平沢進

japanese

Susumu Hirasawa (平沢進, born 2 April 1954 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese electronic artist and composer. In 1965, he started playing guitar, inspired by The Ventures, he joined a band with older people the following year. In 1972, he enrolled at Tokyo Designer Gakuin College. From 1972 to 1978, he performed in his first band Mandrake, a progressive rock/experimental group influenced by King Crimson, Yes, Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd. In 1979 he formed a synthpunk / electronic rock / techno-pop band called P-MODEL, along with two former members of Mandrake and a fan of the band/close friend. They released a string of albums through the 1980s, and in 1989, Hirasawa began releasing solo work, while also continuing to work with the reactivated P-MODEL beginning in 1992. The P-MODEL project continued until 2000; in 2004 Hirasawa started a new unit known as KAKU P-MODEL, which is effectively a solo continuation of P-MODEL. Composition and performances Hirasawa uses Amiga computers extensively in his work, using applications such as Scala, Bars and Pipes, and OctaMED in the production of his music. One of the factors that set him apart from other Japanese electronic artists is ever-changing production techniques. For 2001's SOLAR RAY album, his recording studio was outfitted to be powered completely by 2 solar energy-capting panels. Since them, Hirasawa's works have been recorded with solar energy, although he has since added 2 more panels to his studio. His subject matter can...