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Interview below:

XM radio host: Mason Rothert (MR)
Featured artist: Kenji Williams (KW)

MR: What was the spark that made you want to start producing music?

KW: I think the spark that made me start producing was in the early 90's, when house, and techno were becoming a significant force wi th the emerging rave culture. I had a passion for music from an early age, as I was classically trained in violin since I was 7 years old, but I think the spark happened when my classical violin training discovered the power of electronic music, and bam! it was the analog hitting the digital, and this was the spark that opened up new worlds for me. You can hear my violin in the mixes I made here for your show, and hopefully listeners can hear the classical influence in the actual electronic production and composition.

MR: Tell us about your production and what you are currently working on?

KW: Currently, I am focusing on my newest CD releases, a progressive tech-house album "Faces of Epiphany", and also the newly released ambient chillout album "The Music of Worldspirit" - which is the un-touched recording of the live performance for Worldspirit with artist Alex Grey. Both CDs have my violin performing with the electronics a nd you can hear most of these tracks on my mix here on XM Radio today.
Apart from touring in Japan, and Europe next year, I am venturing out on a new course, performing at Planetariums... this is really exciting for me. I've been invited by the Denver Museum of Nature and Science for a series of evening performances in the Gates Planetarium on February 15,16,17 2007...
This is one of the newest, high tech full dome theaters in the world, and I'll be working closely with the museum, in creating a brand new show that lets the audience feel like they're taking a space walk 400miles above earth. You can Check out my website at KenjiWilliams.com for video samples of what I plan to show at the planetarium. It's gonna be really exciting.

MR: Tell us about your collective, how it got started, what it is all about?

KW: I just started a new media company called "Remedy Arts"... It is the current evolution of my label "ABA Structure", and back in 1998, "Fungus Productions". I want listeners to know, I also make films and videos in addition to music production and performance, - and thus, a need for a new company that can represent all the forms of media I produce, from CDs to DVDs, and soon, High Definition video - thus Remedy Arts.
What I am all about is pushing the boundaries of art, and opening new worlds to new audiences. I don't intentionally make music or media that is healing, but it seems this is what fans tell me what they love, you know, that it helps them heal, evolve, and open new worlds for them. So, my art is like taking a remedy, - medicine not only for your body, but hopefully also, for serving a higher purpose of painting visions of a better more beautiful world. I try to translate my life experiences through my music, like all the places I have performed at and lived, from Toronto, to San Francisco, to Tokyo. I guess I don't belong to one collective, since I like to work with friends and collectives around the world.

MR: What do you think about where the music is right now?

KW: It's so easy to press play these days on software that has catchy samples and record it, and call it music, it's hard to pick out new and original music these days that is really visionary, and long lasting. I find it really difficult to pick up an album where there are more than 3 tracks that are really good and repeatable. The rest are junk, and you can tell the producer just put it in as filler. This has been, and still is the standard of music for decades now. I try really hard to make every song on my albums stand up on their own, yet tie into the narrative of the entire album... making it something that you can hear over and over again, and still find more and more layers of depth. There are still a few gems out there - these come from friends of mine that often write their own software.

Speaking of Gems, I've been invited to speak at the Global Entertainment and Media Summit in New York City, or "GEMS" for short. It's on December 9th & 10th and you can find information on my website at kenjiwilliams.com . This conference about new media and entertainment has hosted the likes of Ice-T in the past, and this year will have Les Garland - Co-Founder of MTV. I'll be speaking about how the media industry is changing rapidly, and how to take advantage of this change as an independent artist.
I think it is a really interesting time for artists like us. America has very few outlets for new and fresh music and art unlike Europe, so shows like this one on XM satellite radio so important. I have made several music videos that are broadcast on a new TV channel called "Moodzones" by Harmony Channel. You can find it in the "Cutting Edge" section of Comcast's VOD section. My videos have gone #1 in 9million homes... and this is a channel that caters only to chillout ambient music videos... its really incredible.
New outlets such as this, along with the whole mp3 download thing happening right now has a real way of empowering independent music. But I still think the most effective are simple old fashion ways to get your music heard - promotion, licensing, live performance, airplay, and broadcast. The more these outlets support quality music and media, the better. I feel there is a new wave of refined listeners of music, and I hope to cater to this maturing audience ... like you! listening right now!

MR: What does this music mean to you?

KW: I can't help but equate music with culture and a message... I don't know, maybe its just me. Unfortunately, there isn't much culture or message left in music. I once had a vision of this underground electronic music scene being a social and cultural force. I made a documentary film about it called "Moment Utopia" back in 1996. It's been recently released on DVD, and is a great snapshot of the underground rave scene of the 1990's. For the most part, the underground electronic music scene remains in the fringes, but thinking positively, I do feel it is filtering into mainstream consciousness. I put my vision into action with my collaboration with world famous artist, Alex Grey, in the making of the Worldspirit DVD. This project was a dream come true, as it was a big milestone for me in my career, that a world famous artist like Alex Grey spent so much time collaborating with me in this huge project that I composed and directed. With the success of Worldspirit, and the amazing response from fans - I plan to create more multimedia - immersive live events like Worldspirit in the future. My upcoming Planetarium show in Denver is a good example. This is where I plan to put my energy into in the coming years. Of course I will continue my touring at trance, and techno parties around the world, with a European tour this coming summer 2007 - but I want to continue to do things that other's have not done, and you can find it all on my website: kenjiwilliams.com