TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography

Feeling the Beat

Keith Gordon is a DJ and musician, who combined dance beats with traditional Okinawan music to create Ryukyu Underground.

After graduating from college in the United Kingdom, Keith Gordon backpacked around the world working as a club DJ. In 1997, he settled in Okinawa, and had his record collection shipped from home. Keith developed a passion for Okinawan music, and with American Jon Taylor, he formed Ryukyu Underground, producing a fusion of Okinawan, western and world music. After 3 successful albums, which have met with critical acclaim, he continues to find inspiration from the world’s music.

What are your musical influences?

“Coming from the UK, I grew up hearing bands like The Smiths and The Cure. At around 16, I got into hip-hop artists such as KRS-One, Jungle Brothers, Eric B, and Public Enemy. My tastes widened and I started to listen to older stuff that a lot of these hip hop artists sampled – such as James Brown, Roy Ayers and Donald Byrd. I guess it’s this stage of funk, soul and jazz that really excites me.”

“Recently I’ve become far more interested in world music than what passes for modern pop music. World music has become much more mainstream as well. Music used to have distinct boundaries that could be clearly categorized – African, South American, Cuban. Through people like Sting, Punjab MC and Hip Hop artists adding Indian samples to their tracks, I think genres have begun to mix to a greater extent, and world music has reached a much wider audience. These days, musicians and listeners are looking for something new, rather than tired retreads of older music.”

What is involved in the process of creating a new track?

I have a huge collection of traditional Okinawan music. For our first album, I found sections that I found interesting, from a melody to single note, and sampled them. I uploaded these samples into a sequencer on my laptop and then added the beats, drums, percussion, effects and keyboards to produce the finished track.

For the second album we had much professional equipment to work with – better software and improved synthesizers. The biggest change, however, was that through the success of the first album we were able to work with Okinawan musicians like Toru Yonaha and singer Mika Uchizato. This was much more organic, more natural, rather than just using samples of Okinawan music.

For our most recent album, Shimadelica, we took things a stage further. We were more confident working with the musicians and they were less nervous performing with us. It allowed us a much deeper collaboration, and I think the resulting music really shows this.

What instruments do you play?

“I’m not a professional, but I do play drums, percussion, keyboards, bass guitar and sanshin. Unfortunately, I’m not a virtuoso of any of them. Some people think what I do is merely putting other people’s music into a computer and that it requires no talent to work like this. I respond to them by saying that the computer is just the tool to get my ideas into the world. The fact is, however, that it doesn’t matter how much technology or money you have backing a project, you still need creativity and original ideas to make good music.”

Your albums have been described as having influences from dub, trip hop, and breakbeats. What exactly are these music styles?

Dub is a style of reggae with few vocals, heavier bass, and more effects. Breakbeats are old syncopated funk drum beats, which are usually sped up and were used heavily by bands like The Chemical Brothers and The Prodigy. Trip hop, has a hip-hop rhythm but is more experimental, usually with a hundred or less beats per minute. Both Jon and I listen to a wide range of music, so this comes out in the variety of styles that are present in the tracks we produce.

Future plans?

“We’re currently thinking about the direction for out next album. We are toying with a few ideas. I guess it’s all about trying a variety of different things and finding what works or what takes Okinawan music into new areas. In the end, the greatest thing is simply being part of the musical culture and community here on Okinawa. ”

Ryukyu Underground albums are available for purchase on Amazon and iTunes.

Dreams of Paradise

Kyoko Nakamoto is an Okinawan artist whose paintings of “Paradise” show a world of beauty and vibrant colors where childlike inhabitants live simple, happy, and equal lives.

When did you start painting?

As a small child, I scribbled and painted all over the walls of our house. My mother never got angry, perhaps because we were living in a rented house. During high school, I knew I wanted to be a painter. However, when I went to university, I set aside my ambitions and chose to study business rather than art. After graduation, I got a job at an insurance company, but three days a week, I kept my dream alive by going to night classes at art school and slowly improving my skills. After ten years, I quit my job selling insurance and began working as an illustrator for magazines and packaging. Two years after that, I achieved my dream and became a full-time painter.

Was it hard to suddenly start a new career?

Of course, it was a tough decision. I had thought I should give up on my own dreams, I was married with three young children, and I had a job with a decent salary. But when I was 34 years old, I made up my mind to follow my own path, and at the same time I had the inspiration for the characters in my “Paradise” series.

Why do all your characters look so similar?

I didn’t want them to have a specific age or gender. They even have identical faces and hairstyles. Essentially, they all look the same, and this similarity shows the equality I imagine in paradise.

And the same clothes too?

Yes, they all wear little white robes. I chose white for its simplicity and purity. Also none of them wear shoes – I think being barefoot is very natural and gives a sense of freedom, so my “Paradise” characters never wear shoes.

So are they all meant to be perfect little people?

Not at all. They make mistakes, dropping things or even stealing. I guess you could say they have child-like qualities, but they’re not meant to be children.

Is your vision of paradise based on a real place?

I think it’s a mixture of my imagination, and places I have visited on my travels. I loved the mood of downtown New York, with people from all over the world living as one community. Some of the scenery in my paintings comes from the central coast of California when I once had an exhibition of my work. Above all, however, I am inspired by Okinawa. I love the weather, the people, even the air. I like to read and watch movies, but above all I like to travel. I think it’s important, especially for artists to experience new places and talk to people from different cultures.

Are you always so outgoing?

Sometimes, but I also need time by myself, to be quiet. I usually spend about 5 hours a day alone in my studio, but as an exhibition approaches, I become even more focused. I can spend 10 hours in front of my easel concentrating so hard I don’t even want to go to the bathroom.

What are your future plans or ambitions?

I’d love to have solo exhibitions in New York, Tokyo and Europe. I’m really interested in France and Italy, but I can only speak Japanese and English so maybe I’ll have to study some foreign languages first.

I hope to be able to offer something toward a more peaceful world. I’d like there to be more equality between people and countries, I understand it would be difficult, but it’s a dream of mine. And I think that everyone should be able to follow his or her dreams.

Kyoko’s gallery is located in Naha near Shuri Castle. Directions to the gallery along with more information about Kyoko and her paintings can be found at http://www.kyokoart.com/

Interview first published in Okinawa Living Magazine,  November 2008.