Vantage AMA 14/03/2020
ARTIST INTRODUCTION:
Hey guys, I’m Vantage. I come from France but currently live in Japan as an English teacher. I have been producing music for about 12 years. I’m into vintage stuff and also own Ishiharadesign.com.
Links: Soundcloud Bandcamp Spotify Twitter Facebook Instagram
AMA BEGINS:
Q: When you make a song, do you start from a sample that you think is cool, maybe find a sound on the synth that is nice, or how do you do it?
Nice question! sometimes I am looking for a special type of sample (depending on mood/sound design) but I guess most of the time I’m just digging for stuff that sounds cool!
Q: Favourite Future Funk / Vaporwave album of all time?
Hit vibes is up there for sure, discovery if you count daft punk as FF
Q: Which DAW / music editing program do you use?
I use Ableton Live although I guess you can use anything.
Q: What track took you the longest to complete?
The track that took me the longest to complete isn’t even out yet because it’s not done lol, I’ve been working on it for years and I hope to release it soon.
Q: Why did you pick the name Vantage, and do you have other alias?
I picked vantage because I wanted something that sounded retro and classy, I also have DJ2001 as an alias and used to make music under the name Prizm with my buddy. I also produced a lot of stuff for a lot of people but I can’t tell names on that.
Q: How old are you and where are you from?
I’m 25 and I’m from France, although soon enough I will have lived longer abroad than in my home country.
Q: How was playing in Tokyo? And is the one the 30th march cancelled?
Playing in Tokyo is amazing every time! and the booking on the 30th of march was actually on the 20th, so next week!
Q: Which album or EP of yours are you most proud of, or think is your best work?
I am really proud of metro city, because its my first album ever and its really raw, its also doing well so that weighs in. My next album is probably going to take that spot though.
Q: Where did you live in France if it’s not too personal?
I lived in Lyon, France ! Funk capital as we call it there lol.
Q: Where can I get info on where you do a performance? I’d love to watch you do your thing somewhere in benelux / EU.
I just post on my socials, I guess it would be easier if i had a bandsintown or something but I’m secretly hoping I can toss that task to my manager once I get more bookings lol.
Q: I’m taking a year abroad, did you just confirm my thoughts of going to Lyon and do it there?
Lyon is dope man, the nightlife there is incredible and I really like the city tbh.
Q: Do you play the guitar and base yourself and record them, or make/edit them on your computer?
I play guitar bass drums keyboard and I’m learning to sing (which is actually SO hard) I used to heavily edit my recordings but now they’re more and more natural, most of what I record nowadays is not even quantized or anything.
Q: Do you have a formal music education? Play any instruments? What led you down this path?
I only took 2 years of music theory and snaredrum/xylophone when I was like seven, I think formal education makes sense once you’re deep into making music and you know what those tools are for.
I guess I backtracked from discovery into ed banger into boogie and now I’m just trynna find how to make my snare sound like a 1982 record lol.
Q: What are your Future (Funk) plans?
I’ve got a lot of future plans, right now I’m sort of betting everything on this next album, I’ve also been thinking into getting back to producing music commercially (TV/ghostwriting (although that’s still current)etc.) maybe starting a vintage music gear business or whatever.
Q: Planning any new releases?
I’ve got tons of new releases, I’ve got a 2 tracks House EP that I should’ve sent to nervous records 2 months ago (lmfao) another Future Funk album, and this mysterious album I’ve been working on for so long. Also got some DJ2001 stuff coming out soon.
Q: Who are your inspirations for making music? And who are you currently listening to?
currently I’m only listening to oldies, boogie, city pop, fusion jazz etc. My all time inspirations though are Daft Punk/most ed banger guys/Canblaster/Lido/Casiopea/Tatsuro Yamashita.
Q: What does your IRL friends & family think about FF?
My IRL friends think it’s cool, my family doesn’t really get it but my mom is like yea w/e she just wants me to be happy and she knows I love music. I think my little brother thinks I’m cool because I got views on YouTube lol.
Q: What/who is your favourite CityPop Album and/or artist?
Fav city pop album is probably for you by Yamashita just because it’s such a classic, the production isn’t too varied but it sounds amazing and is a great all rounder.
Q: What’s a movie or TV show you really like that you wish more people knew about?
There’s a French movie called 99 francs that is about marketing and how advertising creates value and stuff, it has ejan dujardin in it and is kinda crazy but its a great movie, shame it wasn’t translated.
Q: How do you feel about Ludwig using Count What You Have Now as his anthem of sorts?
I dont really care about people using my music, I’m just happy more people enjoy it!
Q: Who is your best Japanese artist for your inspirations?
Casiopea is definitely an untarnishable source of inspiration imo.
Q: Do you know if there is any concert or Future Funk events near or in Lyon?
Not much FF in France but tons of disco house ! check out my friends event called Happiness Therapy ! look em up !
Q: When you upload on Electronic Gems, how do you distribute the earnings?
I dont get anything from EG, we started at a time when YouTube monetization wasn’t the name of the game and never changed our deal.
Q: How much do you think you changed since you started doing music?
I think I changed a lot, not just because its been 12 but also because I can’t stay doing the same thing so I’m always exploring new techniques new gear, new this new that. I know I should be posting way more because this stuff is really interesting but I’m too absorbed by my drive to figure out how to make better music to care about posting.
Q: If you don’t care about people using your music, how do you make a living?
Right now I get some money from Spotify but I make a living from being an English teacher here in japan. I also own a clothing brand and make some money here and there from random things. ishiharadesign.com
I think people using my music spreads it and in the end it still benefits me.
Q: What is your favourite instrument that you own and why? Do you have a personal history with it?
Right now I am the lucky owner of a Yamaha cp-70, its a very old electric stage grand piano and its my fave for the sole reason that I waited so long to buy it and I finally got one !
I don’t really have a lot of personal history with my instruments tbh.
Q: Pick a waifu?
That fox girl from shield hero is p cool.
Q: Favourite anime/manga?
I really liked Code Geass but looking back on it’s kinda corny lmfaooooo I love GTO and all those animes with the old Japanese humour like ping pong club or w/e.
Q: What part of Japan do you live in?
I live between Osaka and Kobe, very chill area.
Actually I live in an all womens building that’s right next to the biggest womens university of the area, it’s kinda weird.
Q: Hey Vantage, what’s good? Any chance of a cyberfunk 2 happening?
Ayeee im alright ! Cyberfunk 2 would be cool but I guess DJ2001 is kinda hoarding my “electronic sounding music” output atm !
Q: On J-Funk City you’ve got a sweet cover of you in a pilot suit from OG Gundam, what’s your favorite Gundam series man?
Only watched snippets but I really liked thunderbolt ! also free jazz and it’s not so “hey buy our toys”-ish.
Q: Additional question: What are your thoughts on most recent jazz funk stuff? Thundercat, Louis Cole, Sungazer, Snarky Puppy, etc.
It’s kinda dark tho ngl f. I really like some of these recent acts although I gotta say it’s no match for the vintage stuff. I think these guys can play better than anyone but they’re missing great songs. Not too many people venture in the land of songwriting anymore imo. Really love Thundercat tho.
Q: When and why did you move to Japan?
I moved here about three years ago (then spend a year in Australia) I guess I just wanted a change, my mom travels a lot and its always kind of been a family thing to go out there, explore and do what you love. I think japan is a great place to live in and the deals on vintage gear are better than anywhere else haha.
Q: Which other artists have inspired your work the most?
I produced a lot of different styles before Future Funk so I’ve had influences in all of those. The strongest ones are definitely Canblaster, Lido, Casiopea, Daft Punk, Wolfgang Gartner, Fatboy Slim, Hideki Naganuma… there’s too much to list haha.
Q: Any hobbies other than producing music?
I like fixing the vintage gear I buy, I do a lot of things outside music like gaming, working out, skateboarding, building Gundam models, film photography, practicing instruments (oops that’s kinda music too) I do some design too, I have a VHS-C collection for some reason.. lol I’m really all over the place so I pick up hobbies and let them go all the time.
Q: How good is your Japanese at this point and is communicating basically a 3rd language at this point?
My Japanese is pretty alright, its not native now and I wish I could read more kanji but yea it gets me there and Im able to say the right thing most of the time. I still get nervous sometimes though like when I have to explain to the guy at the pawn shop that I’m looking for an extra rare piece of gear or some various tricky situations like that.
Q: Any chance of some crazy collabs with the likes of Moe Shop or other big names in the scene?
The crazy collab would have been the Sendagi EP with Macross haha, I don’t have much planned right now as far as big names go.
Hahaha you know I asked Moe Shop for a collab like 5 years ago when he still only had about 3k followers and even then he already knew where he was going and was focusing on his own stuff.
Q: How are you today?
I feel great man ! I’ve done a lot, I bought this vintage 80s guitar that I’m about to refurbish, I went to the studio to record some stuff (didn’t get any good takes but eh thats life.)
Q: Biggest moment in your music career?
I think that had to be my tour in China. Meeting and connecting with people that knew me on the other side of the world in a country where soundcloud isn’t available was kinda crazy.
Q: What are the next big moves for Vantage and your career or at least what are you hoping to achieve within the next couple of years?
The next big moves for Vantage are going to be this album that i’ve been working on for sooooo long and I’m really hoping it can be a breakthrough. Although I’m ready for anything since Aloha Island was another ambitious album that didn’t had as big an effect as I was expecting.
Q: What do you think about the Future Funk genre and where do you think it will be in the future?
I think future funk is great ! to me its the true underground: a bunch of dudes getting together and having fun, with no further thought.
I’ve been noticing how lately its starting to get codified though and I don’t know if its good or bad, I guess the hipster in me would’ve been salty but I dont think about the scene in that way. I think Future Funk has a bright future if people put the effort in. It could be its own enemy if people just think its a lazy genre and start flooding with low quality tracks. But then again that’s kinda Future Funk too lol.
Q: Any plans to try an experimental album anytime soon, maybe some branch of vapor or even further from Future Funk than that?
Well this next album is kind of experimental, not as in “I recorded my washing machine on this song duuuuuuuuude” but as in that I’m going back so far into a concept it might even be ridiculous.
I don’t want to spoil the thing but all I can say is: nobody is ready + I’m producing something that I find actually really challenging.
Q: Will there ever be one last restock of metro city sweatshirts lol. I missed my chance when metro city deluxe tape came out and said “it’ll be there tomorrow” nope. And then slept on the repress that NCR did.
Hahaha people like this sweater so much! you wouldn’t believe the amount of restock questions I get lol. Maybe one day?
Q: Any last words?
Well, it’s been great talking to you guys! I know I don’t talk too much on social media etc. but please know that I really appreciate every one of you being supportive and listening to my music! Thanks guys ! stay funkin’
This AMA was held in the Future Funk Subreddit Discord. Join it here: https://discord.gg/guF4qvU
