Nick Kurosawa
Nick Kurosawa
The Door
Mughal Gallery
Artist Statement
The Door reflects a younger version of myself, exploring questions I had harbored since that time. I swam at Cromwell’s all throughout my childhood and have always wondered where the black doors of Shangri La led. It was quite an experience finally getting to be on the other side of that door. This song is about the transition from longing to knowing and the disparity that can exist between the two, or lack thereof. Being at that swimming spot and seeing those doors connected to an obviously lavish house turned museum, I would fantasize and wonder if there was a dungeon on the other side, or simply a bathroom; since ironically kids would often relieve themselves in the naupaka surrounding the door.
The audio for this song was captured in the marble bath area of the Mughal Gallery. All the tracks were created “dry” or without effects and were projected into the room using the room’s acoustics to “effect” the tracks. In essence the room was the instrument. As listeners we often actively think about the instruments and the sounds they make during songs. A question I always ask, now having made music myself, is, what room is it in? We know it is a piano or a voice making noise in a song but where is it being played? How big is the room? These psychoacoustic questions really excite me, and I hope this song can demonstrate the power of that phenomenon.
Nick Kurosawa
Nick Kurosawa is a second-generation musician hailing from Mānoa Valley, Oʻahu. His music stems from a love of funk, R&B, and jazz amongst other genres. Growing up in Mānoa, music was always around the house and seeped its way into his identity. Kurosawa uses these influences to create his own sound, a representation of the world around him. Singing from around the age of 7, it wasn't until the age of 14 that he picked up a guitar, whose introduction into his life sparked a vision of a whole world ahead. After much collaboration and many live performances, Kurosawa is now drawn more towards recorded works and conceptualizing music. He hopes to be a part of a greater music community in Hawaiʻi, celebrating the sheer volume of talent that exists here in the islands.
— Nick Kurosawa
