Why do you think you got into those two genres? And at that time, you were into ambient music, right? It was like constantly twisting the cutoff knob on the synthesizer without a word…If you know what I mean. I instinctively knew that we were in a transition phase. I think it’s natural for people who have been doing creative things to feel down in times like that. Kakudate: But we don’t want people to feel bad as they see us. From interviewing many different artists, I really feel a lot of them are in the dumps from covid, as the stage, live shows, and their reasons to live have suddenly taken away from them. I was about to lose my mind…or maybe, I was losing my mind. ![]() So, during the blank period, I was like a monk in training. I’ve been showing people what I do and gauging my energy level based on their feedbacks. It’s just that no one was there to see me do all these things, which made me realize that I inherently like showcasing to people what I create. I drew pictures and did all the creative things I could possibly come up with. I used to play drums, so I started practicing drums again and recorded as I played. I visited my old town where I used to live, went to see my percussionist mentor, and went on a journey to explore my roots. Also, during the time, I traced back my origins. I wasn’t thinking about releasing the songs I was then making I just wanted to be in my own shell while the world was quiet and far from the image of bands rambunctiously playing music. I thought life wasn’t fun if I stopped making music, so I bought a flower and waited ’till it bloomed and inspired myself to write a song out of it. So then, I relentlessly listened to ambient music and wrote some myself. ![]() But I had to stop for a year on top of that, I was writing songs, but they didn’t sit right with me. I started playing on stage when I was three years old and kept going without ever stopping. Kakudate: Well…I realized that playing live shows is the mainstay of my positive energy. Though, we weren’t sure when we’d be able to start playing shows again and thought releasing an album at that time would lead us nowhere. We talked remotely, trying to figure out our plans for the future. Tetsushi Kasuya (from hereunder, Kasuya): During the first state of emergency, we’d decided not to see one another, and like the rest of the world, we stayed home. So things began moving forward from there, and eventually, we were able to release the album in October. Then a year went by, and we started revving back the engine and discussed what we could do to get back working positively on the record. But then, sooner or later, we unanimously agreed to take a break instead of moving forward in ambiguity. We had continued working on our album at the beginning of the pandemic. But we had to keep to ourselves the songs we’d been sitting on for a long time, which was frustrating. Overseas artists were swiftly releasing their music, singing about the feelings they’ve experienced during the pandemic. Initially, we were planning to put it out at the same time as the Olympics, when the city was in a cheery mood, but things had to shut down because of the outbreak of Covid-19. Kengo Kakudate (from hereunder, Kakudate): Essentially, 60% of this record was done before covid. Tell me how you spent the two and a half years, especially during the year and a half of the pandemic: What were your thoughts during the period? Did your stance toward life and music change? If so, is it reflected in your latest album? You are releasing your new album, WINDORGAN, after two and a half years since your previous record, BLUEHARLEM. In this interview, the band opens up about their emotions and times from when they had to grind to a halt, feeling like dried-up plants, to finally released their new album, WINDORGAN, coming out on October 13th. However, much to their chagrin, the coronavirus cast a pall over the world and swept away their plans, chances to play shows, and their drive to live. The band was ready to release their 4th album in 2020 when Tokyo was supposed to be vibrant with the Olympics. Today, in Tokyo, the quartet, Yogee New Waves, noodles 70s city-pop music that laments the Nihilism lurking in the urban city, complex human relationships, and city sceneries. Musicians play live shows not only for their delectation but also because it’s the centerpiece of their lives, and thus, the circumstances have not only affected them financially but also caused anguish and distress in them. ![]() This is a true documentary of a band surviving through the coronavirus pandemic.įrom 2020 to 2021, a slew of concerts was inevitably canceled or postponed if not, they had to be carried out under complex restrictions stemming from the prevention measures. Yogee New Waves (L→R)Kosei Ueno(Ba),Tetsushi Kasuya(Dr),Kengo Kakudate(Vo/Gt),Fumiya Takemura(Gt)
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