massa takemoto
biography
Born in Japan, he started playing piano at age 4 and was composing songs by age 15. When he reached 19, he moved to the U.S. to explore his musical dreams and collaborate with musicians from a variety of genres. During that time, he went on tour from Southern California to Utah as a member of the band "May Pole" (currently, 880 records), which was nominated for "Best Out-of-Region Band" at the Orange County Music Awards in 2002 and received the "Best Original Song Award" at the Online Rock Festival in the same year.
He also had opportunities to perform at music festivals and TV shows as a support member for bands and solo artists. After ten years of musical experience in the U.S., he found his own spiritual connection with music and left the "pop/rock" scene, putting out a solo project Spiral Lounge - future paradise - in 2003. "Forever," which was released on that album, was rearranged for a new project, Manners Therapy Sound, and released by MTI entertainment in 2005. In the same year he started "Republic of Cosmic Love Experience" (an improvisational electronic jam band) and toured Japan, releasing a self-titled EP. In 2007, he released a conceptual solo album entitled "desert island mix."
TV appearances :
Cox cable and Time Warner cable in Southern California (United States)
Fuji TV "Factory" (Tokyo, Japan)
Minato Cable TV (Tokyo, Japan)
Radio :
Global Astro Radio (Japan)
92.1 FM (San Diego, CA)
KKSM 1320 (San Diego, CA)
Manchester Radio (England)
Groovera Chilled Radio (San Francisco, CA)
.F (Fukuoka, Japan)
Shibuya FM (Tokyo, Japan)
Works (including collaboration and support) :
with love or squalor (produced by May Pole Music)
mysterium tremendum (produced by 880 records/880studio)
spiral lounge - future paradise - (produced by counteractive records)
republic of cosmic love experience (produced by counteractive records)
desert island mix (produced by counteractive records)
imperial star project (produced by counteracitve records)
the persona - Aesthetic Blend of Peculiar Minds - (produced by Statue Records)
energy clean up (produced by MTI Entertainment)
energy transferring system (licensed, produced by Geyser Recordings, Germany)
romantist (theme song for the novel Sukuenai Romantisuto by Mizuki Aoi)
ultimate girls ( produced by PONY CANYON)
Lucky Clown Entertainment Theme (used in movie trailers)
Collaboration/space design with :
Miyuki Ueda (illustrator/sumi-e artist)
Ohmori Seiko (illustrator/3D artist)
Premium Japan (textile exhibition)
Mizuki Aoi (writer)
Tomotaka Imamichi (guitarist from "Barbee Boys")
Tetsuroh Konishi (trumpet player)
Masa Kohama (guitarist from the documentary film, "Hoover Street Revival")
Venues/Festivals :
Whisky A GO GO (Los Angels, CA), Coconut Teaszer (Los Angels, CA), San Diego County Fair at the Del Mar Fairgrounds (San Diego, CA), Leudrock 2 (San Diego, CA), Belly Up Tavern (San Diego, CA), Casbah (San Diego, CA), Blind Melons (San Diego, CA), Cane's (San Diego, CA), Club Asia P (Tokyo, Japan), eggman (Tokyo, Japan), Shirokane Street Festa (Tokyo, Japan), among others.
Review :
Review by Cuemix Magazine (Germany) :
Massa Takemoto - Desert Island Mix
Title: Desert Island Mix
Artist: Massa Takemoto
Release: 2007
Label: counteractive records
Life can get you down... The rainy days are endless, the job is killing you, too much noise, too much hectic. Don't you dream of a quiet and peaceful place where you can take a downtime? But this isn't easy nowadays desert islands are hard to find, nearly each hill is mounted. So the easiest way to relay and refresh your soul can only be found in a kind of head-vacation. With the "desert island mix" created by Massa Takemoto you'll receive the ticket for a wonderful journey that will heal your soul. Five laid-back tracks give you a warm and save feeling, a kind of spiritual and detached mood. This music is like a relaxing autogenously training. Ambient music meets intelligent Jazz fragments with a driving but not pushy beat. But don't think that this wonderful album is the next boring Lounge Ambient mix you hear in your supermarket. It's more! This is music that pushes his listener forward, on a long drive behind the wheel, relaxing on your sofa, in an overfilled train...
Massa Takemoto brings with the "desert island mix" this musical genre to a higher stage, relaxing but not a standstill, laid-back but not boring. You the listener can decide in which direction the journey goes. This music unites atmosphere with a claim to the musicality. Relax and enjoy... or dance to this outstanding and beautiful music. Perfect ten!
- Cuemix Magazine, 2008