Featured Music: Time Capsule Records | Ian Morris | 12-2024
Kay Suzuki is a Japanese-born music producer, DJ, and label owner who has been based in London since 2004. Known for his distinctive sound that blends soulful grooves with electronic textures, Kay has earned critical acclaim for his productions, receiving support from legendary figures like David Mancuso, Gilles Peterson, DJ Harvey, François Kevorkian, and Theo Parrish among others.
As one of the founding members of East London’s audiophile restaurant Brilliant Corners, Kay played a crucial role in shaping its sound and atmosphere until 2016. His deep connection to London's music scene laid the foundation for his next venture, Time Capsule, a record label launched in 2018 that focuses on reissuing lost music from around the world. Recent releases of Japanese music from the 1970s and 1980s have gained attention from media outlets like Pitchfork, The Wire, BBC, and NTS.
Kay's DJ sets, heard across Europe and Asia and on stations like NTS, Worldwide FM, and J-WAVE, are a vibrant mix of jazz, funk, and world music with a modern electronic touch. His ability to bridge genres creates a dance-floor energy that’s both fresh and deeply engaging, making him a standout voice in contemporary music.
Time Capsule Records
Kay Suzuki
Before we hop into the interview, Time Capsule has some exciting news!
Kay Suzuki - Choice Remixes 2008-2022
Flipping rhythms from Guadeloupe, Cuba, Senegal and Puerto Rico, Time Capsulefounder Kay Suzuki releases an acid-soaked collection of remixes that transcends timeand space.
From the blacked-out basement of Plastic People to the psychedelic dancefloor of Beauty andthe Beat, Kay Suzuki’s musical world has been shaped by some of London’s most iconic soundsystems. High quality audio, he says, can open portals to new universes. Rhythm is time madeplastic and beauty is the space between the beats.
Spanning over fifteen years of music from the prolific DJ, producer, Time Capsule label bossand one time Brilliant Corners sushi chef, this collection of remixes is the logical conclusion ofKay Suzuki’s musical thinking. Drawn to unique percussive or syncopated rhythms, hedescribes remixes as conversations between the original artist’s sense of time and his own.Weaving broken beat, house and dub influences into rhythms from across the Black Atlantic,these four tracks find each other kinship on the dance floor.
Release Date: Fri 6th Dec 2024
Let’s dive into the interview!
Time Capsule has a unique focus on reissuing music from various eras and genres. How do you select which albums to re-release, and what qualities make a project a good fit for your label?
Time Capsule's approach to reissuing music is rooted in a deep appreciation for albums that not only reflect a specific moment in history but also resonate with contemporary listeners. We look for music that feels relevant to today's world, echoing the cultural and emotional landscape of our current time while still holding its original essence. Our mission is to curate records that connect across generations, highlighting timeless grooves and narratives that continue to inspire.
A key factor in our selection process is discovering music that has slipped through the cracks—albums that haven't yet found their place in the mainstream or on streaming platforms. We’re not just reviving overlooked tracks; we're bringing hidden gems to the surface, giving them the attention they deserve. We dig deep to unearth these treasures, ensuring that each release adds something unique to the modern musical conversation.
Equally important is the sound's character - music that defies straightforward genre labels but still maintains a cohesive feel. We avoid randomness in our choices, focusing instead on records that embody a specific vibe, capturing that elusive space between the beat that resonates beyond its original era. If a project captures this quality, becoming both a reflection of its past and a mirror to our present, it’s a strong fit for Time Capsule.
We want our releases to serve as a time capsule—capturing, preserving, and sharing the unique sounds and stories of past eras with a new generation of listeners, while also speaking to the consciousness of today.
As a label run by a record collector and musicologist, what role does crate-digging and album collecting play in shaping the direction of Time Capsule?
Crate-digging is at the heart of what we do, whether it’s physically digging through dusty vinyl in record stores and markets or digitally hunting on platforms like Discogs or eBay. This process of discovering music, no matter the medium, plays a crucial role in shaping the direction of our label. It’s not just about collecting records; it’s about uncovering hidden stories, understanding the context of an era, and finding connections between the past and present.
When we dig for records, we’re not only searching for rare or overlooked gems, but we’re also learning about the lives and environments of the artists who created them. By examining the pressing quality, the liner notes, the printing techniques, and the packaging, we gain insights into how they expressed their reality. These details tell us as much about the time and place the music was made as the sounds themselves. There's a sense of history embedded in every record, and each element offers a glimpse into the artist's world and the broader cultural context they were part of.
This approach to crate-digging, whether physical or digital, helps us to select music that resonates with our present time. It guides us in finding records that haven’t yet been discovered or fully appreciated by the mainstream or streaming services, ensuring that we’re always bringing something fresh and relevant to our audience. Through this deep connection with music’s history and the unique stories embedded in each release, we shape Time Capsule’s identity, creating a label that honors the past while still engaging with the present.
Your label emphasizes the importance of capturing the emotional impact of music through an audiophile analogue sound system. How do you ensure that your reissues maintain the sonic integrity of the original recordings?
Maintaining the sonic integrity of the original recordings is a top priority. Our goal is to capture the emotional impact of the music in its purest form, delivering an experience that closely matches how it was originally intended to be heard. To achieve this, we invest a great deal of time and effort into sourcing the best possible masters, usually looking for the original analogue tapes or the highest-quality sources available.
The remastering process is a crucial step in preserving the authenticity of the sound. We collaborate with skilled engineers who specialize in analogue audio, ensuring that the music is treated with the care and respect it deserves. We strive to keep the remastering process as faithful to the original as possible, making only subtle adjustments to enhance clarity and warmth without compromising the natural dynamics and character of the recording. This approach helps us to retain the richness, depth, and texture that give these tracks their unique groove and emotional resonance.
Our focus on vinyl as a medium also plays a key role in this process. We understand that the tactile nature of vinyl—its ability to convey the warmth and fullness of analogue sound—adds a layer of authenticity that digital formats often lack. We take great care in the pressing process, working with experienced manufacturers to ensure that each record delivers the highest quality playback. The attention to detail in every aspect, from mastering to the final pressing, is what allows us to create releases that resonate with both audiophiles and casual listeners alike.
Can you tell us more about the "multi-cultural, cross-genre" community of music lovers that Time Capsule represents, and how it influences your work?
Our community at Time Capsule has its roots in the legendary party Beauty & The Beat (BATB), which has been a cornerstone of East London’s music scene for 19 years. BATB is one of the original audiophile parties, a precursor to the high-fidelity sound systems dance party that have become more popular in recent years. Its philosophy and approach are deeply inspired by New York’s groundbreaking dance party, The Loft, founded by David Mancuso, who laid the blueprint for modern club culture with his emphasis on high-quality sound and the communal experience of music since 1970.
The spirit of BATB extends far beyond a single influence. It draws from a rich tapestry of London's diverse club music scene over the past two decades—a scene shaped by the sounds and rhythms of Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, and beyond. This multicultural heritage is woven into every aspect of our work at Time Capsule, guiding us to embrace a wide range of genres and styles. It’s almost impossible to escape the deep influence of this fusion of cultures, whether it’s the bass-heavy grooves of sound system culture, the intricate patterns of live music traditions, or the innovative ways artists approach the creation and performance of their art.
This multicultural, cross-genre community isn’t just about mixing sounds; it’s about creating a shared experience that transcends boundaries, where people from different backgrounds connect through their love of music. The diverse influences that shaped BATB and London’s club scene continue to inspire Time Capsule’s releases, encouraging us to seek out records that reflect this global spirit. By channeling these influences into our label’s work, we aim to build a space where music lovers from all walks of life can find something that resonates, sparking a deeper connection to the music and its cultural roots.
How does Time Capsule balance staying true to the original artist's vision with adding your own unique touch to the reissues?
We believe that understanding the original artist’s vision is about more than just preserving the music; it’s about connecting with the time and space in which it was created. An artist’s vision is their interpretation of the world they lived in, shaped by their social, economic, and geographical context. While that perspective was highly relevant to their moment in history, it doesn’t always directly align with how we experience the world today. That’s why it’s crucial for us to delve deeply into the artist’s background, studying the circumstances that influenced their expression and creativity.
We approach this with a mindset that values both the past and the present. Time allows us to see things more clearly, and in some cases, we can find new connections between the artist’s vision and our current understanding of the world. By bridging these gaps, we not only honor the artist’s original intention but also bring a fresh perspective that makes their work resonate with contemporary listeners. We explore how their message aligns with today’s cultural and social landscapes, while also acknowledging the differences in how we perceive those ideas now.
Our goal is to add our own unique touch to these reissues, not by altering the essence of the music but by contextualizing it in a way that feels relevant and engaging to a modern audience. We approach each project with a fair and loving perspective, respecting the artist’s vision while allowing our own insights to highlight its enduring significance. This balance between honoring the original creation and interpreting it through the lens of today’s world is what allows Time Capsule to keep the music alive and meaningful for a new generation of listeners.
What challenges have you faced in securing the rights to reissue certain albums, and how have you navigated these obstacles?
Securing the rights to reissue certain albums often comes with its fair share of challenges, and each case is unique. When dealing with major or well-established labels, one common obstacle is that they are often reluctant to grant full licensing rights. Instead, they may only provide a license for vinyl pressing, keeping the digital rights for themselves. This approach allows them to reissue the album digitally without taking the financial risk of producing vinyl, maximizing their profits from their old catalog while limiting our ability to present a comprehensive reissue.
On the other hand, when we work with independent rights holders, we sometimes encounter a different set of issues. While they may be more open to granting licenses for both the master and publishing rights, they often lack access to the original master tapes or high-quality audio sources needed for proper remastering. This can be a significant hurdle when striving to maintain the sonic integrity that Time Capsule is known for.
There are also cases where the complexity of rights ownership becomes a barrier. For example, when a band has broken up or multiple copyright holders are involved, communication issues or disputes between them can make it nearly impossible to secure all the necessary permissions. Even more challenging are the situations where the original artist of a privately pressed record has passed away, and their family members either lack the knowledge or the desire to revive their loved one’s artistic legacy.
When original master tapes are unavailable, we sometimes resort to sourcing the audio from a vinyl copy. However, we use our extensive network of high-end audio professionals to ensure that this process is handled with the utmost care. We work with super high-quality analogue playback systems and state-of-the-art digital-to-analogue converters—often equipment that costs astronomical amounts—alongside highly skilled audio restoration engineers. This meticulous approach sometimes allows us to enhance the sound quality, making it even better than the original pressing. By doing so, we’re able to bring these hidden gems back to life with a level of audio fidelity that honors both the artist’s vision and our commitment to excellence.
With the rise of digital streaming, what is the importance of physical reissues and maintaining the "time capsule" experience for music enthusiasts?
