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Q1 When did you first want to be a musician?
Probably in high-school. I was mainly into rock bands and Warp Records stuff. My parents wouldn't buy me a scooter so I begged for a Nord Lead 2 synthesizer instead. I then started collecting other instruments, started writing songs, and that's when I started to think that "maybe I could do this for a living?"
Q2 How do you describe your music? What is your signature style?
Basically pop/rock. I do get compared to a lot of artists from the 80s, but that probably came about by chance more than anything else... maybe Bryan Ferry meets Fugazi... it's urgent, melodic, thickly layered pop rock... with heavy synths... maybe synth rock? This is a hard question. |
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I Won't See You Tomorrow
-Metro-
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Q3 Tell us about your major new album, "Fix Neon"? Is there any concept behind it?
Like the title suggests, I wanted this album to be like a fix of neon in the ordinary lives of ordinary people, including myself. The 'neon' bit represents the glowing allure of the metropolis, and the 'fix' bit represents all the pathological and ugly aspects that come with it. But even though a lot of the songs come from very inward-looking and sad feelings, I think it's quite an optimistic record overall. It says "This city is both beautiful and grotesque, I'm confused and bummed out about my own personal life, but it's only by reflecting all of that honestly and realistically that I or anyone can get over it and 'keep on truckin'".
Q4 What can you tell us about the new single, "Metro"?
It's got a furious new-wave-sort-of beat, guitars and bass parts feature members from Zazen Boys, and it rocks pretty-damn-hard. Like Duran Duran on speed. Or a-Ha with distortion guitars. Something like that, anyway. |
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Q9 Do you have any mentors and if so, who are they?
I feel like almost everyone's a mentor. There's almost always something to learn from the people you come in contact with. People like K.U.D.O and Mukai (Zazen Boys) have been especially supportive of my music and taught me a lot about production techniques and music in general. Maybe they're the closest thing I have to mentors right now.
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Q10 What do you usually do before the show starts?
I try and relax, to no avail.
Q11 Could you tell us your favorite clothing store?
BEAMS. It's really close to my manager's office.
Q12 When is the most important time of your day?
Night time. That's when all the neon comes on. That's when I work, play, and sometimes sleep.
Q13 Favorite cocktail and where to drink it?
I invented a cocktail once with a friend of mine, and we called it the Henman Hurricane (my friend's surname was Henman, like the tennis player). It's made with vodka, sloe gin, a bit of Grand Marnier, and peach juice, and it's very, very good. I'd like to drink that right now, in an onsen. |
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Pulse
-Blue Technique-
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| Born Leo Imai (July 24th 1981; Tokyo) to a Japanese father and Swedish mother, he grew up mostly in London, attended highschool in Tokyo, went on to study at SOAS, London, and The Queen's College, Oxford. His doctoral work at Oxford was sponsored by the Sasakawa Fund. Now He moved to Tokyo to play music full-time. With a small number of exceptions, he is the sole song-writer, and his eclectic style has often been compared to various rock and pop bands of the 1980s, although Imai is really a child of the 1990s, and his music a cry beyond the 2000s. His debut album "CITY FOLK" was released in 2006, and the 2nd album "CITY FORK 0.5" was released in 2007. His 1st major single "BLUE TECHNIC" was released from EMI Music Japan. His 2nd major single "METRO" was featured with Hidetoshi Mukai and Ichiro Yoshida from ZAZEN BOYS and major 1st album will be out on February 27th, 2008. Leo says the album 'FIX NEON' was a decidedly more inward-looking and sad feelings but it tuned out to be more quiet an optimistics record overall. He describes his music is more "Synth Rock" (hard rock on synthesizer), even his music sometimes described as feeling of 80s. |
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Q5 Does your multiethnic background help you in creating music?
Probably but I'm not sure how. I have been influenced by a lot of Swedish bands. Their production and songwriting is often very clean, polished, and melodic, but at the same time quite experimental and a little off-the-wall. I can definitely identify those qualities in my own music.
Q6 How do you describe the differences between living in Japan and the U.K.
Japan definitely offers a more convenient lifestyle, but is less culturally diverse. It's hard to say where I feel more at home, maybe neither. There are so many differences, and it's as if they're all a given. I tend to look for the common denominators between the two instead.
Q7 What inspires you to create a song?
Other people's songs, and boredom. |
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Q8 Which venue do you feel the best to play your music? Any favorite venues in Japan?
Roppongi SuperDeluxe has a very intimate atmosphere because it's easy for the crowd to get to the bar. Liquid Room is another cool venue. But I think, generally, the bigger the venue and crowd the better. The more intensely the band and crowd feed off of each other, the more fun everyone has. Playing at Summer Sonic last year was a lot of fun. |
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Q14 What is your next achievement for your future?
I just moved house and I still don't have a vacuum cleaner or a fridge. It's really sub-standard. I need to get that stuff. Other than that, I would like to play some more festivals this summer, and just keep on doing what I'm doing and getting better at it.
Q15 Would you like to add anything for the fans?
Yes. Without you there would be no reason to keep writing or performing, so thank you! I hope I get a chance to speak to you at a venue soon, and hope that you like the new album. Again, thank you so much! |
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