#yaffle

Kaze: We're gon'be talkin 'bout the album HEHN but 'afore that, ahma rea' out this email here.

Question from listener (read out loud by Kaze): This one's from Eno. "What was the initial impression you had of one another when you first met?”  

Kaze: D’ye remember? 

Yaffle: Didn’t we meet at my studio? 

Kaze: Yea, yea, we did. 

Yaffle: I remember I only knew you from what I’ve seen on YouTube... 

Kaze: Ritey, rite, rite, rite... 

Yaffle: Ngl, I legit thought you were gonna be one of those dudes who’s all full of themselves. 

Kaze: Oh ye mean like the ones who’d go, “Yo, sup, Yaf?” Like they’re all that? 

Yaffle: Yeah like you’d be stabbing your arm down at me from above for a handshake. 

Kaze: Ok... 

Yaffle: Was what I imagined you’d be like but what I got was this meek and shy dude whom I could barely hear talk. Talk about a complete 180. 

Kaze: Well, that’s who ah am. 

Yaffle: You seemed like the stereotypical artist type to me at first.  

Kaze: Ah see. An' did ah live down t'yer expectation? 

Yaffle: That was just my initial impression. Because as time passed, your talking voice started getting louder... 

Kaze: Hehe yea... 

Yaffle: Then I realized that you were more flexible than you initially let on and my thoughts about you gradually began to change. 

Kaze: Ah see. Ah remember 'twuz jus' the two o' us talkin an' one o' the first things ah thought 'bout ye wuz that ye were very good at askin questions. 

Yaffle: Huuuh... 

Kaze: It felt like ah wuz naturally bein led thru an interview. Like, ye actually dug pretty deep down. 

Yaffle: Oh yea... 

Kaze: Ye were askin me stuff like what mah beliefs were... 

Yaffle: Oh right, I wanted to know where your thoughts and beliefs lie... 

Kaze: The fact that ye were a producer ah wuz able t'get into topics like that wit' wuz actually a huge relief. That’s the impression ah had.

Yaffle: Oh okay... 

Kaze: Like, 'twuz comfortin to know that ye were someone who wuz open t'knowin ‘bout stuff like that.  

Yaffle: I see... 

Kaze: So that wuz back when we first met and didnae know much ‘bout one 'nother yet. Here’s where the ball really gits t'rollin.

Yaffle: Right. 

Kaze: Wha' wuzzit again. Rite, let’s talk ‘bout the process o' makin the album HELP EVER HURT NEVER. 

Yaffle: K! Did you think we’d actually end up making a whole album? 

K: Nupe. Ah only wanted t'put out songs ah thought were worth puttin out an' mebbe en' up havin a collection o'those put out at some point.  

Y: Oh, you mean like a collection of just A-sides? 

K: Rite, that. Ah figgered if ah jus' concentrated on puttin out one good song at a time, ah’d eventually reach a point where ah’d have 'nuff fer a great album. 

Y: We recorded the whole thing on a 3-term basis, remember? 

K: Yea, it happened 'cross three separate terms.

Y: The initial set was NaN-NaNw, MOH-EE-WA and Yasashisa. 

K: Yep, yep. 

Y: Then they were followed by Choshinochatte, Tokuninai and...what was it again? 

K: Kae...rou...mebbe? 

Y: Yeah, it was Kaerou. 

K: Riiiite, rite, it *wuz* Kaerou. 

Y: And then the last five came... 

K: Yea we jus' rapidly shot them out like bullets 

Y: Yeah like rat-tat-tat-tat-tat! 

K: Yea like that hehe. 

Y: But we actually had about a year. I mean it was a 3-term period but it totaled to about a year. 

K: Yea, yea, that’s rite. 

Y: So during the first two terms, I really didn’t think it would eventually become an album. 

K: Yea we didnae think it at all. 

Y: I for one certainly didn’t think I’d end up working on it right until completion. 

K: Rite, rite, 'twuz still pretty early... 

Y: Cause at first, I was actually only asked to come in on a trial basis. Ah, this was before we met, by the way. 

K: Rite... 

Y: I was given this bunch of demos that sounded like a home recording with just this guy singing with piano accompaniment and then told to pick the one I like best. 

K: Rite, rite. 

Y: Back then, my first pick was MOH-EE-WA. 

K: That’s rite! 

Y: I told them that was my pick. 

K: Rite, that’s what happened! Ye picked MOH-EE-WA an' Yasashisa. 

Y: Well, MOH-EE-WA was my initial pick. When they later asked if that was it or if there was another, that was when I picked Yasashisa. But for some reason they gave me NaN-NaNw instead. That was what it was like from my end. 

K: Ohhhh so that’s how 'twuz...truth wuz, ah wuz actually havin me some anxiety issues ‘round that time... 

Y: Oh, really? 

K: Yea...the affection ah had t'wards mah songs were kinda too strong an' ah really wanted that feelin shared, adamant that people who dun' feel the same aren't people ah wanna work wit’. Ah even sent an email detailin my feelins, y’all. Cuz they were sendin mah songs one after ‘nother to this Yaffle sound producer guy so ah wanted desperately t'clearly get ‘cross what ah felt. It started out wit' sumthin like, “I am sending you this email in the hopes of further explaining some things to you about NaN-NaNw.” An' towards the end 'twuz like, “I know full well that this may sound ridiculous on many levels but I strongly believe that this song, together with the other two songs that were also selected, is going to be one that’s extremely important to both myself and to various other people. Please, I implore that you give it the love it deserves.” Sumthin like that.  

Y: Yeah...I definitely remember reading that. 

K: Ya remember? 

Y: Yeah, yeah I do. I recall. 

K: Readin all this out loud is so embarrassin tho...anyway ye replied, "I understand well all that you have said. Please rest assured that everything I am given to work with, I make sure to pour my entire heart and soul into and give them all the love they require. Let’s work together to put out some of the best works we can. Looking forward to an excellent partnership.” 

Y: Hm. That’s simpler and more concise than I remembered. My wording, that is. LoL.

K: Heh. Anyway, 'twas this part, “I make sure to pour my entire heart and soul into and give them all the love they require.” It struck a chord in meh an' had meh convinced.  

Y: Oh really? 

K: Yea. Cuz ye dun' really show yer feelins much which makes it hard t'know what yer thinkin most o' the time. So hearin that ye were actually goin all out an' pourin yer entire heart an' soul inta em wuz comfortin which made meh think ah should try trustin ye a lil mo'. 

Y: I see. I think I might have reacted to the whole email thing a bit negatively at first.  

K: Fer reals? 

Y: Yeah. When it first came, I expected it to sound something like, “Ya better do this properly! Don’t be half-assing it, ya hear?!” Which I was planning to retort with a, “What, you think I’m doing this just to mess around??” But then you were really polite and careful with the way you phrased it. 

K: Yea, like ah said earlier, ah wuz feelin super worried so ah wuz pretty much like an anxious parent goin, “Please, please take good care o'mah babies!” So if ah had ta be honest, yer prolly not wrong an' ah was basically sayin, “Ah’m beggin ye PLEASE do this prop'ly!”  

Y: Well, it was only like that in the beginning ‘cause we were both still very new to each other back then.  

K: Yea... 

Y: Plus we were going to be making songs together and all... 

K: That’s exactly rite... 

Y: So we had all these things going on between us. 

K: Yea, we sure did... 

[FIN]