Category Archives: Interviews

MONO NO AWARE “The Buffet” Interview (2024)

by

Here is an interview with MONO NO AWARE about their fifth album, The Buffet.

While it is unfortunately not discussed during the following interview, I do very much feel that the single “Kaze no Muki ga Kawatte” is another obvious career highlight for the group in its own solemn yet strangely easygoing way.

Interview & text: Tosa Ariake (Japanese text)
Photography: Masuda Renzo (source)
English translation: Henkka
MONO NO AWARE: Website, Instagram, Twitter

Note: You can buy this album on CDJapan.


MONO NO AWARE
Takeda Ayako, Tamaoki Shukei, Kato Seijun, Yanagisawa Yutaka

MONO NO AWARE—a four-piece band with catchy, hook-filled melodies and an all-original sound. Yamaguchi Ichiro (Sakanaction), Mukai Shutoku (ZAZEN BOYS), and Yonezu Kenshi are just some of the people who hold this group in high regard.

Arriving approximately three years after their previous release, Gyouretsu no Dekiru Hakobune (2021), their new album is titled The Buffet. According to vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter Tamaoki Shukei, the album’s title reflects certain feelings which were influenced by the post-COVID era. But beyond that, what really deserves one’s attention—astonishment, even—must be the album’s totally organic, three-dimensional band sound. The way all of the instruments intertwine to create a multi-layered ensemble, it is a clear testament to just how much all four members have grown and matured in terms of both their skills and their creative ideas.

We sat down to talk with Tamaoki Shukei, Kato Seijun (guitar, backing vocals), Takeda Ayako (bass, backing vocals), and Yanagisawa Yutaka (drums, backing vocals).

Continue reading →

Kitasono Minami “Meridian” Interview (2025)

by

Here is a (painfully short) interview with Kitasono Minami about his (painfully short) debut LP Meridian. It was published in the July 2025 issue of Guitar Magazine.

Interview & text: Okuda Yuya
English translation: Henkka
Kitasono Minami: Website, Twitter, SoundCloud

Note: You can buy this album on CDJapan.

Kitasono Minami—composer, multi-instrumentalist, producer.

In 2012, he began uploading his music on SoundCloud, instantly attracting attention, and beginning in 2014, he released three EPs within a two-year span. Finally breaking the ten-year period of silence that followed, his new album Meridian has now been released.

This being the first full-length album which he has worked on as the overall producer, its meticulous sound and arrangements were crafted utilizing score-based compositions and remote home-recording techniques. Seldom appearing in the media—no one even knows what he looks like—he is a true talent shrouded in much mystery.

We conducted a face-to-face interview with Kitasono Minami to ask him about his creative vision for this album.

Continue reading →

Shin Rizumu “Música Popular Japonesa” Interview (2022)

by

Here are two magazine interviews with Shin Rizumu about his 2022 full-length album Música Popular Japonesa. The first one discusses mainly his roots and musical upbringing, while the second one is focused more specifically on this album and what Shin Rizumu is up to nowadays.

The first interview is from the March 2023 issue of Record Collectors’ Magazine, and the second interview is from the December 2022 issue of Musica.

Interview & text: Shibasaki Yuji (first interview), Ariizumi Tomoko (second interview)
English translation: Henkka
Shin Rizumu: Website, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube

Note: You can buy this album on CDJapan.

Shin Rizumu made his sensational debut in 2015 as a home-recording singer-songwriter who was only a high school student at the time. Aside from composing all the music and writing all the lyrics, he also worked on the arrangements, recorded all the instruments, and even did the mixing himself.

His first album—a natural mix of various musical elements, including yesteryear’s soul music and AOR, neo acoustic, and guitar pop—presented a kind of hybrid pop style of shockingly high quality. In addition to a certain sense of precocity, his biggest appeal was his fresh, lively sound that was very much of the new era, as well as his brilliant lyrical worlds. In 2017, he released his second album—the masterpiece Have Fun—which resonated even with other, globally renowned home-recording artists of the time, further showcasing the evolution of his talent.

Listeners had to wait five and half years for another album until finally, in November of last year, this new album was released. After writing songs for people like Fujii Takashi and Nakajima Megumi, becoming a supporting musician for acts like Kirinji and Hata Motohiro, and collaborating with Ryusenkei, the growth and self-confidence he has gained as an artist can be seen even in the bold title of his new album: Música Popular Japonesa. That is to say, his intention was to take Brazil’s “Música Popular Brasileira” (MPB) and adapt it into Japanese-language pop music—MPJ. While it may seem like a bit of a dramatic statement to make, the album’s content does not fall short of its title in the least. To the contrary, it’s truly a fantastic album—the kind of material that is likely to impress especially the more devoted MPB fans.

Now, already carrying the air of something like a maestro at the young age of 25, we asked Shin Rizumu about his musical history and about what kinds of music he is interested in these days.

Continue reading →

soraya “soraya” Interview (2024)

by

Here is an interview with soraya about their self-titled debut album from 2024. Of all the new music I’ve discovered this past year or so, this duo is one of my personal favorites. Highly recommended listening for anyone in search of some warm, laid-back, jazz-infused pop with genuinely memorable songwriting. Or, really, for any music fan in general.

Most of this post originally comes from an article by AVE, along with some additional questions from the April 2024 issue of Music Magazine. (These segments are marked “MM.”)

Interview & text: Murao Yasuo (AVE), Munekata Akimasa (Music Magazine)
English translation: Henkka
soraya: Website, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube

Note: You can buy this album on CDJapan.


soraya
Ishikawa Kurena & Tsubosaka Kento

soraya is a unit comprised of two musicians active in the jazz scene, Tsubosaka Kento (piano) and Ishikawa Kurena (vocals, bass).

Drawing influences from a variety of musical styles—not only jazz, but also folk, rock, R&B, and world music—the duo aims to create something universal; songs that can move the heart precisely because of their simplicity. Even as their work overflows with playful ideas, one can clearly sense their sincere love for music.

We got to ask the two about their feelings behind their first album soraya.

Continue reading →

Uwanosora ’67 “Portrait in Rock’n’Roll 2” Interview (2022)

by

This is a lengthy interview with Uwanosora ’67 about their album Portrait in Rock’n’Roll 2.

Very enlightening and in-depth, this discussion is a real treasure for fans of the band. I was going to include a disclaimer warning you against reading it all in one go (the word count is over 10,000!), but hey, there are worse ways to go than overdosing on Uwanosora.

Interview & photography: Sugano Keisuke (Japanese text, additional photography from Uwanosora’s social media)
English translation: Henkka
Uwanosora: Linktree

Note: You can buy Portrait in Rock’n’Roll 2 on CDJapan.

What follows is an interview conducted on 2 August 2022 with Iemoto Megumi and Kadoya Hirohide of Uwanosora ’67, commemorating the release of their album, Portrait in Rock’n’Roll 2. It is the first release by Uwanosora ’67 since 2015’s Portrait in Rock’n’Roll.

In their work, Uwanosora/Uwanosora ’67 have tirelessly continued to pursue their musical desires. The first half of the interview is a conversation with Kadoya, and the second half with both Kadoya and Iemoto. We would be glad if this interview could help you understand even in some small way what this new album is all about, and what these two are like as people.

Continue reading →