As Tokyo gears up to host this year's Red Bull Music Academy, one of the event's Japanese alumni is keeping himself busy.

In April, 2011 RBMA grad Yosi Horikawa headed to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Yakushima Island to take part in a Red Bull-produced documentary. In "Layered Memories: Searching for Sound with Yosi Horikawa," the bearded beatmaker hauls his field microphone through the island's ancient forests, gradually weaving the natural soundtrack into his own music.

"To be honest, the sounds aren't as amazing as the sights," he says, recalling the fecund splendor of Yakushima in spring. "But since the finished piece was going to incorporate film footage too, I had to make sure the music didn't lose out to the power of the visuals."