When Satoshi Tomiie was approached early last year to put together a club mix compilation album for the Renaissance Masters Series, due to the fact that a similar kind of release was already underway via his own label, SAW Recordings, he had to turn the offer down.
For a DJ who can’t say no to music, this was disappointing to say the least. So when the Renaissance label came back to him with an offer he couldn’t refuse – that was to put together the first release of their new series, “3D” – this house extraordinaire was more than happy to say yes. “Cutting back (his schedule to work on “3D”) was the toughest part for me. I love DJing and as I had 2 months to finish it in, I couldn’t travel every weekend,” Satoshi explains. “2 months is generally not too big a sacrifice…but for me it was!”
A cut above any other compilation on the market, the purpose of “3D” is to offer listeners a 3-dimensional view into Satoshi’s musical life, spread over 3 CDs aptly titled “Club”, “Home”, and “Studio”. While the first two discs are comprised of music that reflects and influences Satoshi in these particular arenas, the third disc is where Satoshi’s creativity really comes into play, featuring a selection of his original productions and remixes.
When it came to the “Club” and “Home” compilations, Satoshi says, “The mixing itself didn’t take long – finding the tracks was the most time consuming part! I looked for tracks that were timeless classics and that I felt proud of.” Yet when questioned on how he approached the “Studio” aspect of 3D, he laments that he wished he had had more time. “I tried to make a special track for this compilation….but there was not enough time. It was quite hard, but I enjoyed it.”
When I spoke with Satoshi last week, he was preparing for the first show of the Renaissance Tour, at the infamous Club Yellow in Tokyo. Though New York has been his base for over 10 years, “home is still in Tokyo” and he is “always happy” to be back playing there. He describes how his initial reasons for moving to New York in the mid 1990s were based around his feeling that staying in Japan would have prevented him from developing his career as a DJ and a producer. “At that time (in Japan) it was tough for anyone doing this type of music, although if (DJing) was something I had just started now, I would probably stay”, he muses. “Every time I come back to Tokyo there are different people, influences and music.”
Excited about hitting the stage Down Under and giving Australian dance floors a taste of the 3D concept, apart from the local music scene – “I have heard Kasey Taylor and know a lot about his production, which is interesting” – there is one more thing on his mind. “Vegemite – I am not sure if I tried it before, but this time I will specifically ask for it.”
Check out Satoshi Tomiie’s Renaissance Tour on the following dates, and don’t forget to buy yourself a copy of ‘3D’, out now on Renaissance/Stomp:
Fri Feb 17 – Melbourne, Room 680
Sat Feb 18 – Sydney, Good Vibrations Festival (BUY TICKETS)
Sat Feb 18 – Brisbane, Family
Sun Feb 19 – Perth, Good Vibrations Festival (BUY TICKETS)
Sat Feb 25 – Sydney, Tank
