――Shimoda, how did POET MEETS DUBWISE first begin?

Michiharu Shimoda (hereafter, Shimoda): It started when JAZZY SPORT, a record shop in Shimokitazawa, asked if I wanted to make a SILENT POETS T-shirt. I designed a print that had the words "POET MEETS DUBWISE" written in three lines, and that project became the trigger. It made me realise I could express the world of SILENT POETS outside of music, and if it could also support my music financially, then maybe I should try producing more things. That's why I started the brand.

Takayuki Minami (hereafter, Minami): So ultimately the brand exists to support the music - creating things is secondary to the sound itself.

Shimoda: Exactly. Without the music, none of this would exist. I'm completely independent and not signed to a label, so funding is necessary. If I put things out into the world and they circulate, and that helps keep the music going, then that feels right.

Minami: So the more we sell, the more albums get made (laughs).

Shimoda: That's right (laughs).

Minami: When you design graphics yourself, do you have any rules or principles you follow?

Shimoda: I like designs that are simple, without waste, but still have depth. So I always try to move in that direction.

Minami: Any favourite fonts?

Shimoda: Apart from very basic typefaces like Helvetica and Futura, I hardly use anything else. I've chosen a small set of fonts and switch between them. I rarely use decorative or flashy type. I like - and I think I'm good at - designs that are understated, leaving space and breathing room.

Minami: There's something similar to your music in that approach - the feeling, the restraint.

――You've worked with brands like Issey Miyake and BEAMS before. When working between music and fashion, do you think about the connection between the two?

Shimoda: The work with Issey and BEAMS was about 20 years ago, but when collaborating with fashion brands that have a strong identity, I try to operate on their field while still creating something that feels like me.

Minami: Have you done any fashion collaborations recently?

Shimoda: Not really. I did graphics for F.C.R.B. (F.C.Real Bristol) and SOPH. for roughly ten years from their beginning, then a bit with adidas, but I haven't done apparel work in recent years.

POET MEETS DUBWISE for Graphpaper (First collaboration, released May 23, 2020)

Minami: Then working with us is quite a return after a long break.

Shimoda: Yes. Since starting POET MEETS DUBWISE, aside from the occasional logo commission, I haven't been closely involved in fashion for a while.

Minami: Honestly, how did you feel about the offer from Graphpaper?

Shimoda: I'm not deeply immersed in the fashion industry, so when you first came to the exhibition I didn't realise who you were. Later I found out and was really happy.

Minami: I was just at Little Nap for coffee when I saw a sign for an exhibition upstairs. I asked the staff, "Is Shimoda-san running a brand?" and they said, "He's actually showing upstairs right now." So I told them, "I'm a fan, could I go see it?" and that's how it started.

Shimoda: I'm glad we held it there.

Minami: The sign just said "exhibition," so I wondered what was being shown. When they said it was clothing, I wanted to see it - that was the beginning. If I hadn't gone to Little Nap that day, we might never have met. And even though we have mutual acquaintances, no one told me - I kept thinking, "How did nobody notice? Of course I love SILENT POETS."

Shimoda: I'm grateful that chance encounter led to a collaboration. And the quality is far beyond the T-shirts we make ourselves, it's really impressive.

POET MEETS DUBWISE for Graphpaper (First collaboration, released May 23, 2020)

POET MEETS DUBWISE for Graphpaper (First collaboration, released May 23, 2020)

――So the collaboration began from Minami's approach.

Minami: I was simply a fan. I half-jokingly asked, "Is there any chance we could make something together?" and when the answer was yes, I was ecstatic. I was literally a listener at home, thinking "SILENT POETS is so cool." I love music, and that's how I discovered you - I never imagined a dream like that would come true at this age.

Minami: How did your musical style form originally?

Shimoda: In university I was invited to join a band. I'd played drums for a year in high school in a punk band, and that tiny experience somehow spread as, "He can play drums." So I joined one band, and separately I formed a reggae band I wanted to do myself. That reggae band eventually split into what became LITTLE TEMPO and SILENT POETS. Even though it began as reggae, I wanted to experiment with programming and dub-style production, and that direction led to SILENT POETS.

Minami: So that's how the split happened. Were there artists who influenced you early on?

Shimoda: At first I wanted to make something like MUTE BEAT. From there I got into hip-hop and other genres, then MASSIVE ATTACK appeared and they really resonated with me. They were a huge influence.

Minami: I sound like a total fan asking this, but what equipment do you use when producing music?

Shimoda: I do almost everything on my computer. I build the base track there, then depending on the part I might record live piano or strings, or record vocals in the studio. But the foundation is always made at home. I used to own more gear, but over time I realised I didn't need most of it.

Minami: Stripping away everything unnecessary - a minimal approach.

Shimoda: Exactly. I make it at home, then go to the studio. By that stage, the song is basically complete in my mind - studio work is mainly replacing parts.

POET MEETS DUBWISE for Graphpaper "SUN" (Second collaboration, released November 7, 2020)

POET MEETS DUBWISE for Graphpaper "SUN" (Second collaboration, released November 7, 2020)

――Tell us about the T-shirt designs from the 2020 collaborations.

Shimoda: The second drop used a photo-print T-shirt I made for the very first POET MEETS DUBWISE collection. I wanted to do a series with photographs by Shoji Uchida, who shot the SILENT POETS album covers. The image is from the jacket of the 2005 album "SUN," which I selected from photos Uchida shot in India in the '90s.

Minami: I owned that album when it came out, so seeing that artwork again here hit me directly.

――Do you approach brand graphics differently from album artwork?

Shimoda: Jacket design is graphic work created for the music, so the thinking is similar - it's like something that extends from the music outward.

Minami: Album visuals are so important. When digging through records you know nothing about, you often choose by the cover. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes not. But visuals carry so much weight. Is that something you're conscious of?

POET MEETS DUBWISE for Graphpaper "WORDS AND SILENCE" (Released April 17, 2021)

POET MEETS DUBWISE for Graphpaper "WORDS AND SILENCE" (Released April 17, 2021)

Shimoda: Since my teens I've been digging records, and back then you couldn't preview them like now. All you had was the jacket, the title, the producer's name. So visuals were extremely important, and they still are. They're part of the work itself. And there aren't many people who make music and also design their own artwork. Being able to do both lets me create exactly what I love, without compromise.

Minami: That's what feels special - usually the music creator and the visual director are separate people. Were you intentional about handling both from the beginning?

Shimoda: Yes. Since I could do it myself, I never thought to outsource. It started from "I'll just handle it myself for now," and naturally it became a total work - sound and artwork together. "SUN" was released in 2005, though. In a world constantly chasing new things, I'm grateful an old album is being highlighted again like this.

Minami: For us, 2005 doesn't feel old at all. We sell vintage pieces from the '30s - you're fine.

――What's next for POET MEETS DUBWISE and Graphpaper?

Minami: We've done T-shirts, so next I want to try hats. There's a graphic of yours I love - the kanji characters "沈黙詩人." It shocked me how cool it was. I always thought Japanese and kanji typography was difficult to make look modern, but that cap is incredibly good. I wear it often. That kind of design feels really strong.

KIJIMA TAKAYUKI×POET MEETS DUBWISE for Graphpaper Selvage Wool 6 Panel Cap (Released April 17, 2021)

――What if you wrote Graphpaper in kanji?

Minami: Graphpaper in Japanese is 方眼用紙 - which sounds wild (laughs). But it could look amazing. Could you experiment? Even as a playful concept, like "We tried something."

Shimoda: It might work. It actually sounds interesting.

Minami: Extremely interesting. It would be something completely new for Graphpaper, an element we've never had before.

Shimoda: Would that be alright for your brand image?

Minami: It's fine - that graphic is really cool. It's kanji, but there's no Showa-era nostalgia about it. It's genuinely refined.

KIJIMA TAKAYUKI×POET MEETS DUBWISE for Graphpaper Selvage Wool 6 Panel Cap (Released April 17, 2021)

Shimoda: It depends on the characters, but I'm beginning to see how 方眼用紙 could work visually.

Minami: Then could we ask you to explore that direction too? We'll release it in April, and then build a second and third project after. I'm looking forward to it.

And from this conversation, a three-way collaboration cap with KIJIMA TAKAYUKI was born: "KIJIMA TAKAYUKI×POET MEETS DUBWISE for Graphpaper." We invite you to come see it in-store. (Online sales begin Monday, April 19.)

POET MEETS DUBWISE

http://poetmeetsdubwise.com/

POET MEETS DUBWISE is the original brand by SILENT POETS' Michiharu Shimoda, active as a DJ and musician since the 1990s. With a long career in graphic design as well, the brand embodies Shimoda's life, where music, design, and culture exist side by side. Onto basic garments that strip function and comfort to what is necessary, he applies typography using keywords and song titles associated with SILENT POETS.

The result is a simple yet deep product that values the beauty of words as visual forms and the power of negative space. Each piece carries Shimoda's consistent belief that his work, from music to artwork, is a total composition.

SILENT POETS　https://www.silentpoets.net/