Invisible worlds exist: Saeko Killy talks to Sebastian Lee Philipp (Die Wilde Jagd)

Dream in Dream is out now. On April 17th she’s playing Peckham Audio with us and Inner Rhythm Mysticism alongside Philipp Otterbach – her first time in London, first time on a UK stage. She told us she wants to try a full English. We told her to come find out.

Saeko met up with longtime friend and fellow musician Sebastian Lee Philipp in his studio to talk about sacred spaces, cooking, autumn, and what it feels like to touch a taboo.

Top photo credit: Chana de Moura

Sebastian: Is there such a thing as a typical day in the life of Saeko?
Saeko: Recently I’m trying to make my studio a little bit better, connecting everything. But on a normal day I’m in the kitchen doing something, and after that I go to the studio.

Sebastian: I have all these little rituals before I get to the studio. Do you have anything like that, things you need to do in order to function?
Saeko:  I definitely need a coffee every morning. A very strong one, one shot. And I’ve been stretching pretty much since I had a back problem last summer. I stretch very thoroughly now and realised it makes my day much more functional.

Sebastian: Do you get inspiration from the way your cat stretches?
Saeko: Yes, haha. My cat watches me every morning, and I watch him back, and we kind of stretch together.

Sebastian: Do you have a favourite season?
Saeko: I love autumn. I love the melancholic feeling – there’s even a song about melancholy on Dream in Dream. But I enjoy every season. I don’t like too hot, so summer is sometimes difficult. But particularly, I like autumn.

Sebastian: Do you respond to colours around you?
Saeko: Yes. I feel comfortable with smoky colours, dark colours. That’s maybe why I like autumn as well.

Sebastian: You’ve been in Berlin eight years now. What do you make of Germans?
Saeko: German people have a very individual mentality, which I really like. People don’t talk about gossip, for example, which I appreciate, and they’re very honest. I was surprised at first – bus drivers, people in post offices, they can be very grumpy, and that doesn’t happen in Japan. But it’s actually a kind of freedom to express your feelings at any time. In Japan we’re raised and educated to always be polite, which is sometimes too much. We’re human beings.

Sebastian: Do you ever think about moving back?
Saeko: I’m pretty satisfied since I moved to Berlin. The environment, the way of living here, is pretty chill. And I know there is no paradise on this planet. People complain about the food and the weather, but we have culture. If I moved somewhere warmer, there might be fewer concerts. For now, I’m very happy here.

Sebastian: I’m lucky enough to have experienced your home cooking. Do you see a connection between cooking and making music?
Saeko: The big difference is that food disappears very quickly. But I like making something with my hands and fingers. It’s a very sensual thing. I use all my senses to make music, and also to cook. So there’s definitely something in common.

Sebastian: Any Japanese restaurants in Berlin you’d recommend?
Saeko: There’s one called San, in Mitte I think. They serve very Tokyo-style sushi – you don’t put them into soy sauce, the seasoning is already on top. You just bring it to your mouth and it’s all calculated how it sparks there. They do a really good job, and they have a good sake selection.

Sebastian: You’re connected to venues and communities like Sameheads, Otannenbaum, Arkaoda, Camp Cosmic, Braille Satellite Festival, and the Listen Listen parties. Do you feel a sense of home there?
Saeko: I really appreciate them because I don’t have to put myself into a certain genre. Being unique is good there. It’s about the experience and about the music. Nonprofit, DIY. Made by pure love.

Sebastian: You called your album Dream in Dream. Do you remember your dreams? Do you incorporate them into your work?
Saeko: Yes. I dream a lot. I don’t always write things down, but when I see something really strong I sometimes note it and use it. Dream and Dream is particularly about waking up in a dream and it repeating – like being trapped. It came from a very specific experience.

Sebastian: Tell us about it.
Saeko: I was travelling alone on a southern island in Japan, a really holy place. There are women there called Yuta, who allow spirits to inhabit their bodies so people can communicate with the dead through them. There are sacred places only Yuta can enter, but there are no gates or signs. I found a small opening in a big rock, a kind of cave, and entered. Immediately I realised this was a place for praying. I knew I shouldn’t be there, so I quickly left after an apology.

Sebastian: And that night?
Saeko: I had a frightening dream. I watched myself sleeping in the room. Then it was zooming into my body, shaking me. And I heard a really low-toned voice saying, ‘Get out!.’ And I would wake up, but I could see my body still sleeping. The zooming would happen again. It kept repeating. Constantly waking up inside my dream. It was so trapped and very scary. 

Sebastian: It reminds me of two mirrors facing each other, those endless reflections.
Saeko: Never-ending. And in that moment, I understood that some invisible world definitely exists. I had experienced it. That dream was totally different from my daily dream. I can still remember clearly. So years later I wrote a song about it. And Christine, the animator who made the music video, captured that atmosphere without me explaining anything at all.

Sebastian: She picked up on it without knowing?
Saeko: Yes.

Sebastian: All this also sounds very psychedelic. Is that something you’ve explored as part of your creative process?
Saeko:Yes, I have experienced it, and it still strongly influences me. Without it I and my music would probably be very different. It reinforces the feeling that the world is not only the visible one. It changes people’s lives, I believe.

Sebastian: There’s a lyric of yours – ‘We can make love on marshmallow beds.’ There’s dreaminess, surrealism, something psychedelic, and also a real sensuality. Is sexuality an important source for you in your work?
Saeko: Sexuality is a very strong thing to have. And I think it makes people poetic. Also, maybe it’s a Japanese thing, but in my family, anything sexual was taboo to talk about. So when I write something erotic – not often, but sometimes – there’s a feeling of touching a taboo, which is also a nice sensation. 

Sebastian: You have a very impeccable style. Every time I see you there seems to be a new item – today it’s the hat. How long does it take to get ready?
Saeko: Thank you. I like clothes. I have a kind of formula. Wide trousers, high waist, dark colours. If I change the trousers for example, it still works. It doesn’t take much time. I actually only have one hat right now. I bought it in Edinburgh on a street full of charity shops – 200 metres, maybe 20 shops, and you find beautiful cashmere things very cheaply.

Sebastian: As a female-identified artist, how do you experience working in an industry that remains largely male-dominated?

Saeko: When I look back, just after i started playing my music in front of people, it was always girls who booked me. Even it was still pretty much clumsy. I appriciate this kind of sisterhood. Otherwise, without opportunities, we can’t grow up. So yes, let us play more, is the thing.
Rarely, I still sometimes feel I’m being treated a certain way because I’m a woman. It always takes me time to decide how to respond, but I try to point it out to the person. Usually by email or message, because I’m weak at confronting in the moment. But I try. Otherwise I would feel bad about myself.

Sebastian: You’re playing London on April 17th for the Ransom Note, alongside Philipp Otterbach. Is this your first time in London?
Saeko: First time ever in my life. Very excited. I’d love to go to Cafe Otto. I’m arriving on Friday, so I’ll have time before playing Saturday. And I really want to try an English breakfast.

Sebastian: What are you working on at the moment?
Saeko: I made a soundtrack for an animation by Christine Gensheimer. She created a four-minute surreal animation for a gallery on the hill in Bielefeld.And I was lucky to make sounds for her amazing work. I enjoyed the process so much, and really love the outcome of our collaboration. Also a couple of songs should come out in this spring ~ summer, in compilations from friends’s labels.

Saeko plays the Ransom Note x IRM event at Vespers, London, on 18th April alongside Philipp Otterbach, Manuol Bone & Tia Cousins. You can purchase tickets HERE.