~Sueño Largo~
Singing: KOJI FUKUI
Guitar: ENRIQUE SAKAI
Piano (Guest): ANRI
Percussion:
 RAFAEL HEREDIA
 YOSUKE

Wow, you have a weird sense of music! (That's a joke, forgive me) Nice to meet you. My name is Koji Fukui, and who is singing songs on this CD.
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I don't think most people know me. That should be it, for 15 years since I started cante (flamenco song) at the age of 18, I have been involved in the world of flamenco exclusively underground as an aficionado (flamenco hobbyist). Currently, I am also learning pop music, but I made this CD to put together what I have done in one form at the turning point of my 15th year of singing flamenco. With the release of this CD, I will retire from flamenco.
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It's very difficult to explain flamenco in one word. The lexical explanation is traditional Andalusian folk songs, but I think it's too simple. In my understanding, it is naturalist music that pursues the aesthetic sense of "as it is" to the utmost limit. If you listen carefully, the singer's vocalization is almost the same as the Andalusian people's daily vocalization. The lyrics and the tone of the guitar are so simple that you can't even think of it in pop music. They tend to avoid flashy sounds. Some guitarists use a lot of sounds, but my impression is that great old-school masters tend to use fewer sounds. Since art is created by intentions, it is impossible that there is no intention at all. However, compared to other genres, flamenco is more naturalistic music that gives off "simpleness without unnatural intentions" and "truth". That is flamenco music, at least before the advent of Paco de Lucía. As for "truth," some pop music singers also do tell the truth. Therefore, it cannot be said that it is a flamenco-specific charm. But as for "simpleness without unnatural intentions", it is a flamenco-specific charm when compared to pop music. If you define music as "an activity that brings sounds together beautifully and easily to listen to," flamenco is not music. (This is not everything though, there is a movement to make it music like Vicente Amigo did. I love that too.)

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Because of the aesthetics that are the exact opposite of pop music, most people might find traditional flamenco too rough to listen to, as I did, and that's normal and understandable. This is because the ears of the modern audience are accustomed to pop music. I'm related to pop music, so I tried making something that could be transmitted to normal people while letting it be authentic flamenco. The smaller the song number, the easier it is to listen to, and as the song number progresses, the flamenco level rises and it becomes harder to listen to. Those who are new to flamenco and can listen to No. 10 to the end are perverted. (That's a joke, forgive me again)
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So far I have lived in the flamenco world. However, that doesn't mean I'm thinking of living in Flamenco in the future. When I was young, I didn't know what I wanted to do, and there was flamenco in front of me. Also, the only person who felt salvation in my college time when my daily things frequently went wrong was my flamenco teacher, Enrique Sakai. I was interested in his way of life. It's better to say, "I was enrolled in a way of life called flamenco," rather than "I was learning music." So I endeavored a lot to learn flamenco. Arrogant preachy people and people who lose their temper so easily; some weird people made me feel uncomfortable many times, but when I remembered my teacher's face, I didn't find it painful. Gradually I fell in love with the beauty of cante and felt salvation in flamenco.
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However, I haven't scrutinized various things and chosen flamenco from them, so I gradually began to suffer from the gap between what I wanted to do and flamenco. What I want to do is not "only chosen ones understand the essence", but a more philanthropic thing. It might sound hypocritical, but I hope to make as many people happy as possible through my activities. The pursuit of truth in flamenco, it's good. But it takes years to understand the aesthetics of flamenco, this didn't look right. It was very sad to me that the beauty of the cante I loved could not be transmitted to ordinary people. Though not interested in commercialism, I'm absolutely interested in transmitting the truth to normal people. So I sympathize with both traditional flamenco and modern style to some degree, but at the same time, I don't sympathize with both to some degree either. That was me.
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In the meantime, I once more saw people in the flamenco world who lose their temper so easily. Moreover, some people were always annoying other people with their arrogant preachings. Besides, there was of course prejudiced racism saying "You can't sing Spanish cante because you are Japanese," which was more severe from the Japanese than from the Spaniards. One day, I began to think, "I want to see other worlds." Therefore, the future relationship with Flamenco is currently under my consideration. Suffice it to say, my intention is that I want to be more correct as a human being than as a flamenco person. To be clear, I am not particular about the one-expression form of flamenco. (Well, another reason is that I'm lazy in the first place and I don't like the life of showing up here and there.)
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That said, I'm pretty sure about one thing. Memories with the warm flamenco people are a lifelong treasure. Mr. and Mrs. Kabasawa from the studio "La Alegría" in Saga prefecture. Flamenco friends in my hometown Hiroshima. My former teacher, José de la Tomasa. Lebrija's great singer, Inés Bacán. And all the co-stars on this CD. They always encouraged me and were really kind. They are the beautiful flowers of flamenco. The beauty of flamenco. In the flamenco world, which is not all good people, people like the Kabasawas shine dignifiedly and illuminate the future of flamenco. My friendship with them will never change.
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Shining Andalusia, cheerful people, and big flamenco guys' smile at me. If I talk about what I saw in Spain, most people wouldn't believe it. When I remember those days in Spain, it was as if I had a long dream (Sueño Largo) for many years. It's like living two lives while being one person. I feel like something like that. Of course, maybe I shouldn't leave those days like a dream.
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Finally, Ms. Anri, Mr. Moise Heredia, Yosuke-san, and Don Enrique Sakai. I would like to thank the four co-stars again. I dedicate this CD to warm and real flamenco people like them, and to ordinary people who happened to get interested in this CD.
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May the world of flamenco shine forever in the future by true flamenco people!

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Koji Fukui

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This CD is a mid-track of his soul-loving singing. Originally, there are neither professionals nor amateurs in Flamenco singing. Professionals stand in front of people and receive singing guarantees, so they have the appropriate skills and responsibilities. However, because of this they often lose some purity.

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This recording is made up of Koji Fukui's purity and passion. Of course, there are some missing parts. However, it seems that the most important thing for Flamenco singing, the affición (feelings to love songs), is overflowing, and he is appealing again about about what is important.

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If he continued to sing, cante would surely get closer to him.

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Enrique Sakai