“Take time to learn your craft.” is unlike Japan’s traditionally delicate fare. Meeting MCs in town aside, interactions in America or Trinidad tend to be friendlier and more relaxed, and it’s much easier to strike up a conversation with a stranger. “Ebi tempura is still great, though,” he adds. Moving back to music (at this point in the interview both our stomachs are rumbling), I ask what Gizmo has planned next. His last major project, Big in Japan 2, was only released in July, but he’s already started on something new. Gizmo has a tendency to make each project unique, and is perfectly happy to admit that he’s still finding his style. “I wanna experiment with different sounds and work with different producers,” he says, “and every time I do something with a different producer it creates something new. I just wanna keep flourishing as an artist, keep experimenting and doing different things.” As for the next project, he won’t give the name. He does, however, tell me that he’s leaving the chill boom-bap feel of Big in Japan behind in favour of a more bassy sound. Of course, it’ll involve American, Japanese and Trinidadian cultures, but in a “sonically different” way. Gizmo has worked hard to get where he is, and even now it isn’t always easy. His advice to newcomers to
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Japan reflects this. “Fundamentally you have to make sure you’re comfortable with being by yourself. You left home, your family, and all your friends to be here, and while you have Skype, if you’re in the sticks like I was, you’re going to be alone a lot of the time. Don’t squander your time binge-watching Game of Thrones. Take time to learn your craft. Use your extra time to study. Even one kanji a day is 365 kanji a year. You can learn Japanese; it’s not that hard. And stay out of the gaijin bubble! If you only speak English every weekend and don’t talk to Japanese people, you deprive yourself of truly enjoying Japan and its fine culture.” It appears Gizmo has followed his own advice. His music is polished and its inception was forced by his year in the countryside, and could only have been made by someone adept at switching cultures, codes and languages. Despite his nickname, Gizmo remains humble and committed to his craft, even if he now has the distractions of a city to contend with. “Hopefully,” he says, “I’ll just make something great one day.”
You can hear Gizmo’s work on his site and Soundcloud or visit his Youtube channel.