Masakatsu Takagi | Artist
Masakatsu Takagi is a Japanese musician and filmmaker born 1979 in Kyoto, Japan. His prolific output spans albums, often with visual components, gallery exhibitions, performances, and soundtrack work for film, television, and contemporary dance. He attended Kyoto University of Foreign Studies, graduating in English. His early releases consisted of glitchy, collage-like experimental ambient pieces reminiscent of Oval or Nobukazu Takemura. Working in the duo Silicom, with Aoki Takamasa, who provided minimal techno tracks that were matched with Takagi's visuals. The duo performed at various clubs and galleries in Japan, and released two DVDs in 2001 and 2002. Takagi made his solo recording debut with Pia, a CD accompanied by a CD-ROM of short films, which was issued by Carpark in 2001. With subsequent releases, his sound became less abstract and moreĀ melodic, even incorporating pop elements. TheĀ 2003 albums Rehome and SailĀ were easily his most pop-oriented works, both featuring vocals by Toma Itoko and much catchier rhythms than his previous material. The latter also included a remix by Cornelius, and was co-executive produced by Yellow Magic Orchestra's Haruomi Hosoni. He also collaborated with Takagi and Ogurusu Norihide on a CD titledĀ Come and Play in Our Backyard, released a DVD titled World Is So Beautiful, and began providing concert visuals for David Sylvian. His sound quickly evolved, with ambitious albums such as 2004's Coieda incorporating brighter melodies, acoustic instruments, and pop-influenced songwriting, as well as influences such as jazz, classical, and Brazilian music. After spending 2005 concentrating on touring and commissioned work, he released the full-length Air's Note (a collaboration with Aqualung), as well as Bloomy Girls, a "visual book" consisting of a DVD of short films and a 136-page art book, in 2006. Private/Public, a recording of a fully orchestrated 2006 concert, was issued as a CD/book set in 2007. During the same year, Say Hello for Me, Takagi's first feature-length soundtrack, was released. In 2009, Takagi released Tai Rei Tei Rio, an entirely acoustic album accompanied by a "book of related myths." Performances of the album's material were released on the 2010 DVD Aruongaku. Takagi began scoring films in 2007, and his most well-known soundtracks include the anime films Wolf Children (2012), The Boy and the Beast (2015), and Mirai (2018). He also wrote the music for the Studio Ghibli documentary The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness (2013). Takagi's solo works were compiled on Omusuhi (2013) and Kagayaki (2014), two double-CD sets accompanied by picture books. His work has been noticed by Apple Inc., and a 3-minute promotional video for the company was made about how Takagi creates his videos on a Mac using Apple Pro software. During 2003-04 he toured with David Sylvian on the "Fire in the Forest" Tour, creating visuals to accompany the performances. The two later collaborated on the track "Exit/Delete" from Coieda (2004). In 2013, he relocated to the small village of Hyogo in order to live a more traditional Japanese life, and his work from this period includes solo piano and vocal albums.
Artist Website : takagimasakatsu.com
Featured Albums: Masakatsu Takagi
Related Artists: Silicom, David Sylvian
