Always Moving Forward – TECHNICS Developer Legend Tetsuya Itani in Interview

Interview: Olaf Adam - Photo: Technics

This article originally appeared in 0dB - Das Magazin der Leidenschaft N°2

At first, Technics was a synonym for solid hi-fi from Japan, then the name became a cult brand among DJs and subsequently disappeared from the market. A few years ago, the parent company Panasonic revived the traditional brand, relying on the experience of chief developer Tetsuya Itani, who had already worked for Technics in the 1980s and has actively accompanied the brand for more than three decades. The successful revival of the Technics brand is certainly the crowning achievement of the passionate engineer and music fan’s career. But now it is time to hand over responsibility to a younger generation of developers. That’s not an easy task either. 

"When I started at Technics as a young engineer in 1980, I learned a lot from my more experienced colleagues. The top priority was always to deliver true innovations at the highest technical level. I adopted and maintained this attitude from my predecessors. And since Technics returned to the market, as lead developer I have tried to pass on exactly this fundamental principle of the brand to my team."

Changing Times 

But times change, and it seems unlikely that a company’s core values would remain unchanged over such a long period. Or do they? "Our approach has stayed the same, though perhaps the interpretation of this principle has changed a bit. In the past, we thought like engineers and developed products that were perfect from a measurement perspective. Today, the musicality of our products is more in focus. The result is often the same, though, because truly good music reproduction requires a highly sophisticated product."

Itani is aware of the danger of approaching his work with too much of an engineering mindset. And he wants to pass that on to his younger colleagues as well. "Of course, the pursuit of true innovation at the highest technical level must always come first. But it’s just as important to know the market and to listen to the users. After all, we develop high-quality products for a demanding clientele, so we have to understand their needs and expectations."

Too Young for Retirement

You wouldn’t know it to look at him, but Tetsuya Itani is fast approaching retirement age. Fortunately, neither he nor his employer is thinking about retirement. "I still have so many things to do and I’m keen to keep going. That’s why I’m very pleased that Panasonic asked me to work a little longer." So while Itani is passing the baton at Technics to a new generation of engineers, he remains in the industry and turns to new tasks. Let’s hope the workaholic still finds enough time to listen to music, because with his broad musical taste, that’s not so easy. "Music has accompanied me my whole life, and that’s not going to stop. I can listen to a recording of the Berlin Philharmonic with their new conductor Petrenko one evening, then something new from the current jazz scene, and maybe even an old Beatles record afterwards. And I enjoy it all equally." 

When passion is the driving force, things always keep moving forward. And one thing is certain: this applies both to Tetsuya Itani and to the Technics brand, which he has shaped over so many years.