"TEQ Magazine" is a project that highlights the most recommended records from the collection of the record shop TEQ, interviews people involved, and delves deeper into the content.
Following on from last time, this time we will be welcoming guests from COWBOY FAMILY RECORDS, who have just released the label's first release, the analog record " COWBOY FAMIL BUSINESS ", to talk about records and music.
This time we spoke with Takashi Himeoka, who provided the music for this album and is one of the core members of the label. Himeoka has released works on Japan's leading techno label Cabaret Recordings, his own label Phreak Records, and overseas labels such as Rora and Binary Sound. We asked him about what inspired him to start making music and how he started releasing his works on vinyl.
How I started making music
- First of all, what made you start making music?
I originally liked US and UK rock, and started playing music because I wanted to be in a band. When I was in high school, I picked up my father's guitar at home and started playing, and invited some friends to form a band. I remember having fun playing in the studio with everyone, and becoming obsessed with music.
However, I had many friends around me who were better at playing instruments than I was, and I thought from the beginning that I didn't have any talent (lol). Still, I've always loved drawing pictures, writing, and expressing the ideas in my head in a tangible form, so after giving up on the guitar, I gradually became more and more absorbed in writing original songs. At first, I would write down the chord progressions of songs I thought up in a notebook, but after writing dozens of songs, I would find myself unable to remember what the songs I'd written in the past were like, even though I made them myself, and this was a problem (lol).
At that time, I happened to be at a friend's house and I got to use an MTR (multi-track recorder), and I thought that I could save the songs I made as data and listen to them later to remember them. So I waited until my friend got bored of it and stopped using it, and then I borrowed it and let him use it (laughs).
The MTR also had presets for drum performance, and while I had only been able to make songs with guitar sounds before, I was now able to make more song-like songs with rhythm and bass by myself. This made me increasingly enjoy making music, and I started composing every day.
- Thank you. I understand that you started out making rock music, but how did you move on to making the dance music you do now?
It all started when I started listening to post-rock and electronica music, such as Radiohead and Bjork. In addition to the sounds of instruments like guitars, bass, and drums, this type of music uses many different kinds of sounds, and I was influenced to start incorporating synths into my songs.
Then, I started to feel that I couldn't make the songs I really wanted to make with an MTR that could only record up to 8 tracks. At that time, I learned from a magazine article that there was something called a DAW that could make music on a PC. Since I was a student and didn't have much money at the time, I installed a free DAW software on my father's computer without permission and started making music on the PC. I remember learning how to use the software by trial and error, failing repeatedly.
That free DAW didn't have a MIDI function, so at the time I played each phrase by hand and recorded it as audio to create songs. However, as I mentioned before, I had no talent for playing, so I made mistakes and the rhythm was off, and the quality of the finished songs was really low (laughs).
At that time, a friend who was making music around me told me that he was using software called Ableton Live. You can input MIDI data and freely change the tone with a software synth. I thought that even if I was a bad performer, I could redo it as many times as I wanted, so I started making music using Ableton Live. At that time, I liked the music that mixed dance music and rock that was being released by the German company Kompakt, so I remember that I started making four-on-the-floor music around that time.
Points to keep in mind when creating music
- Is there anything that you keep in mind when composing music?
I didn't study how to make music professionally; I've been self-taught in order to create the music I like and the ideas I want to express, so I don't have the proper knowledge to give advice to others. However, if I had to say something, I think it's important for people to listen to the songs you create and give you their opinions and feedback, no matter what the content is.
When I talk to people I know sometimes, there are people who write songs by themselves, but they're still not very good at it, so they've never played it for anyone, but I think the quality of your songs won't improve unless people listen to them and tell you what they think. Don't be afraid of criticism or being told that you can't do it, and once you've created something, play it for a trusted friend who likes music and get their opinion. If you get praised, you'll be happy and it will motivate you to make the next one, and if you get criticized, it will make you want to work harder so that people will say that it was good next time.
That method hasn't changed at all, and as soon as I finish a song, I send it to a DJ I trust and get their feedback. Even if I complete the production on my own, I don't know if it will be good for other people, so I think it's most important to have other people listen to it and get their opinions and advice.
What prompted you to start releasing records?
- Tell us about the time when you first released your own music to the world.
Since I started making music with Ableton Live, I've been able to make a few songs that my friends around me praise, but I wasn't confident that they would leave an impression on people who didn't know me. So I put together all the songs I'd made up until then, along with my friends' songs, and burned them onto a CD-R and took them to the Kyoto club METRO as a demo tape. I went there with the simple thought that if I could play a live show at the club, more people would hear my songs, but thankfully, the person in charge of booking techno music actually listened to them.
That person is Itoi, who still performs music mainly in the Kansai region under the name Ken'ichi Itoi, and after listening to my demo, he contacted me directly. Looking back, it was a poor demo song, but he liked it and offered me the opportunity to release it on the label he was running at the time, Shrine.jp. I remember being incredibly happy, as I felt like my songs were recognized as having value even by third parties. Some of the songs from that demo were included on a CD released under the name Rexikom, which was my first opportunity to release music to the world.
- Speaking of Himeoka, your Tamayura EP released by RORA became a hot topic both in Japan and overseas. Could you tell us how this came about?
I liked all of RORA's releases from the first one onwards, and followed the label and related artists on Facebook to check the information. Then one day, I suddenly got an email from Sepp, a Romanian artist on the label, on messenger, saying, "I want to go on tour to Japan next time, can you do a party for me?" I was excited that my favorite artist sent me a message, and even though I couldn't speak English at the time and had no experience of inviting overseas DJs to a party, I accepted. During the tour, Sepp stayed at my house, and we were able to deepen our relationship. At that time, he asked me, "Are you making any music too?" I wasn't confident yet, but I played the techno-style songs I was making at the time for him. He liked it and said, "I want to use this song in my DJ, so please send me the data," and I was able to give him the sound source.
After that, he actually played the song at a party in Europe, and it happened that Romar, the owner of RORA's label, heard it, and suddenly I got a message on Skype. "Do you want to release your song that Sepp played on RORA?" At that time, in addition to producing music, I had started DJing as well, and RORA's records were my favorites and I always played them, so I remember being excited that I could release my work on such a label. After that, I sent him a few more demos and continued to exchange messages, and finally I was able to release my work in the form of an EP.
- I see. We are now in an age where data can be sent instantly over the internet, but from what I've heard about the release history so far, it seems like direct communication is very important.
For those who want to release music on vinyl
- This COWBOY FAMILY RECORDS release is also a vinyl only release, what advice would you give to anyone wanting to release their own music on vinyl?
It was really a combination of many coincidences that I was able to release music on record, so I can't really say there's a methodology that says, "If you write a song this way and send a demo to a label in this way, it will lead to a release." But if I was forced to give some advice, I would say it's important to just keep making music and have fun, without thinking of releasing it as the goal.
I think many DJs start producing music because they want to make and release tracks like the ones they play. I am often asked what equipment I need to make a song like that, what plug-ins I need, but those are just tools for making music, so even if you get the same ones, you won't be able to make tracks of the same quality. Even if you have expensive cooking equipment and use high-quality ingredients, you won't be able to make delicious food unless you have the skill to cook.
In fact, the song I released for RORA was made without any special tools, combining Ableton Live and the software synth that comes with it, with free sample sound sources I found on the internet, and with a lot of ingenuity. Rather than worrying about what tools to use, focus on what you want to express, and try to make lots of songs using what you have at hand, while being creative. Even if you can't make the song you want at first, as you continue, you will make various discoveries and find your own way of making songs. Then, I think you will naturally find what tools are best suited for you.
As for releasing records, it takes time and effort to make a record, and even if it sells, it doesn't bring in much profit. That's why I think that label owners, if they're going to put in the effort to release something, want to release "rough but unique music that has ideas and ingenuity" rather than "music that's well-organized as a track but sounds like something you've heard somewhere before." I think that DJs who buy records from TEQ are also digging day and night, looking for interesting music with sounds that no one else has.
To make music like that, I think you need the patience and enthusiasm to try again and again, even if you fail repeatedly. The skills you learn and acquire over time, trying different things, will definitely become a drawer for you when you make music, even if you can't use them in your songs right away. I think you'll find your own way of expression after taking a roundabout route and carefully facing music, so first try to enjoy making music without rushing for results. If you keep making music like that, I'm sure you'll meet someone who wants to release your music someday. COWBOY FAMILY RECORDS is also looking for such original music, so if you're interested after reading this article, please send us a demo!
Takashi Himeoka (Cabaret Recordings / ASF RECS / COWBOY FAMILY) 
A producer/DJ originally from Kyoto and currently based in Tokyo.
He debuted in 2014 with [Tamayura EP] released by Swiss label Rora, and has since been consistently releasing one or two albums a year, including participating in VA. His style has shifted from his early deep minimal house to a sound influenced by Detroit techno, UK house, electro, etc., culminating in [Utakata EP] released in 2019 from his own label Phreak Records. In 2021, he released the single [Wormhole EP] from Cabaret Recordings, run by dj masda. In 2023, he released [Newromancer EP] from ASF RECS, a label started by Alien Sex Friends, a party run by P-Yan & Ryokei held at the Shibuya club Mistuki. In 2024, he also participated in a VA work released by COWBOY FAMILY RECORDS, to which he belongs.
Cowboy Family Business / COWBOY FAMILY RECORDS 001
https://teq-tokyo.com/products/cowboy-family-business
Cowboy Family Records Tour
https://teq-tokyo.com/blogs/news/cbf-tour
