Eiko Ishibashi’s first experience with music was a combination of structured study and playful experimentation. “In the teacher’s piano room, there was a drum set and a marimba. After each lesson, the teacher would say, ‘If you want to play those, go ahead. Have fun’,” Ishibashi recalls from her teak home in Yamanashi, where she lives with her partner, Jim O’Rourke, who joined the call as translator. As her work shows, Ishibashi moves comfortably between genres, composing and performing everything from quirky pop and modern classical to progressive rock, free jazz, and experimental noise. Her soundtracks for Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s films Drive My Car and Evil Does Not Exist touch on lounge jazz, electronic acoustic textures and sound collage. The unifying thread is a sense of delicacy and lightness, something that surrounds her as she sits in front of the camera, rolling a thin cigarette and sealing it with the softest flick of her tongue. Now, Ishibashi has released a solo album, Antigone, which explores the tensions she, and many of us, encounter in daily life. In April, she will reunite with Academy Award-winning director Hamaguchi for GIFT at Melbourne Recital Centre, a live performance accompanying his new silent film of the same name. Set in the quiet village of Mizubiki, GIFT follows Takumi and his daughter Hana as their life in nature is disrupted by the proposed development of a luxury campsite. It turns out Ishibashi is a devoted cinephile, particularly fond of films from the 1970s. Why? “Because they are actually good!” she laughs.

RW Eiko, your hair looks purple. Is it purple?

EI Ye! Purple!

RW How come you like to dye it purple?

EI When I went to the Venice Film Festival two years ago with Evil Does Not Exist, the child actor in the film had recently dyed her hair purple. One of the young actresses remarked that she looked like an old woman because in Japan, it’s quite common for older women to dye their hair purple. She’s kept it that way ever since.

RW It makes you look younger. On that note, I feel like there’s a lot out there about your work, especially your film work, but not much about your life. Notably, where you grew up, how music came into your life, and what your early years were like. What kind of environment did you grow up in, and how did that shape your interests from the beginning?

EI When I was young, I was allowed to take piano lessons not at an academy, just with a local piano teacher, an older woman in the neighbourhood. In the teacher’s piano room, there was also a drum set and a marimba. After each lesson, the teacher would say, “If you want to play those, go ahead. Have fun.” So, from the ages of 4 to 10, my first experience with music was a mix of structured study and the freedom to experiment and play around on those instruments.

RW Wow. And from the age of 10, did music start to become more of a serious practice for you?

EI Not so much. I lost interest in the piano and started playing drums instead, but not very seriously. Around that time, I also began listening to the radio a lot. That’s when I got into music like cloud rock and the Canterbury scene. Artists like Robert Wyatt, Frank Zappa and Joni Mitchell.

JIM O’ROURKE In Japan, not so much now, but for a long time, records were quite expensive. Because of that, a culture developed around renting music, similar to how people used to rent VHS tapes or DVDs. Unlike in places like America or Europe, where libraries often had large record collections, Japan had rental shops where you could borrow LPs and later CDs. Eiko used to go to those shops, rent records, and make cassette copies of them. Over time, she also got to know the staff, who were very knowledgeable about music.

RW You eventually went to study at Rikkyo University. What was that experience like for you? Did you study music or were you still exploring your interests at the time?

EI I studied religion and society.

RW Why were you interested in that?

EI At the time in Japan, a lot of people were entering cults.

JO In Japan, religion isn’t as deeply embedded in everyday culture as it is in many other countries, at least not in the way most people think about religion. Around that time, there was a noticeable rise in people joining cults, the most infamous being Aum Shinrikyo, who carried out the sarin gas attack. That event had already happened, and Eiko became curious about why people were drawn to these groups. She obviously didn’t want to join a cult herself; she was just trying to understand what led others to do so.

At the same time, much of the art and film from overseas that interested her seemed to have a strong connection to religion, not cults, but religion as a meaningful part of life. Since religion didn’t play a major role in her own upbringing or cultural experience, she was intrigued by why it was so central to the artists and filmmakers she admired. She wanted to understand what it meant to them and why it held such importance.

RW Has it ever become important to you, or was it just an interest?

EI I enjoyed and was glad I studied it, but I’ve never had any interest in religion.

RW Tell me about how you came to take music as a serious profession.

EI Never as a way to make a living — because it wasn’t really a viable path. I did start drumming for a band called Panic Smile and did that for about seven years.

RW Were a lot of women playing drums in punk bands at the time?.

EI Yes, actually it was common.

RW In Japan, is there a general expectation around what kind of music certain people can be involved in? Or is the scene fairly open-minded?

EI Yeah, there really isn’t much distinction made. But there is this culture where, once people turn 30 or 35, they tend to quit often because they’re getting married or starting a family. There’s a kind of social pressure around that. But as for women being in punk bands or any other kind of music, no one really cares. There’s not much stigma around that specifically.

RW In bands you played the drums and the piano. Recently you released your album Antigone. What made you develop this arm of your practice, and how is it different to what you’ve done before?

EI It hasn’t been a gradual move towards these things. I have always done them. I’ve been composing soundtracks and working across different projects for years. I think now those parts of my work are becoming more visible overseas, mainly because of the two Hamaguchi films and the fact that my records are being released on Drag City.

JO It might seem like she’s suddenly shifting in that direction, but really, she’s been doing this all along. It’s just that the recognition is now reaching a wider, international audience. It wasn’t a conscious decision to move towards that kind of work. It’s more that the work is finally being noticed beyond Japan.

RW Do you see this album as a more independent piece of work? I mean, it’s entirely under your control, without a director involved. Does it feel more personal?

EI I’ve never felt like I’ve been in a situation where I can’t do what I wanted. Even when working on film soundtracks, any input from the director was something I saw as positive.

I’ve never had to create something I didn’t want to because of outside pressure. So, in response to your question, this new album is just as much me doing what I want as anything else I’ve worked on. In that sense, it’s not a different situation at all.

RW What inspired the concept behind Antigone and the title?

EI As human beings, I think we’re destined to live with a constant tension — we can’t really separate personal experiences from what’s happening in the world around us. But lately, it feels like those two things have become so intertwined that everything needs to be easily understood or explained. Life has become binary. You only have two choices.

JO It’s also related to Foucault’s The Archaeology of Knowledge. Eiko was reading that book while making the record.

RW Let’s talk about your collaborations. You’re both here as life and work partners, and I’m curious how that relationship plays out when it comes to music. How much do you rely on each other creatively? Do you share your work and ask for feedback? Or do you tend to work fairly independently?

JO We actually work in completely separate spaces. Eiko will sometimes ask for my opinion on something, but usually only because I’ll eventually be mixing it or handling some technical aspect of it. So in that sense, it’s more of a technical exchange than creative feedback. As for me, I don’t really ask anyone for their opinion.

RW I think we know that about you, Jim [laughs].

JO Yes, I like working alone [laughs]. That’s just how I am. Eiko likes working alone too. We just help each other when we’re needed. But I don’t think we’ve ever sat down and worked together.

EI No, it doesn’t happen.

JO If it’s Eiko’s music, my job is mixing it. But the actual making, the creating, especially the research that goes into the music, I have very little interaction with.

RW How did you meet?

JO I needed someone to play flute for a Burt Bacharach record, and Eiko was suggested to me by someone.

RW Eiko, in many photos, you’re wearing blazers and shirts, and of course, there’s your purple hair. Your clothing tends to lean more traditionally masculine, and I’m curious to know what influences the way you dress? What draws you to certain pieces or styles?

EI Have you seen The Driver by Walter Hills? I like that style of Isabelle Adjani.

RW When did you first watch that film?

EI Fifteen years ago.

RW And it stayed with you?

EI Yeah, very much.

RW Do you watch a lot of cinema?

EI I love 1970s films. And Rainer Werner Fassbinder films are a big influence.

JO You like older films.

RW Why is that?

EI Because those are good!

RW Just as those films age well over time, is creating that kind of lasting quality something you hope to achieve with your music?

EI I don’t really think about that, but I hope so.

RW What are you working on at the moment? Are there any projects you can share?

EI Since the record came out, I’ve been thinking about the possibility of performing it live with a band. It’s a difficult record to translate to a live setting. But now, flight fees are very expensive. So maybe I can’t bring the whole band. In Japan, it is still possible.

RW Do you travel a lot?

EI Yeah. I went to the US and the Netherlands last week. I have plans to go to Australia to perform at Melbourne Recital Centre. After that, I don’t really have plans.

RW Whereabouts do you live in Japan?

EI The Yamanashi area, on the mountainside. Two hours from Tokyo.

RW And you like it there?

EI Yes, it's very beautiful.

RW I stayed in Takasaki. It was beautiful being near the mountains. I think the house was 120 years old. It was great to see that slower and more quiet side of Japan.

EI Beautiful.

Multi-instrumentalist Eiko Ishibashi and Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi will reunite for GIFT at Melbourne Recital Centre on 28 April, 2025. Tickets available.