  interesting things. To achieve these aims, I am thinking about various methods at the moment.

How would you describe your role in the creative process?

I do not have such an audacious role. Really, my own desires come last in the process. My actions do not have a meaning.

Programming music can occasionally lead to deeper insights into the music itself. In which way, do you feel, can curating change the way music and certain styles of music are perceived?

I don't think it can.

It has often been mentioned that "the future of music is in live". What's your perspective on this? What kind of unique experiences does a concert experience continue to offer to this day?

I don't actually believe that the future of music is in the live department. This is because I think that "music" does not have any more potential and a future at all. From my point of view, music has been dead for decades. But for some reason, it continues to live on, as a ghost.

If we live together with "music", we just die together. But I think that it is necessary to look at the reality and think.

Can festivals or concert spaces survive just by presenting music these days? What's your take on extra-musical concepts like presentations, discussions, art exhibitions and the like as an enrichment of your musical program?

From my point of view, it has certainly become hard for them to get by only by focusing on music. Extra-musical concepts are a good approach, but I think that it is a problem which can not be settled by one particular method alone.