Morning Musume’s biggest hit and one of the defining songs of the era — “LOVE Machine.” It was with this overwhelmingly brilliant song that DANCE☆MAN became involved with Morning Musume as their arranger, setting the stage for their inevitable rise to the top. This man — a descendant from Planet Mirrorball down to Earth — who also enjoys singing misheard Japanese lyrics on top of classic soul/funk/disco classics. How does (and how doesn’t) he remember that frenzied era in the group’s history?
— Could you tell us again about how you became to be involved with “LOVE Machine”?
DANCE☆MAN: At the time I was regularly performing at the dearly missed Velfarre. One of the recording directors came over to the venue and told me Tsunku♂ wanted to meet me, so I said “sure!” and later went over to meet him at his office — looking exactly the way I do now, of course.
— As a space alien from Planet Mirrorball.
DANCE☆MAN: Right. At the time I was even riding on trains looking like this — though I eventually stopped and started dressing more like a human being to avoid the trouble I was getting into. (laughs) In any case, I went to meet Tsunku♂ looking like this, and he told me he’d especially liked one of the songs on an album of mine: a song called “Dance-bu Buchou Nanbara” that is a “misheard lyrics” cover of Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Boogie Wonderland.” He told me he loved the sound and vocal processing, and he wanted me to lend him a hand. He told me it was going to be for Morning Musume’s new song and I told him I’d be glad to do it. The only thing he apologized to me about is that we really didn’t have a lot of time. (laughs)
