Dance music usually evokes an image of communality—people shaking and grinding in a club to a recognizable pop song, possibly remixed. Miho Hatori’s take with her band New Optimism is about dance as an individual, cathartic expression. Alternately swaying gracefully and thrusting her fists to surreal music with tribal-sounding rhythms, the ex-Cibo Matto singer turned the personal into performance at New York City’s Santos Party House on Oct. 16. Even when audience members joined Hatori onstage at her request, each displayed an idiosyncratic dance style instead of moshing collectively. (Costumed musician-designer Bad Brilliance stole the show, headbanging with the giant, yellow balloon atop his outfit.)

Hatori is a fascinating person—creative, opinionated, quirky and direct. She’s also self-aware and considers her New York City residence a good match for her personality. I began the interview by asking how she felt about performing later that night, a throwaway question that usually nets a canned response about being excited but works well as a lead-in. Hatori repeated the question with a chuckle, shrugged and said casually, “I don’t know.”

She grew up in Tokyo, where her early experiences with music included a DJ gig and working at a record store. She moved to New York City in 1993 and got involved with its thriving local music scene. She met Yuka Honda and formed the legendary duo Cibo Matto, a satellite band for Japan’s burgeoning pastiche music scene, Shibuya-kei. Their music combined hip-hop, bossa nova, swing and more with food-fixated lyrics, such as those of 1995 single “Know Your Chicken.” (more…)