B

How did you guys meet and what lead to the creation of Force of Nature?

F

We are from the same Hiphop scene. KZA was in a hip hop group called Yotsukaido Nature, and after some time Kent entered. Yotsu means ‘fourth’ which is similar to ‘force’, so Force of Nature was a play on words. It is also the name of a Jungle Brothers’ album (Done by the Force of Nature), which we are both fans of.

B

The first Force of Nature LP has a lot of hip hop influence, and your latest, III, is geared more towards house and disco. How did the sound chance?

F

We did start with hip hop, and as time went on we started doing remixes, and KZA stopped rapping, so it was quite natural that we started making instrumental music, which lead to a more disco sound.

B

When you guys work on a track as Force of Nature, who does what?

F

There are really no job descriptions, we create the music together.

B

Who are some of your favorite producers?

F

Tornado Wallace and Eric Duncan.

B

Could you tell us a bit about the party scene in Japan, and how it has changed over the years?

F

It hasn’t really changed, it depends on what kind of party.

B

You have played around the world. Do you play differently for different crowds, and what kind of music do you play for different places?

F

It’s always the same.

B

Four by Four house/disco, like that?

F

Yes.

B

KZA, you are known for having a large vinyl collection. How did you become addicted to buying records, and what kind of music do you have in your collection?

F

It started in college. I was buying mostly hip hop and breaks that could be sampled. There is a variety of records in my collection.

B

Do you have any particular favorites?

F

I just started digging original Japanese records. Before, I used to collect everything – mostly European stuff, though, such as Italo disco.

B

For Kent, you produced for Samurai Champloo. How did the collaboration with Shinchiro Watanabe happen, and is the approach to making music for an animated series different from your own?

F

The director approached us because he enjoyed our music. He asked me to make the soundtrack. As I was making the soundtrack, all we thought about were things that were samurai-related, and the outcome is on the soundtracks. That was the first time I made a soundtrack.

B

What was the challenge in making a soundtrack?

F

When I was making the soundtrack, all I was given were sketches of the animation and characters as well as stories from the director. So I had to imagine what it was going to be like.

B

Do you think Force of Nature are more appreciated outside of Japan?

F

We do feel that we are appreciated more outside of Japan.

B

Do you have your own parties in Japan?

F

Yes, but it isn’t a regular event. It could be every two to four months. The party is called Force Field.

B

Are there any new projects coming up for Force of Nature?

F

We’re doing some remixes for JacquesRenault. That is underway.

B

Do you guys prefer DJing or playing a live set?

F

We like DJing.

B

Is there any particular reason why?

F

We used to perform live at first, but the more we went on, we were DJing a lot more.

B

As you are DJs, could you tell us your favorite closer/final song on your set?

F

Platinum by Mike Oldfield.

Special thanks to Belda, Hiko, and Shun for setting up this interview, and to Muhammad Fahri for being an impromptu translator.