The three musicians, who have been based in different places (Stockholm, Sweden; Sapporo, Japan; and Tokyo, Japan), naturally began to interact with each other in the course of their respective musical projects.
Marcus and I have worked together on other projects before, and when he came to Tokyo three years ago for the first time in a long time, we had a live session and had a great musical exchange.(Kuniyuki)
I met with Kuni many years ago. We made an album together back in 2008. So we go long way back. Love his music and his live sets! I first heard of J.A.K.A.M.’s music when going recordshopping in Shibuya in 2018.
Found some amazing records where I could hear electronic dance music was combined with influences of world music. Very inspiring. Soon after a friend introduced me to him and we spoke of doing a collaboration together.
At our first meeting in the studio in Tokyo Jakam suggested to name our project mystics.. (Marcus)
I heard that Marcus had been buying a lot of my work, and when he came to Japan, he was going to play a show with Kuniyuki, so I went to Daikanyama UNIT. We met for the first time on the side of the stage before the show,
and I could tell that he already understood my sound, so we immediately started talking about doing something. Then Kuniyuki appeared with a whiskey in his hand with a smiling face,
and I think the relationship between the three of us started with a sudden round of drinks lol (J.A.K.A.M.)
The three gathered in 2018 and decided to play a show under the name MYSTICS when Marcus visited Japan two years later in January 2020.The three had already been interacting with each other and
improvised their first live show based on the songs they had been working on for the album, and Naoyuki Uchida, the engineer in charge of the overdubs for "5 ELEMENTS," joined them on the PA.
There were moments when the way we perceive the grooves created by each other's live sets and DJ activities intersected in the sound of the parts we each played, I felt the interplay of the three of us in the bass groove,
and the sense of what to do with the gaps was refreshing.(Kuniyuki)
This live performance further inspired each other and sparked the creation of the album.
The production started with the theme of "5 ELEMENTS".
Let's ask about the production process of the album "5 ELEMENTS". It all started with a session between J.A.K.A.M. and Marcus.
I started a session with Marcus at a rehearsal studio I was familiar with in Kichijoji, and I told him that I wanted to use the theme "5 Elements". I explained my own interpretation of the meaning,
imagery, and relationships of the five elements of water, metal, earth, fire, and wood, and Marcus immediately agreed. After that, we had a lot of spiritual talks and I was happy to have a deeper conversation with him.
As the production progressed with the musicians, we decided that we really wanted percussion, and I imagined various players from African, Arabic, Asian, Latin, etc., but I couldn't choose just one area,
so I thought of Kuniyuki. Kuniyuki's drumming is unmistakably spellbinding, primitive, and yet sophisticated.
Marcus accepted, so I explained about the 'five elements' and Kuniyuki added the missing elements to those sounds, which gave the sound more depth" (J.A.K.A.M.).
I overdubbed percussion and keyboards on their recordings in my studio, and recorded new sounds in my own way while listening to the demos.
After that, J.A.K.A.M. mixed more tracks based on what I played, but for a while, J.A.K.A.M. would send Marcus and me new mixes like letters every day.
I would listen to the mixes and tell them what I thought, Marcus would comment on them, and then J.A.K.A.M. would send us another mix, sometimes with a completely different image.
The mixes were definitely changing a little bit each time, so I think the word 'MYSTICS' was appropriate for the time that passed in each process.(Kuniyuki)
5 ELEMENTS" = a story created by the five elements, electronic sounds and live instruments
As a Westerner, Marcus always kept the theme of the album, the five elements, in mind when he was working on the album, but he also understood that there are slight differences in the way the elements are perceived
from a Japanese perspective and an ancient European perspective, and he went back to the ancient times in his own way and said, "The collective past of Japan meets the ancient past of Sweden and
The collective past of Japan meets the ancient past of Sweden and Europe. The meeting of the inhabitants of one part of the earth with the inhabitants of another part of the earth is a rendezvous of exoplanets
on the earth where the power of the elements is discussed, and this meeting forms the vibes of these five works," Marcus answered in his own way. In this context,
he was also thinking about how the existence of music can work in the lives of us, the listeners.
Each song on "5 ELEMENTS" corresponds to a planet in our solar system and is named after the elemental forces that exist in nature. I personally have a deep interest in esotericism and the methods of transforming
and healing the human soul through music and magic, and the principles of alchemy and sacred arts are one of the ways to heal and transform the human soul. Music is a living thing, and if it's really good,
it can heal almost anything in the energy field. So it is music that leads the way to the future. If we can find the Tao and harmony within ourselves, we can live a harmonious life that is kind to the environment,
and the more people who live that way, the more good vibrations will be created. The more people who live that way, the more good vibes will be created. The more those vibes increase, the more harmonious we can be,
the more joyful and happy we will be.(Marcus)
Titled "Water," "Metal," "Ground," "Fire," and "Wood," each song has a story to tell, and in addition to the three members of MYSTICS, Shinobu Egashira played the koto, Keiko Oikawa played the violin,
and Kenji Ikegami played the shakuhachi. The live instrumental performance of joy, anger, sadness, and sorrow over a borderless electronic sound, as if it were a vocal performance conveying a message,
seemed to offer a direction for the future that we humans are heading towards.
I've been trying to mix live instruments with electronic sounds for a long time now, but this time I was conscious of imagining and creating sounds with a universal theme that is not limited to any one place or time.
By doing so, I think the impression will be the same even if you listen to it 10 or 20 years from now, and I think it will be possible to create a universal imagination. Also, this time,
I asked the engineer Naoyuki Uchida to add dub using equipment from the 1940s, which added depth to the modern DTM-like sound and had the effect of connecting live instruments and electronic sounds.(J.A.K.A.M.)
"This project is not only about healing, but it is also strongly related to my deep interest and knowledge of making music." By "mystical experience," I mean a state of being that is out of the ordinary,
and I believe that listening to deep music and dancing can bring about a higher state of consciousness, a deeper layer of the psyche (soul), and a mystical experience that is out of the ordinary.
I believe that by using technology and ancient principles, we can create a new future that is more environmentally friendly.(Marcus)
Receiving the messages delivered by Mystical artists
The journey of MYSTICS began with the release of the album "5 ELEMENTS". The pandemic caused by the new coronavirus is forcing humanity to go back to the past and think about the future,
and you, the music lover reading this article, can build a better future for yourselves with music. I assure you that the album "5 ELEMENTS" will exist with our new journey that is about to begin.
And I look forward to seeing them live at some point in the future.
Finally, I'd like to share with you what each of the members thinks about the future of MYSTICS and their message for the album.
As I mentioned to Marcus in the early stages, I would love to get in touch with Swedish folk music, and collaborate with European instruments and voices in a broader sense.
I would also like to collaborate with mystical musicians and artists around the world.(J.A.K.A.M.)
I think there are many elements in our world, and there is always time. I think that music is a record of that moment, but within the record, there is also the flow of time spent and the message,
and I believe that it changes with the flow of time, the thoughts of the receiver, and the environment of each person, so I would be happy if you could enjoy the sense of information from the sound.(Kuniyuki)
Hopefully we will be doing a tour when the pandemic is over. And it is exciting to do the release of the vinyl and CD! And who knows.. there might be more music coming as Mystics :).
Domo Arigato! Peace love and healing! (Marcus)
ソロ活動を通じて辿りついた必然の出会い
スウェーデン／ストックホルム、札幌、東京と、各々異なる地で活動する3人は、各々の音楽活動をしていく中で自然と交わるようになっていたという。 「Marcusとは以前、別のプロジェクトでともに作品を作ったことがあるんですが、3年前に久しぶりに東京へ来日をしたときにライヴでセッションをして素晴らしい音楽の交わりをしました」（Kuniyuki）。 「Kuniyukiとは古い付き合いで、2008年に一緒にアルバムを作ったことがあるんだけど、彼のライヴがすごく好きなんだ。J.A.K.A.M.の音楽を知ったのは、2018年に渋谷でレコードショッピングをしていたとき。 エレクトロニック・ダンスミュージックにワールドミュージックの影響が組み合わされているような彼のレコードを見つけて、とても刺激を受けたんだ。その後すぐに友人が彼を紹介してくれて、一緒にコラボレーションをしようと話しました」（Marcus） 「Marcusが自分の作品をいろいろと買ってくれていたようで、ちょうど彼が来日したときにKuniyukiさんとライヴをやるというので、代官山UNITまで足を運んだんです。ライヴ前にステージ横で初対面したのですが、 既に自分の音を理解してくれていたことがわかり、すぐに何かやろうという話になりました。そこにKuniyukiさんがウイスキーを持ってニコニコ顔で登場し、いきなりの回し酒から3人の関係がスタートしたのだと思います（笑）」（J.A.K.A.M.)
2018年に集結した3人は、その2年後の2020年1月にMarcusが来日を果たしたときにMYSTICSという名でライヴを決行。すでにこれまでに各々が交流をして、アルバム用に制作をしていた楽曲を元に即興で初ライヴを行い、 またこの日は『5 ELEMENTS』のオーバーダブを担当したエンジニアの内田直之氏もPAで参加。「お互いのライヴセットやDJでの活動から生まれるグルーヴの捉え方が、それぞれが出すパートの音の中で交わってくる瞬間があり、 僕ら3人のベース（低音）のグルーヴの交わりを感じたのと、その隙間をどうするかみたいな感覚は新鮮でした」（Kuniyuki）と、このライヴをきっかけにさらに互いにインスパイアを与え、アルバム制作に火を付けた。
『五行（5 ELEMENTS）』をテーマに制作がスタート
アルバム『5 ELEMENTS』が出来上がっていった制作過程を聞いてみよう。最初は、J.A.K.A.M.とMarcusのセッションから始まったそうだ。
「吉祥寺にある自分が慣れ親しんでいたリハーサルスタジオでMarcusとセッションを始めて、そのときにテーマを『五行（5 ELEMENTS）』にしたいと話をしたんです。そのときに五行の『水金地火木』の意味やイメージ、 関係性などを自分なりの解釈で説明したんですが、Marcusはすぐに同意してくれて、その後に彼とは精神的な話を沢山して、さらに深い話をできたことは嬉しかったですね。それからミュージシャンたちを交え制作が進むにつれ、 どうしてもパーカッションが欲しいということになり、アフリカンやアラビック、アジア、ラテンなどいろいろなエリアの演奏者をイメージしたんですが、どうしてもどこかのエリアに限定はできず、 考えた挙句思いついたのはKuniyukiさんでした。Kuniyukiさんの太鼓は何処のものとも言えないのに、確実に呪術的で、原始的、尚且つ洗練されているという申し分ない存在。MarcusもOKということで、 『五行』について説明し、Kuniyukiさんがそれらの音に足りない要素を足してくれ、より深みのあるサウンドになりました」（J.A.K.A.M.） 「2人がレコーディングした音源に僕がパーカッションやキーボードを担当して、僕のスタジオにてオーバーダブしていき、そのデモを聴きながら自分なりに新しい音を録音していきました。 その後はJ.A.K.A.M.が僕の演奏した音源を元にさらにミックスしていったんですが、しばらくの間はJ.A.K.A.M.からは日々手紙のような感じで新しいミックスが僕とMarcusに送られてきました。 その送られてきたミックスを聴いて僕が思う所を伝えたり、Marcusのコメントがあったり、そこからまた新たにJ.A.K.A.M.からミックスが送られてきて、それがときにはガラリとイメージが変わっていたり。 ミックスは確実に毎回少しずつ姿を変えていっていたので、どのプロセスにも『MYSTICS』という言葉が相応しい時間が過ぎて行ったと思います」（Kuniyuki）
『5 ELEMENTS』＝五行と、電子音と生楽器が生み出すストーリー
アルバムのテーマとなった五行について、西洋人であるMarcusは常に念頭に置いて制作に取り組んだそうだが、日本の視点と古代ヨーロッパの視点では、要素の捉え方に若干の違いがあることも理解した上で、 彼なりに古代まで遡り、「日本の集合的な過去と、スウェーデンやヨーロッパの古代の過去が出会っている。地球のある部分の住民が、別の部分の住民と出会うことは、元素の力が議論された地球上での外惑星の会合になり、 この出会いがこの5つの作品のバイブスを形成しているんだ」（Marcus）と、自分なりに答えを出した。またその中で音楽という存在が、聴き手でもある私たちの生活の中にどのように作用していくのかも考えていた。
「『5 ELEMENTS』に収録されているそれぞれの曲が太陽系の惑星に対応していて、自然界に存在する元素の力にちなんで名付けられているんだ。僕は個人的に秘教的なものや、 音楽や魔法を通して人間の魂を変えたり癒したりする手法に深い興味を持っているんだけど、錬金術や仙術の原理は、人間の魂を癒し、変化させる方法のひとつでもある。音楽は生命あるもので、それが本当に良いものであれば、 エネルギーフィールドのほとんどのものを癒すことができる。だから未来の道を先導するのは音楽なんだよ。もし僕たちが自分自身の中にタオ（道）とハーモニーを見つけることができたら、 環境に優しく調和のとれた生活を送ることができると思うし、そのような生き方をする人が増えれば増えるほど、良い波動が生まれると思うんだよ。その波動が高まれば高まるほど、 調和が取れれば取れるほど、僕たちの喜びと幸せは増していくんじゃないかな」（Marcus）。
「Water（水）」、「Metal（鉱物）」、Ground（大地）」、「Fire（火）」、「Wood（木）」とタイトルを付けられた各々の曲にはストーリーがあり、MYSTICSの3人に加え、箏で江頭しのぶ、ヴァイオリンで及川景子、 そして尺八で池上健二といった演奏家たちが参加。ボーダレスなエレクトロニック・サウンドに、まるでメッセージを伝えるヴォーカルのように、喜怒哀楽を奏でた生楽器の演奏が、 我々人類が向かう未来への方向性を提示してくれているかのような内容に仕上がった。
「生楽器と電子音を混ぜることに関しては、随分と前からトライしてきているけど、今回意識したのはどこかの場所や時間に限定されない普遍性のあるテーマで音を想像／創造していくことでした。 それによって10年後や20年後に聴いても変わらない印象になると思うし、世界共通の想像ができるのではないかなと。また今回はエンジニアの内田直之さんに1940年代の機材でダブを加えてもらったことで、 現代のDTM的な音に深みが増し、生楽器と電子音を繋げる効果もあったと思います」（J.A.K.A.M.）
「このプロジェクトは癒しを与えるだけでなく、音楽を作ることへの深い興味と知識が強く関わっている。”神秘的な体験”というのは普通ではない状態のことで、深みのある音楽を聴いて踊ることは高い意識状態をもたらし、 精神（魂）の深い層を体験すると、普通ではない神秘的な体験をすることができるのではないかなと。テクノロジーと古代の原理と使うことによって、僕たちはより環境に優しい新しい未来を創造することができるのではないかな」（Marcus）
Mystical（神秘主義的）なアーティストたちが届けるメッセージを受け止めて
MYSTICSの旅は、アルバム『5 ELEMENTS』のリリースを機に始まった。新型コロナウィルスによるパンデミック下で、人類は今一度過去に立ち返ることと、そして今後の未来の考えることを余儀なくされていると思うし、 この記事を読んでいる音楽好きの貴方は、音楽を糧にしてそれぞれのより良い未来を築き上げることができるのではないだろうか。これから始まる我々の新たな旅とともに、アルバム『5 ELEMENTS』は存在すると断言しよう。 そしていつの日か行われるであろう、彼らのライヴに期待したい。
最後に、各々が思う今後のMYSTICSの活動についての展望やアルバムをメッセージをお伝えしよう。
「初期の段階でMarcusとも話していましたが、是非スウェーデンの民族音楽とも触れ合ってみたいし、広く捉えてヨーロッパの楽器や声楽ともコラボレートしてみたいです。そして世界中に点在するMystical（神秘主義的）なミュージシャン、 アーティストとクリエイションしていきたいですね」（J.A.K.A.M.）
「僕らの世界にはたくさんの要素が存在すると思うし、そこには必ず時間も存在します。音楽はその一瞬の記録だと思いますが、記録の中には、費やした時間の流れやメッセージもあって、 また時の流れや受け手の思いや、それぞれの環境で変化すると思っているので、その音からの情報の感覚を是非楽しんでもらえたら嬉しいですね」（Kuniyuki）
「パンデミックが終わり、ツアーができる日を願っています。それとレコードとCDのリリースができるということは、凄くエキサイティングなことなんだよね。MYSTICSとして、これからさらに多くの音楽が生まれることを期待している」（Marcus）
I met with Kuni many years ago. We made an album together back in 2008. So we go long way back. Love his music and his live sets! I first heard of J.A.K.A.M.’s music when going recordshopping in Shibuya in 2018. Found some amazing records where I could hear electronic dance music was combined with influences of world music. Very inspiring. Soon after a friend introduced me to him and we spoke of doing a collaboration together. At our first meeting in the studio in Tokyo Jakam suggested to name our project mystics.. (Marcus)
I heard that Marcus had been buying a lot of my work, and when he came to Japan, he was going to play a show with Kuniyuki, so I went to Daikanyama UNIT. We met for the first time on the side of the stage before the show, and I could tell that he already understood my sound, so we immediately started talking about doing something. Then Kuniyuki appeared with a whiskey in his hand with a smiling face, and I think the relationship between the three of us started with a sudden round of drinks lol (J.A.K.A.M.)
The three gathered in 2018 and decided to play a show under the name MYSTICS when Marcus visited Japan two years later in January 2020.The three had already been interacting with each other and improvised their first live show based on the songs they had been working on for the album, and Naoyuki Uchida, the engineer in charge of the overdubs for "5 ELEMENTS," joined them on the PA. There were moments when the way we perceive the grooves created by each other's live sets and DJ activities intersected in the sound of the parts we each played, I felt the interplay of the three of us in the bass groove, and the sense of what to do with the gaps was refreshing.(Kuniyuki)
This live performance further inspired each other and sparked the creation of the album.
The production started with the theme of "5 ELEMENTS".
Let's ask about the production process of the album "5 ELEMENTS". It all started with a session between J.A.K.A.M. and Marcus. I started a session with Marcus at a rehearsal studio I was familiar with in Kichijoji, and I told him that I wanted to use the theme "5 Elements". I explained my own interpretation of the meaning, imagery, and relationships of the five elements of water, metal, earth, fire, and wood, and Marcus immediately agreed. After that, we had a lot of spiritual talks and I was happy to have a deeper conversation with him. As the production progressed with the musicians, we decided that we really wanted percussion, and I imagined various players from African, Arabic, Asian, Latin, etc., but I couldn't choose just one area, so I thought of Kuniyuki. Kuniyuki's drumming is unmistakably spellbinding, primitive, and yet sophisticated. Marcus accepted, so I explained about the 'five elements' and Kuniyuki added the missing elements to those sounds, which gave the sound more depth" (J.A.K.A.M.).
I overdubbed percussion and keyboards on their recordings in my studio, and recorded new sounds in my own way while listening to the demos. After that, J.A.K.A.M. mixed more tracks based on what I played, but for a while, J.A.K.A.M. would send Marcus and me new mixes like letters every day. I would listen to the mixes and tell them what I thought, Marcus would comment on them, and then J.A.K.A.M. would send us another mix, sometimes with a completely different image. The mixes were definitely changing a little bit each time, so I think the word 'MYSTICS' was appropriate for the time that passed in each process.(Kuniyuki)
5 ELEMENTS" = a story created by the five elements, electronic sounds and live instruments
As a Westerner, Marcus always kept the theme of the album, the five elements, in mind when he was working on the album, but he also understood that there are slight differences in the way the elements are perceived from a Japanese perspective and an ancient European perspective, and he went back to the ancient times in his own way and said, "The collective past of Japan meets the ancient past of Sweden and The collective past of Japan meets the ancient past of Sweden and Europe. The meeting of the inhabitants of one part of the earth with the inhabitants of another part of the earth is a rendezvous of exoplanets on the earth where the power of the elements is discussed, and this meeting forms the vibes of these five works," Marcus answered in his own way. In this context, he was also thinking about how the existence of music can work in the lives of us, the listeners.
Each song on "5 ELEMENTS" corresponds to a planet in our solar system and is named after the elemental forces that exist in nature. I personally have a deep interest in esotericism and the methods of transforming and healing the human soul through music and magic, and the principles of alchemy and sacred arts are one of the ways to heal and transform the human soul. Music is a living thing, and if it's really good, it can heal almost anything in the energy field. So it is music that leads the way to the future. If we can find the Tao and harmony within ourselves, we can live a harmonious life that is kind to the environment, and the more people who live that way, the more good vibrations will be created. The more people who live that way, the more good vibes will be created. The more those vibes increase, the more harmonious we can be, the more joyful and happy we will be.(Marcus)
Titled "Water," "Metal," "Ground," "Fire," and "Wood," each song has a story to tell, and in addition to the three members of MYSTICS, Shinobu Egashira played the koto, Keiko Oikawa played the violin, and Kenji Ikegami played the shakuhachi. The live instrumental performance of joy, anger, sadness, and sorrow over a borderless electronic sound, as if it were a vocal performance conveying a message, seemed to offer a direction for the future that we humans are heading towards.
I've been trying to mix live instruments with electronic sounds for a long time now, but this time I was conscious of imagining and creating sounds with a universal theme that is not limited to any one place or time. By doing so, I think the impression will be the same even if you listen to it 10 or 20 years from now, and I think it will be possible to create a universal imagination. Also, this time, I asked the engineer Naoyuki Uchida to add dub using equipment from the 1940s, which added depth to the modern DTM-like sound and had the effect of connecting live instruments and electronic sounds.(J.A.K.A.M.) "This project is not only about healing, but it is also strongly related to my deep interest and knowledge of making music." By "mystical experience," I mean a state of being that is out of the ordinary, and I believe that listening to deep music and dancing can bring about a higher state of consciousness, a deeper layer of the psyche (soul), and a mystical experience that is out of the ordinary. I believe that by using technology and ancient principles, we can create a new future that is more environmentally friendly.(Marcus)
Receiving the messages delivered by Mystical artists
The journey of MYSTICS began with the release of the album "5 ELEMENTS". The pandemic caused by the new coronavirus is forcing humanity to go back to the past and think about the future, and you, the music lover reading this article, can build a better future for yourselves with music. I assure you that the album "5 ELEMENTS" will exist with our new journey that is about to begin. And I look forward to seeing them live at some point in the future. Finally, I'd like to share with you what each of the members thinks about the future of MYSTICS and their message for the album.
As I mentioned to Marcus in the early stages, I would love to get in touch with Swedish folk music, and collaborate with European instruments and voices in a broader sense. I would also like to collaborate with mystical musicians and artists around the world.(J.A.K.A.M.) I think there are many elements in our world, and there is always time. I think that music is a record of that moment, but within the record, there is also the flow of time spent and the message, and I believe that it changes with the flow of time, the thoughts of the receiver, and the environment of each person, so I would be happy if you could enjoy the sense of information from the sound.(Kuniyuki) Hopefully we will be doing a tour when the pandemic is over. And it is exciting to do the release of the vinyl and CD! And who knows.. there might be more music coming as Mystics :). Domo Arigato! Peace love and healing! (Marcus)
原稿編集：Kana Yoshioka