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[interview] SCANDAL in California, July 1-3

Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011 by Kathy Chee

It’s been three years since Japanese pop-rock band Scandal played North America on the Japan Nite Tour.  They’re back again for AM2 in California, more polished, more pop, and with a slick new look thanks to some grooming from Sony Music Japan.  Purple SKY sent some questions via email to ask just how has Scandal grown since 2008.

pSKY: Your outfits are matching, how do you come to a decision on your current look?
TOMOMI: We were students when we first formed the band. We felt that it may be more realistic if we wore the same school uniforms that we wear during practice. It just naturally came up.

pSKY: Tell us about the upcoming album, Baby Action? Is there an overall theme? What exactly is ‘baby action?’
RINA: BABY is about us. ACTION just means ACTION. This album reflects our feelings that we hope people will feel joy or happiness from our actions.

pSKY: In a past interview it was mentioned that other songwriters wrote your music and you collaborated on the lyrics. Has that changed?
MAMI: It’s basically the same, but recently we started writing songs and also some of our own arrangements.

pSKY: Are there any Japanese artists you’d enjoy collaborating with? How about US artists?
HARUNA: For this album we got to collaborate with an artist we look up to [You'll have to check out the new album to see who that is]. As for overseas artist, we would love to collaborate with artists such as Avril Lavigne and Green Day.

pSKY: Your music has gotten progressively more pop, do you agree or disagree? Please tell us why?
TOMOMI: Even before, and from now on, we would like to challenge various types of music. So it doesn’t mean we will be doing just pop music, or not doing pop at all. We will concentrate on making music that’s easy and catchy for anyone to listen to.

pSKY: You’ve been invited to perform at AM2 in California, what can fans expect from your upcoming performance?
RINA: We haven’t performed in America for so long. Since we’ve grown older, we would love to show you an exciting live stage!

pSKY: Anything special you want to eat in California? Is there anywhere you want to go sightseeing?
MAMI: I wanna eat California roll! Do some shopping and go to Universal Studio!

pSKY: Please leave a message for your fans in North America.
HARUNA: America was the first place we’ve performed outside of Japan. We are so happy to be able to perform again! Thank you very much for all the support, and please keep sending cheers on us!

Official SCANDAL website – http://www.scandal-4.com/
AM2 website – http://am2con.org/

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Posted in interview, pop, rock | 2 Comments »

[interview] TAIA – “Gothic Metal,” Quoth the Raven

Monday, May 16th, 2011 by Kathy Chee

Okinawa seems to be the incubator for great acts. A wide range of artists have all called Okinawa home, including pop songstress Cocco and rock band High and Mighty Color. Gothic metal group TAIA keeps the tradition going, highlighting their female vocalist and tight musicianship over a discography of six albums.

purple SKY: Please tell us a bit about how TAIA formed as a band. Who were the first members? How did you meet Seika?

YASHA (bass): TAKA and I had been doing a cover band for a while, then we started making original songs and SEIKA joined. At the time, SEIKA hadn’t listened to metal music before, so we thought that would actually give us an opportunity to make more interesting music.

TAKA (left-side guitar): I wanted to play metal music, and copying Iron Maiden songs led to the start of TAIA.

SEIKA (vocals): YASHA and TAKA have been in it since the beginning. They were my senpai in school, and once we got to know each other, they invited me into the band. That’s how it went. My first impression of them was “scary senpai,” and when they handed me an Iron Maiden album and told me “We’ll be playing their songs, so listen to them,” I was even more scared by the CD jacket!

purple SKY: How do the personalities of the current members affect TAIA’s style?

YASHA: Everyone has their own pace, so sometimes it seems there isn’t a cohesive style. But having each member create their own sounds naturally leads the music in a good direction.

KEN (drums): It’s a magnificent spice!

FUGA (keyboard): I think our personalities in our daily lives don’t have much effect on our music style. But we each have our own attitudes towards music, and we each have our own style that we’re good at. By supporting each other’s styles we’re able to create TAIA’s style. (more…)

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[interview] RAMPANT – Rock Music for Kicking Down Doors

Tuesday, April 12th, 2011 by Kathy Chee
Interview by Dave Cirone

Osaka-based hard-rock band RAMPANT made their American debut at Tekkoshocon IX in Pittsburgh, PA. Playing for an audience of over 900 (the highest in the event’s history), the band delivered a 11-song set from their two latest releases, Choice of Life and BLOSSOM.

A regular performance partner of exist†trace and Dazzle Vision in Japan, RAMPANT’s vocalist Hiroko uses her equally-effective scream in just a handful of tracks, holding it back for just the right moment like a knock-out punch. Hiroko is both feminine and tough, a necessary combination to fit in with a band of male musicians who, though outwardly playful, are very serious about kicking everyone’s ass and making their own sound.

During performance, it’s Atsushi (lead guitar) and Tomoya (rhythm guitar) who make a point of regularly stepping over the stage monitors to connect with the audience. Kei (bass) is the most relaxed presence on stage, sticking close to drummer KA+U (a stylized version of “Katsu”), whose regular hobby of weight-training helps him punish the drum kit mercilessly during the hour-long show.

For this interview, we gathered in the Wyndham Grand Hotel early in the following morning. Though physically tired from the show and the solid hour of autograph signings, there’s still a glow on each member’s face. It’s a mixture of relief and amazement, and everyone’s ready to talk about music.

purple SKY: Looking at the titles of your three CD releases — Chain, Choice of Life, and BLOSSOM — it seems that the English words form a theme of forward progression: captivity transitioning into freedom. Is that correct?
Atsushi: (immediately) No connection.

Hiroko: (laughs) That was so fast!

KA+U: There’s a specific meaning for each title, a specific way it connects to the songs on the album. But we didn’t try to link them.

Tomoya: The first mini-album Chain — “chain” means like a bond, not like a prisoner. (more…)

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Posted in indie, interview, rock | 1 Comment »

[interview] Lolitawork with Kanon Wakeshima

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011 by Jessica_Hodgins

Kanon Wakeshima, a beloved gothic Lolita model and protégé of Mana, keeps busy. She released her second album Shoujo Jikake no Libretto – Lolitawork Libretto last July. It’s a fairy tale and coming-of-age story that carefully works love, frustration and hidden messages into its pop sound. Wakeshima collaborated with another Kanon, the former bassist of An Café, and released the single Calendula Requiem in November. During a short break from her 2011 tour, Kanon answered questions about fashion, her sophomore album and Kanon x Kanon via e-mail.

What was the inspiration behind Shoujo Jikake no Libretto?

Picture books that I liked in my childhood inspired me while I was creating this album. In every song on this album, I tried to express the feelings as if you and I were the lead characters of the story, and I hope you can feel that excitement. Another motif of this album is a pair of girls. One of them is a shy girl reading the story, and the other is a girl who enjoys traveling freely inside the picture book. Both roles are inherent in yourself and myself. Using them, I tried to describe the place between dreams and reality.

How did you end up collaborating with French singer Solita?

Since my debut, I have formed many good memories of France and connections with the country. For example, I held a concert and participated in an event in Paris [to celebrate the French release of Shinshoku Dolce]. Also, I met many fans there. So, it was kind of natural that I decided to collaborate with Solita, who is a lovely French singer.

Do you speak any French?

I studied it a little! Bonjour! Je suis japonaise. Vous aimez bien la cuisine japonaise?

One of the themes I noticed on this album is “hidden love.” Have you ever had a crush on someone and couldn’t tell them?

Yes–many times! This may be a bit different from a crush in an ordinary person’s life, though. For example, there are some artists who create great drawings or sing great songs. I admire them–almost love them–but I don’t want them to notice me. Because I also create drawings and songs as an artist, I am a bit afraid that they know who I am and how I express myself through my works.

In “Princess Charleston” you sing, “There’s nothing good about being a girl!”. Have you ever thought this yourself?

I sometimes wish I were born a boy. I guess boys face many difficulties in their lives just like girls do, but I think girls have much more tough lives!

Did you need to take any vocal training for your new album?

I usually take vocal training. During live shows, I sing and play the cello simultaneously, but it’s difficult–so I train for that, too. In this new album, several songs have particularly difficult phrases to play on the cello. Accordingly, I had to practice those phrases so that I can play them standing and singing!

In the CD art, you wear a red dress and a black one. What does this symbolize?

The girl with the black dress symbolizes the girl in the real world, who is a bit shy and loves reading books and stories. That girl always imagines she is the protagonist of the stories she reads and fantasizes about becoming a person like that character–capable, able to go anywhere, free to express herself and living as she chooses. The girl in the red dress represents this idealized version of herself. These girls are two sides of one character, and each of them represents her in the real world and in her dream.

Did the designer for Alice and the Pirates [a sub-label of Baby, the Stars Shine Bright] make those dresses especially for you?

Yes, Alice and the Pirates’ designer based those dresses based on my illustration of what those girls would look like. Later, the “black” one was added to the Alice and the Pirates’ dress line, and I noticed some fans wearing that dress at my concerts. I was so glad!

I saw your PV for “Calendula Requiem,” the opening theme to the anime Shiki. In the video, you wear traditional Japanese clothes, and the song also has Japanese influences. Were you interested in traditional Japanese culture before?

Yes, I have been. My father is also an artist. He makes traditional Japanese lacquer crafts and works with Japanese paintings. So I have been familiar with traditional Japanese arts since my childhood. I love Japanese kimono in the Edo era. Many of them are really splendid.

Please give us a message for people you want to hear your album.

First of all, I want to thank you for your warm support to me. I hope you like this new album. I would love to go abroad again, and I hope I can see you all there!


Editing by Victoria Goldenberg
Translation by Yurie Yamamoto

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[interview] Jin Akanishi

Sunday, November 28th, 2010 by Victoria Goldenberg

What do you do when you’re a member of a phenomenally successful Japanese boyband? If you’re Jin Akanishi, you go solo and tour the United States.

For the past nine years, Akanishi was one-sixth of KAT-TUN, a relatively new song-and-dance group conceived and managed by the institutional idol agency Johnny & Associates, Inc., which has produced some of Japan’s perennial male entertainers, such as SMAP and Arashi. The boyband was so popular it sold out concerts years before officially debuting in 2006. Their singles, sometimes written by industry legends such as Takahiro Matsumoto and Kyosuke Himuro, hit the top of the Oricon charts and made KAT-TUN a household name. Akanishi himself, widely adored for his impeccable looks, was one of two lead singers and an occasional songwriter for the group.

Not long after KAT-TUN legitimately launched, Akanishi began to assert himself as a soloist. He went on hiatus from October 2006 until April 2007 to study English in Los Angeles; during this time, KAT-TUN released records without him. In 2009, he starred in the movie Bandage and sang its titular theme song. This year, he played solo shows in Japan and the United States and subsequently announced his departure from KAT-TUN in July. His first major venture as a solo Johnny’s singer was the Yellow Gold Tour 3010, a brief American outing from Nov. 7 to Nov. 21. (more…)

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Posted in Photo, interview, pop | 16 Comments »

[interview] Return of the Aural Vampire

Tuesday, October 26th, 2010 by Kathy Chee

They live to bleed your ears of sound for their own viral music, a catchy/campy mix of RAVEMAN’s electronic mashes and Exo-chika’s siren voice. The pop-electronic duo pulls you in and before you can blink, Aural Vampire is in your city, eating your brains and making you dance. We caught up with the group before their North American tour with The Birthday Massacre to ask a few questions via email; a good way to avoid being bitten.

pSKY: What is a Zoltank?

Exo-chika: The album title is one we chose more for the feeling other than any particular meaning.  I’ts sort of an onamonapia in the way that words like ‘tsuru-tsuru’ (slick) or ‘doro-doro’(thick) are used.  This album is ‘zoru-zoru’ (tossed together like a salad).

RAVEMAN: This album isn’t made up of songs that came from us deciding to make an album. It’s an album made mostly of songs that came from different ideas we had already made. Because there are various different styles of music mixed together on the album, we used the word ‘zoru-zoru’ together with ‘tank’ to express the image.

pSKY: The album cover art is unique, what is the inspiration behind the cover art?

RAVEMAN: Its intention is to spread the aesthetic of industrial music through the pop scene. The cover art features, in line with the conventions of industrial music, the image of a factory and the beautiful decay aesthetic. We wanted to express this, despite the fact we’re on a mainly pop music label (Avex).

pSKY: You’ve mentioned influences such as the Cure. What artists are you listening to now and are there any new artists who have really impressed you?

Exo-chika: There is lots of music that moves me, from all different genres. I really like the Japanese enka (folk song) singer Mizora Hibari.

RAVEMAN: I used to listen to a lot of older music, like new wave and disco. Lately I’ve become interested in music that makes the best of the latest in electronics. Within abstract hip-hop, dub-step and drum n’ bass music, there are new forms of music that could be called industrial dance music, I think.

pSKY: RAVEMAN, tell us a bit about your studio setup and gear. What DAW, VSTS, software or hardware do you use to make your music?

RAVEMAN: At the moment I use Cubase 5. For software I use things like Massive as a standard. I was a relative latecomer to making electronic music with a computer, so I’m still learning the basics and inputting the information about new software into my head.

pSKY: Exo-chika, is it hard to sing with fangs? What conditioner do you use to keep your hair so shiny?

Exo-chika: My fangs don’t get in the way at all! I can do all ~sorts~ of things, and I can eat all sorts of things too. I use all different kinds of shampoo and treatments, but when I dry my hair I use ‘vine’ dryers!

pSKY: You recently appeared at a fashion show with Atelier Pierrot at Anime Matsuri. How was the experience? Did you design some of the pieces?

Exo-chika: The design and co-ordination of the outfit was all done by Ateleier Pierrot. Appearing in the show was lots of fun! I was able to do my own make-up to match my clothes, so I did it differently than how I usually wear make-up. That was fun too! I decorated around my eyes with gold angels and stuff. It was a great opportunity for me to try new things!

pSKY: This year you’re touring North America with The Birthday Massacre and Black Veil Brides. When did you meet these two bands and how was it decided to do a tour together?

Staff: Aural Vampire received a direct offer from the agency group. Exo-chika and RAVEMAN both liked The Birthday Massacre, so they replied right away that they would do it.

pSKY: Which cities are you most excited about visiting on this tour?

Exo-chika: I’m looking forward to all the places! But I’m also feeling a bit worried and nervous about it. But more than the places we’re going, I’m getting excited about meeting fans from lots of different places!

RAVEMAN: Since this is the first tour where we’re playing in a different place every day, I think I’ll receive lots of inspiration.

pSKY: Have you had much interaction with the gothic culture in North America? What is your opinion on it?

RAVEMAN: We’ve interacted with the gothic scene in Europe and the anime scene in America, but this is the first time we’ll be seeing the American gothic scene. The Japanese goth scene is very deeply rooted, but it’s not that big. I hope that if Aural Vampire connects to the foreign goth scene, Japan’s gothic scene will become bigger and stronger.

pSKY: Which place are you most looking forward to performing at?

RAVEMAN: All the places we are going to are unknown lands to me and I’m looking forward to them all. When I email fans from the USA, I always promise I’ll be able to tour through their state one day, so I’ve been eagerly awaiting this chance!

pSKY: What can fans expect at your upcoming shows? Any special message for your fans?

Exo-chika: I’m really looking forward to meeting all our fans. Charge yourself up and wait for us!

RAVEMAN: We’re going to have a show with music that you’ll rarely ever get a chance to experience live, so I really think everyone should come see us!

Special thanks to the readers of JrockNYC!
Official Aural Vampire website – http://auralvampire.com/index.html
Official Aural Vampire Myspace – http://www.myspace.com/auralvampire

US Tour Dates

Nov 03 2010 7:00P @ The Club at Firestone (Orlando, Florida)
Nov 04 2010 6:30P @ The State Theatre (St. Petersburg, Florida)
Nov 05 2010 7:00P @ The Masquerade (Atlanta, Georgia)
Nov 06 2010 6:00P @ The High Ground (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Nov 07 2010 7:00P @ White Rabbit (San Antonio, Texas)
Nov 08 2010 6:00P @ Warehouse Live-Studio (Huston, Texas)
Nov 09 2010 6:00P @ House Of Rock (Corpus Christi, Texas)
Nov 13 2010 6:00P @ Nile Theatre (Mesa, Arizona)
Nov 14 2010 6:00P @ House of Blues Anaheim (Anaheim, California)
Nov 15 2010 6:30P @ Soma Sidestage (San Diego, California)
Nov 17 2010 7:00P @ Slim’s (San Francisco, California )
Nov 18 2010 7:00P @ Hawthorne Theater (Portland, Oregon)
Nov 20 2010 6:30P @ Studio Seven (Seattle, Washington)
Nov 21 2010 6:00P @ The Big Easy (Boise, Idaho)
Nov 22 2010 6:30P @ Club Sound (Utah, Salt Lake)
Nov 23 2010 6:00P @ The Summit Music Hall (Denver, Colorado)
Nov 24 2010 5:00P @ People’s Court (Des Moines, Iowa)
Nov 26 2010 4:00P @ Harpo’s Concert Theatre (Detroit, Michigan)
Nov 27 2010 7:00P @ Expo Five (Louisville, Kentucky)

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Posted in Electronic, interview, visual kei | 1 Comment »

[interview] Rika Ishikawa

Monday, October 18th, 2010 by Victoria Goldenberg

Rika Ishikawa wears an H. Naoto dress adorned in illustrations by alternative artist Gashicon. A blue streak in her hair and heavily applied eye shadow signify darkness and rebellion. Feathery false eyelashes extend far past her petite face and make a rustling sound every time she blinks. Ishikawa is dressed as Angry, her persona in the rock-inspired pop duo Hangry & Angry. Since 2008, she and fellow Morning Musume alumna Hitomi Yoshizawa have performed as real-life avatars of fashion designer H. Naoto’s kitten characters. But Ishikawa is not acting in character for the interview, and she exhibits the mannerisms of her cheery Hello Project days—soft speech, a smile coupled with a swift point of a finger as punctuation, a friendly brush against translator Yaz Noya’s arm.

“Hangry & Angry’s music is very heavy dance and rock, so I probably couldn’t sing it without becoming the character,” Ishikawa says. “When I wear Angry’s makeup and outfit, then I turn on the switch to become her.”

And yet, Angry’s personality is not entirely foreign to Ishikawa. “When Angry gets hungry, she gets angry,” she giggles. “I’m very irritated when I’m hungry. But lately, I’m growing up and getting better.”

Ishikawa’s career began in 2000 when she joined Hello Project, the love it/hate it idol collective that has churned out cute and campy female idols since 1997. Ishikawa and Yoshizawa debuted as part of the fourth generation of flagship group Morning Musume, first appearing on their typically euphoric single Happy Summer Wedding. As was de rigueur for Hello Project members, Ishikawa simultaneously participated in a number of other groups assembled from the idol pool, such as Tanpopo, Country Musume and V-u-den. Because Morning Musume is a revolving door, Ishikawa ‘graduated’ from the group in 2005 and continued leading V-u-den until 2008.

Later that year, she and Yoshizawa underwent a drastic makeover to promote H. Naoto’s Hangry & Angry line, which Ishikawa had never worn before. They took on the personas of the mascots, which Gashicon designed, and released music that matched the brand’s image. Their debut single Kill Me Kiss Me is a dance-rock track whose music video is packed with tongue-in-cheek gothic imagery. Hangry & Angry released their first full album, Sadistic Dance, in November 2009.

Ishikawa went to the New York Anime Festival solo to participate in the Hangry & Angry fashion show and a panel with Gashicon. Though Ishikawa did not perform musically, as she did with Yoshizawa at Sakura Con last year, she did not mind. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a fashion show or concert—Angry is Angry,” she explains. “To me, it’s the same.”

She fantasizes about the ways she wants to spend her first visit to the Big Apple. “I’d definitely like to see the Statue of Liberty,” she says. “Shopping,” she adds with a laugh. “After that, I’d like to see Broadway if I have time.”

In March 2009, all the Hello Project veterans graduated the collective en masse. Ishikawa misses participating in the yearly Hello Project concerts. “It was like a reunion where we all saw each other,” she laments. But she’s still in touch with all her Musume peers and enjoys her newfound freedom. “After I left Hello Project, I could be independent,” she says. “I can get more work independently.” On follow-up, she clarifies that she doesn’t actually receive more work, but she feels like she does.

Morning Musume, like many other idol groups, is infamously rife with with ’scandals’ that disrupt its pure image, and Ishikawa herself caused a minor stir in 2004. Fans surreptitiously recorded her backstage during a concert and caught her describing screaming adult fans as “stupid.” Her remarks were not meant to go public and, depending on your perspective, were arguably justified. But many fans were jolted to find out their idols might not appreciate them as much as it seems. “I change a lot,” Ishikawa says, distancing herself from that incident. “To me, I’m myself on stage and I’m myself backstage. I express myself as is. For Hangry & Angry, it’s a totally different story. When I wear the outfit and makeup, I have to become the character.”

Because nearly a year has passed since Sadistic Dance, Ishikawa wants to release a new song. She also hopes to return to the United States. “Last year I performed at Sakura Con with Hangry, so I’d like to come back with Hangry and perform again,” she says.

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[interview] Zazen Boys

Thursday, October 7th, 2010 by Victoria Goldenberg

Although Zazen Boys didn’t make it back to New York City as soon as bandleader Shutoku Mukai promised, they’ll perform alongside Boom Boom Satellites, Puffy AmiYumi and Echostream at Irving Plaza as part of the Far East to East Showcase on Oct. 10. Mukai’s kept busy since Zazen Boys last performed in America. He’s toured solo and paired up with indie pop musician Leo Imai to form a new band, Kimonos. Mukai answered some questions via e-mail, shedding light on Zazen Boys’ future and why his relationship with Imai is strictly platonic.

pS: It’s been a year and a half since you performed in New York City. Last time I spoke with you, you said you Zazen Boys intended to come back last September. What happened?

Shutoku Mukai: I did say that. I’m sorry. We had some problems with the initial bookings. These kinds of things are always subject to change.

pS: In the spring, you did another Acoustic & Electric solo tour. You originally performed solo after Number Girl disbanded. Did this tour have any significant meaning?

Mukai: Playing solo feels very natural and easy to me, not least because I can move freely on my own. So I’m always playing by myself here and there through the year.

pS: Will you ever release studio recordings of your solo performances?

Mukai: Not yet.

pS: On the flip side, you recently formed Kimonos with protégé Leo Imai. How did this band come into existence?

Mukai: I would not say he’s my protégé. Our relationship is very much on an equal footing. We started out just having fun together. Not in a gay way. Just as friends. We thought we’d get together to cover some recordings of songs by people like Talking Heads and Cypress Hill, just for fun. Then we started to click musically, started writing our own songs, and became more and more serious about the songs until we decided to turn it into Kimonos.

pS: Please tell us about Kimonos’ album, which is coming out in November.

Mukai: Leo and I have very different backgrounds. I come from the Japanese countryside; he is half-Japanese, half-Swedish. Yet we have a very similar outlook on the city of Tokyo, and Kimonos is that outlook put to music. Our vision of Tokyo is definitely more real than something like, say, Akira.

pS: I believe Kimonos is the first band of yours in which you are not the lead singer. What was the reasoning behind having Leo Imai front the band, and how does it feel?

Mukai: I do sing on quite a few of the songs. But Leo sings more, and I just like his vocal style.

pS: How does the songwriting process differ between Zazen Boys and Kimonos?

Mukai: Its pretty much the same. Except with Kimonos, it’s two people doing the writing.

pS: Based off “Almost Human,” Kimonos has a dance sound, which you’ve also explored in Zazen Boys. Will Zazen Boys take a different direction to contrast?

Mukai: I don’t know yet. It could go either way.

pS: How will you juggle both Zazen Boys and Kimonos?

Mukai: Basically, Zazen Boys are ongoing.

pS: Is Zazen Boys working on any new music?

Mukai: Yes we are. We have many illmatic songs now.

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Posted in Electronic, Upcoming Events, indie, interview, rock | 5 Comments »

[live report + interview] Close Encounters of the BOOM BOOM SATELLITES Kind

Monday, October 4th, 2010 by Sarah

If (or when) cyborg aliens ever crash land to earth, demanding to steal the pinnacle of human technology, I ‘m not going to show them NASA’s most advanced rocket or the creepy robot that can lie. I wouldn’t even show them the iPad. No, I would hand them the band BOOM BOOM SATELLITES, particularly fresh after their live on October 2 at Makuhari Event Hall in Chiba.

After witnessing one of the most intense, psychedelic electronic noisefests I’ve ever experienced, I think our future cyborg overlords will be quite pleased.

Electronic music is often written off as robotic and soulless, relying too heavily on computers to do most of the musical leg work. But that’s not the case for BBS, particularly live. There’s persistent electric warmth to BBS’ sound that translates into an ambient blanket, like the comforting glow of a sleeping motherboard. This is created through various synthesizers and to some extent Michiyuki Kawashima’s calm, semi-mumbling voice.

But that isn’t the most enticing aspect of a BBS live show. Underneath that protective layer lies a certain amount of caged chaos.  For one split second, bassist Masayuki Nakano hit a single string, and the sound produced at that moment mimicked that of a fighter jet breaking the sound barrier. A few members of the audience clasped their hands over their ears, in pain but enjoying the jolt. There’s a cybernetic monster locked up deep inside their music and every innocent human being can hear it blasting at the walls of its synthesized prison. The audience is afraid to let it out, but oh-so-very curious as to what it will do when it gets its first taste of freedom.

The music alone could easily lull even the most sober listener into a trance, but BBS cleverly added striking lighting and visuals to this particular live. A translucent veil dropped in front of the band midway through the show during the song “STAY.” Images of an eternally magnifying world projected over their silhouettes like dreams within dreams within dreams. I wish I could tell you not a single face could look away from the stage, but I was so transfixed on what was happening before me, I can’t say for sure. All I know is that I didn’t blink for a good ten minutes.

BBS’ performance was all things the digital age lives for: electronic, curiously chaotic, and all around audio-visual stimulation. And with their upcoming U.S. tour, this is a small piece of music genius BBS will let us use to represent our generation. (more…)

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Posted in Electronic, interview | 2 Comments »

[interview] D’espairsRay – Some Kind of Human-Clad Monster

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010 by Sarah

It’s been two years since D’espairsRay’s last appearance in North America, and they’re back with a fresh outlook and a sound that leans more towards the dance-beat side of music. But don’t worry; they’re still the dark visual kei band overseas fans have grown to love. Just before the release of their new album, MONSTERS, on July 28 and the start of their North American tour in August, the band gave purple SKY the lo-down on what it means to be the monster that is D’espairsRay.

pSKY: You’ve been together as a band for over ten years now. What do you attribute that longevity to?

HIZUMI: Is it usual to have member changes in the US? Japanese bands don’t really seem to change as much. I don’t think Japanese bands change it up that much anyway.

pSKY: You’re about to embark on your next US tour. Your first experience overseas was kind of unusual for Japanese bands, especially visual bands. Instead of playing anime conventions, you played at small live houses. Why did you decide to do smaller venues instead of a big convention that might attract many people?

Karyu: A convention has a lot of people for sure, but it’s mostly for people who just like Japanese culture. It doesn’t feel like rock music. We figured if we played with other rock bands, we’d attract a rock audience instead, and maybe get some new fans that wouldn’t have found us otherwise.

pSKY: Actually, it seems like the fans have a lot of respect for you guys for playing at sort of “real” rock venues.

All: Thanks!

(more…)

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