Each person expresses their own interpretation of the stylish "Lupin III".

The two share a commonality in that they were both greatly influenced by the Lupin sound created by Yuji Ohno. For MURO, listening to Lupin's music was no different from listening to jazz on CTI Records (a legendary jazz record label founded by Creed Taylor in 1967).

"I started searching for and repurchasing records that were the source material for my hip-hop tracks, starting with Bob James' jazz fusion released on CTI. Later, when I read an interview with Ohno-san and learned that he was influenced by CTI and the artists around him, I felt that there really was a connection. Perhaps because of that, Ohno-san's music is very comforting...it's just so calming."

This is a limited edition analog box set of the Lupin III anime soundtrack owned by MURO. It includes the opening and ending themes, among others.

Sakaguchi, who has always admired the records that MURO manipulates, discovered a "connection" here between himself, MURO, and Ohno. He spoke with such excitement that he could hardly contain himself.

"I always tried to imprint MURO's records into my memory like a 'screenshot.' I never imagined that the music from the CTI Records label that was among them would have influenced the Lupin sound that I loved so much... As an adult, I've come to appreciate the greatness of Ohno's sound all over again, but I'm simply amazed to learn that the source of the 'sound' of the two people I admired was the same."

Yuji Ohno & Lupintic Six (MURO Remix)
7-inch vinyl record: ¥1,620 (Limited to 100 copies)
*Limit one per customer

The 7-inch analog record produced by MURO this time features remixes of two representative songs, "Main Theme" and "Superhero." Moreover, it is said to have an Afro-influenced feel, which is quite unexpected for Lupin III.

"It's not exactly about learning from the past to create something new, but my initial idea was to create a song with a dual approach: one part where I re-recorded it with a current sensibility, and the other part where I preserved the atmosphere of the original song without altering it. Recently, among record collectors, there's been a lot of attention on reissues of obscure disco and funk that were only available on independent releases from Africa, and I've been listening to Afrobeat by Fela Kuti and Tony Allen again. There hasn't been an 'Afro' approach in the 'Lupin III' sound up until now, so I thought I'd go with Afro this time."

So, what kind of items are included in the collaboration between Sakaguchi and Applebum?

"Having grown up in Tokyo in the 1990s, I belong to a generation that's good at photo T-shirts (laughs). So, first, I thought it would be great to put some of the coolest scenes from 'Lupin the Third' onto T-shirts. But just 'placing' them on would look cheap, so I pursued Applebum's unique printing techniques while making sure not to overdo it. It wouldn't make sense unless the expression made the most of the coolness of the original artwork."

Applebum T-shirts: ¥6,480 each
Purchase here

From caps embroidered with the main title logo to iPhone cases featuring original ukiyo-e illustrations, their approach—sampling things they find cool, paying homage to their originality, and creating their own "originals"—is reminiscent of the hip-hop style.

"I learned everything from MURO about the 'way' of hip hop, how to sample, and the principle of 'be original.' At the root of my creative process is the culture of hip hop. So rather than creating something from scratch, I value using sampling and remixing techniques to express myself through my own interpretation. I interpret hip hop not just as fashion, but as sampling from all sorts of things and creating an 'original' output."

Applebum T-shirt: ¥6,480
Purchase here

Among the many items in the collection, the one that particularly caught my eye was a T-shirt printed with "that" scene from the opening of "PART2" where Fujiko Mine applies her lipstick.

"The 'adult world' image that 'Lupin III' evokes wouldn't be possible without the bewitching character of Fujiko Mine. For our generation, she's the ideal woman we can never attain. She's a sex symbol in her own right (laughs)."

As Sakaguchi laughed, MURO nodded in strong agreement, telling me that his favorite item is also this "Fujiko Rouge" T-shirt.

ISETAN x Lupin III #LupinSummerFestival
□ July 18th (Wed) - 23rd (Mon) *Ends at 6pm on the final day □ Main building, 6th floor = Event hall
▶Click here for details

Text: Junya Hasegawa (america)
Photo: Natsuko Okada

*All prices include tax.

inquiry
03-3352-1111 (main representative)