#the hisashi enquirer returns!

[gaijin-fujin-resonance]

The Joy of Theremins

We interrupt our regular blogging to bring you a special report on our absolute favourite topic at G-F Resonance Towers: IMAI HISASHI’S THEREMIN!

Due to an extraordinary alignment of the kindness of longterm fans in Japan, and sheer blind luck, I was able to speak (though a translator) with what is known in the music journo business as Sources Close to Buck-Tick, hereon referred to as “SCBT”. (Please don’t ask how. I will not tell you. I’m very aware that words like ‘London’ and the name of the music magazine I used to write for can open a lot of doors that are not available to others.) I did independently confirm the veracity of this source, so I’m 99.9% sure they are who they say they are, and that they do know what they are talking about. However, for contractual reasons, I cannot name this source.

Note: neither SCBT nor our translator are native English speakers. I will use the words as they were conveyed to me, edited only for spelling. I’ll try to provide notes for context, or where I feel the technical aspects are unclear.

I had time for 3 questions, so I took my shot with these:

Why did Imai switch from the Big Briar to the Moog Theremini?

Did Imai find the Theremini easier to play tunes, because he seemed to become a lot more melodic with it  e.g. on BOOGIE-WOOGIE (I loved what he was doing with it, hence why I was disappointed when he stopped using it)

How does he find the latency on the Theremini? I've heard other theremin players complaining it's not as responsive as earlier models, is that just Old Folks Not Liking Change?

Technical context: from around 1997 until the early 2020s, Imai used a Big Briar Etherwave theremin live onstage. (Big Briar was the brand name that Bob Moog used during a copyright dispute.) This instrument provided the haunting, alien, outer-space tones that form the background of songs like MY FUCKIN’ VALENTINE, showcased best in the Sweet Strange Live Film:

In the early 2020s, Imai switched to the Moog Theremini. You can see Imai playing this model in live versions of Boogie-Woogie. As you can see, he’s able to generate far more melodic, solo style riffs from this instrument:

This model was designed to be easier to play, so it came with an in-built pitch corrector, functioning similar to the frets on a guitar. This means that the player does not have to maintain the exact position of the fingers to produce a note that is in tune. However, some older theremin players have complained that the new controller increases the latency - rather than playing the note in real time, there is a tiny, split second delay in the change of tone when you move your fingers to change notes.

My translator relayed my questions, and replied with this. (The “I” of this text is the translator. “He” sometimes refers to Imai, and sometimes to the opinions of {SCBT} - I will try to differentiate where unclear)

(Imai) switched from the briar to the mini mostly for aesthetic reasons, even though he could do more with the briar, it was too big and worked better for stage performances but he likes recording more with the mini. The delay in response time actually helped aid him to drag out notes To add to this I don't know if {SCBT} was referring to dragging out notes or having a cleaner finish to the notes (the words {SCBT} used could have meant either, Japanese can be vague and so can Imai), but he found the delay to be more beneficial to record with The mini is easier to play because it’s less bulky but the quality and technicality is less, which is what he really loved about the briar. His briar actually sustained some damage so he had to use the mini full time and it was frustrating at first but he really came to enjoy the process {SCBT} wants me to thank you for asking about it He mentioned it (the Briar) was built for him (…) language made it unclear when {SCBT} just said 'yes, built!' with no further elaboration but that was my take He said due to circumstances with the briar, he was unable to use it for recording at that time. I interpreted that as damage/repairs

Note from the Blogger: my interpretation, as a musician who has previously played around with theremins, is that “dragging out the notes” probably means “a cleaner finish.” This was the whole selling point of the Theremini’s pitch correction, that the individual notes could be more clearly distinguished.

About the Briar being ‘built’. Back in the mid-90s, Bob Moog originally released the technical specifications for building theremins on the internet, and sold kits of the components which had to be assembled at home. Later on, it became possible to buy pre-assembled theremins. (The Theremini, for example, comes fully assembled.) This ‘built’ comment makes sense with the timing too - Imai started using a theremin early enough that it sounds like his model had to be built from a kit.

tl:dr: Imai stopped using the Big Briar because it got damaged. Originally, he preferred the Big Briar because the Theremini had limitations. However, like many creative people, limitations actually spurred his creativity, and he came to use the Theremini full time.