Rhythmic Reveries

Nerding Out with Marcus D

by Lo-Fi Lauren

So, I know that the past couple of interviews have been on the more alternative side of things, but as your resident lo-fi goddess I figured it’s time to bring it back around full circle to my personal favorite genre: jazzy hip-hop; or, as the kids call it these days (obviously myself included), lo-fi. You know, ChilledCow. Beats to Study and Chill to. The little cute brunette girl who sits in her favorite coffee shop, pensively studying and writing, pausing only to glance outside at the rain. How did she come to be? How the heck did I even come to be? Who even am I? Idk, maybe that’s a question for a different day, so let’s get back to the lo-fi history lesson.

Lo-fi’s Lo-fi History 101

For those of you who are unfamiliar, Nujabes is the pioneer of lo-fi music, alongside J-Dilla. He basically created and pioneered the genre with his music, as well as writing and creating most of the soundtrack for Samurai Champloo; the first anime to ever combine elements of hip-hop and traditional Edo-era Japan. Nujabes tragically and unfortunately died 14 years ago in a crazy accident one night on the Shuto Expressway in Japan, (and on J-Dilla’s birthday no less) but has been credited for his legendary impact on jazzy hip-hop ever since.

Legends Never Dies..because New Ones are Born

I first discovered Marcus D deep within the depths of a Nujabes rabbit hole around 2019, through his album “Ryujin no Yume.” This album, whose cover art of a pink haired anime girl riding a multicolored dragon, instantly caught my eye and became one of my favorite things to casually listen to; to the point that even my friends and family make remarks about it (“this is your SIGNATURE album!” as my brother once said.) So, you can imagine the insane honor and pleasure it was for me to talk to Marcus at 1am Japan time (that’s 11 am Florida time in case you were wondering) as we nerded out about all things music, old school rpg video games, and more.

Thank you so much Marcus D for taking some time out of your late night artist hours and dedicating them to me as I sipped on my coffee on the complete other side of the world! From a big fan, and a fellow artistic night owl, it meant the world.

Lo-fi is such a specific genre; what made you start making beats?

As a kid, I was always really into the underground Detroit scene; artists like Royce Da 5’9, J-Dilla, and Busta Rhymes. My brother used to burn CDs and mixtapes for me to listen to a lot. But, I was also always into Japanese culture as well. When Nujabes died, the jazzy hip-hop scene blew up in Japan. 3-4 years after his death, he became MASSIVE. I was always in between whether or not to make music similar to the Detroit underground, or jazzy hip-hop…but I eventually went with jazzy hip-hop/lo-fi.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

Oh man! I don’t know, I guess invisibility maybe? Be able to disappear? No, I got it: super strength, like Spiderman. That way I could help people in distress. I said I’d want to read people’s minds, but both Marcus and I agreed that I’d NEVER be able to sleep.

What is it like living in Japan vs. the U.S.? Do you like it more?

I would say that the culture in Japan agrees with me more; it’s a lot more interesting and suiting to me than the U.S. I am really close with my family, so it’s hard for me to be away from them, but even when I’m in Seattle I still get homesick for Japan. I moved here for a year during college and almost ended up going home since Japan is really hard to assimilate to, but I made it! I moved back here in 2016 and have been here permanently ever since.

What’s one habit that you just can’t seem to break?

My sleep schedule for sure! It’s who I am. I don’t take naps and I barely sleep because I prefer being up during the night time into early morning hours. It makes me feel more at home. 6 A.M. to 11 A.M. does absolutely nothing for me. Being a night owl though? Works perfectly. Although, my U.S. friends have caught on and my phone starts going off a lot more at night now than it used to.

What were your favorite video games growing up? Did any of them inspire you to make lo-fi?

Yes! Perfect question! Growing up, my brother and I had a super nintendo that we’d play together, so that type of music is nostalgic for me. My favorite video game was Final Fantasy 4; it really shaped me the most, especially the game’s composer Nobuo Uematsu. Chrono Trigger was also a big one for me too, as well as Mystic Quest. It’s crazy how little things like that can shape your future.

What was the inspiration behind “Ryujin No Yume” (my favorite)? 

So for that record, I had a story in my head. I asked a friend of mine from high school who just so happens to be a graffiti artist to draw up the artwork of the girl riding on top of the dragon. In Japanese, “kami kakushi” is translated as being “spirited away” by a Japanese god. The term is usually used for people who disappeared without a trace in ancient times. Ryujin was a dragon god, so my idea was to have a manga about the girl and Ryujin becoming friends. As far as the music side of it, I consider myself a perfectionist and I wanted the record to be a practice in being messy and imperfect. I used a resample method and a Roland SP404.

What do you do when you’re not feeling inspired and experiencing writer’s block?

Well, as an artist you really have to be responsible, especially when it’s your only job. But at the same time, if you try to force it then you’re really not doing yourself any favors either. I’m considered a “blue collar artist”, so I try to focus on the business side of things when I don’t feel inspired. It’s still scary at times though because you wonder like, how long is this gonna last? It’s really all about having an artist’s sense. It takes me about a month or so to get back into the groove.

Out of all your music, what’s your favorite thing that you’ve written and why? Or what’s something that you’ve made that you wish had more recognition?

Hmmm, I think my favorite thing I’ve made is probably the Melancholy Hopeful and the Lone Wolf LP. I collabed on both of those records with Substantial, who I’ve known for as long as I’ve been doing music. He’s pretty much like a brother to me. I wish more people knew about “Sonata Dreams”, which is basically a mock Squaresoft soundtrack to a 90’s RPG game. I made that with Nitsua, an artist that Nujabes signed before he passed away. It has 20 or 21 tracks, and I don’t even think we put it out using our real names, but we had a lot of fun making it and I wish it got more recognition than it did.

What anime have you watched? Have any of them pushed or inspired you? 

My two favorite anime are probably Yuyu Hakusho and Rurouni Kenshin, along with Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo. A lot of times I find names for beats based on terminology or concepts from anime I’m watching at the moment. One that inspired me a lot recently was called Mononoke. Honorable mentions to Great Teacher Onizuka and Lupin III, those are classics.

You are often associated with Nujabes and Nujabes-associated artists; what is that like for you? Are you a big Nujabes fan yourself?

I mean of course, he is and has always been a huge influence on me. I wouldn’t be making beats if it weren’t for him. Even though I’d say that I had other influences outside of Nujabes that shaped me a little more than he did, I still always wanted to be affiliated with him somehow. Even my producer name is just my own name, much like his. I’m fortunate to be involved with his family, as well as play Nujabes tribute shows. I think there is a quote somewhere that says “anything you look up to from an early age is magic.” That’s how I feel when it comes to Nujabes.