Hey Music Mag - Issue 3 - December 2018

Lauded for his cosmic soundscapes, Shin-
Ski explores the concepts of space, time
and technology on his Virtuality longplayer,
while simultaneously giving his music a more
human feel.
Virtuality sounds very organic and vibrant.
How has your way of working changed
over the years?
When I started I was more focused on
making beats for rappers with just samples.
It was good and mostly fun. But I realized
that it was my music but at the same time it
didn’t really feel like “my music”. The rappers
represented me yet
never expressed
how I really felt. So I
started adding more
personal elements,
such as melodies
and chords. I took
that idea even
further on Virtuality.
My good friend Satoshi Sugiyama, who is a
professional jazz pianist, plays electric piano
and piano [on the album]. All cuts are done
by DMC World DJ finalist DJ Taiji. My friend
Jank, who is also a deep house producer,
plays some guitars and the rest is done by
me. I wanted the music to have more of a
human feel.
The tracks are based on loops but on top
of that I added sounds that are constantly
changing and shifting so none of the songs
on Virtuality sound looped. That creates a
different type of emotion or impression within
a song compared to my previous beats.
Space and technology seem to be
recurring themes for you. Where does
this interest come from?
It started with my dad. He’s always been
into that kind of stuff. It’s now in my blood
“I believe records should
be played and heard,
not sit on shelves to
be forgotten”
as well. It’s easier for me to create sounds
or songs that have images of space or
technology. However, I’m interested in mixing
sounds of nature into a space theme lately. It
creates a different soundscape.
Which artists did you listen to during the
creative process of making Virtuality and
how did they have an effect on the album?
I was – and still am – heavily influenced by
Steve Reich. To me, his is the ultimate loop
music. It’s so hard to keep track of what is
going on but at the same time it all sounds
like a loop. The idea is very close to what I
wanted to achieve on my album.
What’s your background in music?
I’m not from a musical family but I loved
music and started playing instruments in
my early teens. Then I studied music at
university in the USA. But I was a young
and stupid teenager, and you know how
that goes in university… Basically, I didn’t
remember a thing
and I had to restart
from scratch.
Is there an obscure
piece of music that’s
influenced you along
the way?
This guy called
Gadget. He put out an album with Tommy
Guerrero called Hoy Yen Ass’n [in 2000]. It’s
a mixture of abstract hip-hop and a postrock
sounds. I have never met anyone who
knows about this LP.
What does your own record collection
look like?
I love records but I don’t consider myself a
collector. I have about 1500 records but I
used to have close to 6000. I cut down my
collection. I believe records should be
played and heard, not sit on shelves to be
forgotten. So I sent a big part of my unplayed
collection to those who do enjoy listening
and playing them.
From Amsterdam, Danny Veekens is a freelance music journalist and
founder of The Find magazine. Over the last decade, he’s published
print magazines and curated a string of vinyl, cassette tape and
compilation releases.
HEYMUSIC.COM
45