Ikutaro Kakehashi, Founder of Roland
Ikutaro Kakehashi’s impact on music production is undeniable. He founded Roland and oversaw some of the most seminal MIDI products in history. When he passed away on April 1, 2017, we created an article about his life and times.
You can find that article HERE.
Today marks the seventh anniversary of his passing.
Just a week ago, Athan Billias, MIDI Association Exec Board member was in Tokyo after meetings in Hamamatsu with the AMEI Piano Profile working group. He was able to catch up and meet with Kakehashi’s son, Ikuo.
Ikuo updated The MIDI Association on what is going on with Kakehashi Foundation.
The Kakehashi Foundation is a non-profit organization that contributes to the promotion and spread of art that applies electronic technology.
Message from the Chair
The Kakehashi Arts and Culture Foundation is a public interest incorporated foundation based on the surname “Kakehashi” of the foundation’s founder, Ikutaro Kakehashi (founder of Roland Co., Ltd.), and the foundation of the arts and culture that give dreams and hopes to people in Japan and around the world. I was reborn with the desire to become a “kakehashi”
Unfortunately, the promotion of art and culture in Japan is lagging behind developed countries due to economic priority and results-based culture. I would like to create a society where culture leads the economy.
From now on, our foundation will continue to spread joy and excitement to as many people as possible through electronic technology and electronic musical instruments, in accordance with our basic philosophy of promoting and disseminating artistic culture that applies electronic technology.
Specifically, we hold performances and lectures using electronic technology, conduct appropriate and effective support activities in the field of art and culture, and conduct educational development projects such as the Japanese representative office for the Royal Musical Examinations. We would like to contribute to the spread of this technology.
We will continue to carry out even more fulfilling business activities in the hope of realizing a rich and creative society.
We look forward to your continued support and cooperation.
Akiko Santo, Chairman of the Kakehashi Arts and Culture Foundation
Artware Hub in Shinjuku
MIDI Association member AVID has partnered with the Kakehashi Foundation and created a very unique space for electronic music performances.
Waseda’s newest venue, the Artware hub, opened its doors in late 2019. Commissioned by the Kakehashi Foundation (Arts and Cultural Foundation), the space is the realization of a lifelong dream of Roland Corporation founder and visionary Ikutaro Kakehashi.
What appears at first glance to be a fairly typical live performance venue is, in fact, much more. Designed as an experimental acoustic space, the facility incorporates an unparalleled 36.8 multi-channel immersive audio system based around an Avid VENUE | S6L live sound system and FLUX::Immersive’s Spat Revolution software engine.
AVID
You can read more about the ArtHub setup in this article on the AVID website.
What’s next for Ikuo?
It was great to catch up again with Ikuo and see how he is continuing his father’s legacy. In fact, he let us in on a little secret.
Ikuo is a professional percussionist and had helped design the ATV AFrame drum. Here is a video of Ikuo at the 2018 NAMM show demoing the AFrame.
Ikuo is working on a secret project and is planning to enter this new MIDI product into the MIDI Innovation Awards in 2024.
It will be great to see the son of one of the founders of MIDI involved in the MIDI Innovation Awards.