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Meet the creatives: How Licaxxx finds creativity with a little help from homegrown calming forces
We caught up with our newest friend Licaxxx, a producer and DJ from Tokyo, to talk about her creative vision, Japanese philosophy and the mindscapes generating soundscapes.

When you talk about a new generation of Japanese icons, you can’t help but think of Licaxxx — a talented producer, a DJ and a mastermind behind Marimekko Kioski’s new soundscape.

Tell us a bit about you. What’s your musical background? How did you become a DJ and producer?

My name is Licaxxx, Tokyo based DJ, music producer, editor, and radio persona. I 've been playing in bands since I was in junior high school as I especially loved British rock music. I started DJing as a hobby and made my DJ debut in 2010. I mainly play techno and house music and produce more ambient sounds that have been used in shows of many international fashion brands.

The name of the Marimekko Kioski winter edition is Mindscapes. What do mindscapes represent to you?

For me, it’s very much connected with feelings and moods that cannot be verbalized, colors that cannot be visualized. It's often tied to memories. When I hear a cool sounding song, it's an unconscious sensation why I think it's cool. For me, music is a communication tool and I always imagine how it will be heard by my audience. I use music to express myself instead of words. So, there is always something unexplainable in it. In that sense, my creativity is a mass of subconsciousness.

Japanese people have a long history in finding beauty in everyday life and a great ability to make mental mindscapes concrete in life. Where do you find beauty in your life?

It is true that the Japanese have a culture of wabi-sabi and other terms expressing quietness and profound things making us feel calm. We don't consciously choose or create them, but their subtlety comes out in many places. In my own life, these ideas are present in the food I eat or the way I’m served at my local store.

I believe these things are so unconscious and inbuilt in me, so it's difficult for me to recognize them, but when I'm DJing I often feel like I have several eyes on the floor, observing and spinning the music inside me. It's a very delicate process.

Mindfulness is an integral part of Japanese culture – and present in a vast plethora of social and cultural norms, for example, “Ikigai” and “Kintsukuroi”. How do you implement these in your life?
When you live in Japan, these things come naturally to you and you're not aware of them on daily basis. But I do feel a deep attachment to things or objects that I use a lot. Kintsukuroi treats breakage and repair as part of the life story of an object, so even if objects have the same shape, they are not the same. They carry a deeper meaning. For me, things and people are irreplaceable. I value the relationships I have with my friends.

It seems that the origin of Japanese mindscapes is in rituals when sacred spaces have been defined to perform the rites of purification and meditation. What are your sacred places to calm down?

Bathtub, spa, and in front of Mark Rothko's painting.

What is the most meditative sound for you?

Silence. We think we hear nothing, but in fact we hear a mixture of birds singing, wind blowing and the sounds of other people's lives. When we open our senses, we start noticing things: the air smells different in different seasons, and this moves me. All this makes me happy to be Japanese.

Licaxxx’s top 3 ways to relax in Tokyo

1. Free your mind at Medicha meditation center.
2. Get ready for tea ceremony at Sakurai tea shop. 
3. Breath the air in Hamarikyu Gardens.

Explore the new Kioski Mindscapes edit
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