2. CHOPSTICKS NY | vol. 020 | December 2008 | www.chopsticksny.com
The movie soundtracks your music is fea-
tured on appears to be mostly animations.
Are you into Anime?
MK: I grew up on anime, and still watch it today.
Two songs from Exposed have already been used
on various soundtracks. “Shut Up And Explode,” is
the opening theme to Xam’d: Lost Memories and
“Easy Action” is featured in the film Vexille. It was
truly a wonderful experience to be involved so early
into production. We plan on writing more music for
soundtracks in the future because we know how
much audio manipulation impacts the visuals.
Just watching the video for “Moment I Can”
off 2005’s Full Of Elevating Pleasures I can
tell you guys take visuals very seriously.
MK: Music videos are part of the creation process so
its important to work closely with the video director.
After a few meetings we decide on the concept, and
move forward with production.
Are your live gigs just as intense as the vid-
eos?
MK: More. With the inclusion of drummer Naoki Hirai
we become a three piece ensemble that drops you
somewhere between a heavy metal concert and a
warehouse rave party. The combination of audio and
visual stimulation magnifies the live show’s potency.
It appears that 2008 has been a pivotal year
it well because the album has only been released in
Japan, and we haven’t toured outside Japan.
Michiyuki Kawashima (MK): We have opened up
for many artists like The Chemical Brothers, Moby,
and Fatboy Slim, but have yet to headline anything
major outside the country. That’s about to change as
we prepare for our first Australian tour. We digitally
released Exposed in Australia a short time ago and
since then we’ve been receiving positive feedback.
Would you like to tour America sometime
in the future?
MK: Of course, the American audience is great. They
really understand our style of music and are ex-
tremely enthusiastic about it. I remember opening a
show for Moby in Minneapolis a few years ago and
the crowd was really into it. Everyone was dancing
and having a great time. We can’t wait to perform in
America again.
At what age did you start getting serious
about becoming a musician?
MK: While I was in middle school. We [Nakano
I] originally met in college while I was in another
band, but it was during those middle school days
that I got serious about music.
What sparked your interest to work to-
gether?
MK: Well, I wanted to create a rock band that incor-
porated aspects of the nightlife scene in its music,
something similar to what was going on in the U.K.
Unfortunately, though, we were short a drummer so
I asked Nakano to lend a hand. From that point we
started recording demos and performing at small,
local venues.
What did your parents think when you told
them your dreams?
MK: There were times when we had support from
our parents, and others when we didn’t.
The times without that support must have
been difficult.
MK: We were going to quit Boom Boom Satellites
after our third year, but inside we knew that giving
up our dream was not the answer. Soon after the
decision to continue songwriting our music began
generating buzz. It wasn’t until we started doing
remixes and movie soundtracks that our sound got
a major push.
PEOPLE
for the Boom Boom Satellites. So what’s
next for you guys?
MK: We just released a new Live DVD set that was
recorded in 2008 while touring, and are already in
the studio recording a follow-up to Exposed. After
that we’d like to focus on getting our music to more
people around the world.
Has the past success changed the way Boom
Boom Satellites music is created?
MK: Not really. For this new album we basically
locked ourselves in the studio and began writing,
which is what we’ve done in the past, but this time
the only pressure we have comes from our own de-
sire for perfection.
Is there anything you would like to say to the
Americans who are reading this article?
MK: Yes, please come out and see us. We have a
really great show planned for you. For every album
written, we record two different mixes. The first mix
is the one everybody hears on the album, but the
second mix can only be heard during the live show
because we synchronize the music with a series of
complex visuals that are also mixed live. Another
reason for the two recordings is to make everything
more exciting for the crowd, and they get to hear
something new.
----------- Interviewed by Sam Frank
Over the last decade America has been binging
on Japanese pop culture. Judging by the Poke-
mon craze of the late 90s to the more recent
video game wars between the Sony Playstation
3 and Nintendo Wii, it appears that pop culture
is evenly exchanged between both countries.
Unfortunately it has yet to properly acknowl-
edge Japan’s bustling music industry. There
are a few reasons for America’s lackluster re-
sponse to Japanese artists. One significant de-
tractor is the language barrier. American audi-
ences place just as much importance on the
lyrics as they do to the music, which is why Ja-
pan’s most successful artists are unable to
make a breakthrough.
Although language and concept have blocked
most J-artists from conquering America’s music
market there are some recent additions who
have slipped through the cracks. Thanks to
movies, anime, and commercials groups like
the Teriyaki Boys (Tokyo Drift), Puffy-AmiYumi
(Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi), and The Yoshida Broth-
ers (Nintendo Wii) have all found their way into
American homes.
So, what’s next? With Japanamania still ram-
pant, America is ready for a J-music hero to
emerge. A band with enough talent to show the
international community that Japan not only im-
ports music from around the world, but is a
country that cultivates and exports its own,
unique sound; and no group is more ready to
carry that torch than Boom Boom Satellites.
What will come next?—The future of J-music
![CHOPSTICKS NY | vol. 020 | December 2008 | www.chopsticksny.com
The movie soundtracks your music is fea-
tured on appears to be mostly animations.
Are you into Anime?
MK: I grew up on anime, and still watch it today.
Two songs from Exposed have already been used
on various soundtracks. “Shut Up And Explode,” is
the opening theme to Xam’d: Lost Memories and
“Easy Action” is featured in the film Vexille. It was
truly a wonderful experience to be involved so early
into production. We plan on writing more music for
soundtracks in the future because we know how
much audio manipulation impacts the visuals.
Just watching the video for “Moment I Can”
off 2005’s Full Of Elevating Pleasures I can
tell you guys take visuals very seriously.
MK: Music videos are part of the creation process so
its important to work closely with the video director.
After a few meetings we decide on the concept, and
move forward with production.
Are your live gigs just as intense as the vid-
eos?
MK: More. With the inclusion of drummer Naoki Hirai
we become a three piece ensemble that drops you
somewhere between a heavy metal concert and a
warehouse rave party. The combination of audio and
visual stimulation magnifies the live show’s potency.
It appears that 2008 has been a pivotal year
it well because the album has only been released in
Japan, and we haven’t toured outside Japan.
Michiyuki Kawashima (MK): We have opened up
for many artists like The Chemical Brothers, Moby,
and Fatboy Slim, but have yet to headline anything
major outside the country. That’s about to change as
we prepare for our first Australian tour. We digitally
released Exposed in Australia a short time ago and
since then we’ve been receiving positive feedback.
Would you like to tour America sometime
in the future?
MK: Of course, the American audience is great. They
really understand our style of music and are ex-
tremely enthusiastic about it. I remember opening a
show for Moby in Minneapolis a few years ago and
the crowd was really into it. Everyone was dancing
and having a great time. We can’t wait to perform in
America again.
At what age did you start getting serious
about becoming a musician?
MK: While I was in middle school. We [Nakano
I] originally met in college while I was in another
band, but it was during those middle school days
that I got serious about music.
What sparked your interest to work to-
gether?
MK: Well, I wanted to create a rock band that incor-
porated aspects of the nightlife scene in its music,
something similar to what was going on in the U.K.
Unfortunately, though, we were short a drummer so
I asked Nakano to lend a hand. From that point we
started recording demos and performing at small,
local venues.
What did your parents think when you told
them your dreams?
MK: There were times when we had support from
our parents, and others when we didn’t.
The times without that support must have
been difficult.
MK: We were going to quit Boom Boom Satellites
after our third year, but inside we knew that giving
up our dream was not the answer. Soon after the
decision to continue songwriting our music began
generating buzz. It wasn’t until we started doing
remixes and movie soundtracks that our sound got
a major push.
PEOPLE
for the Boom Boom Satellites. So what’s
next for you guys?
MK: We just released a new Live DVD set that was
recorded in 2008 while touring, and are already in
the studio recording a follow-up to Exposed. After
that we’d like to focus on getting our music to more
people around the world.
Has the past success changed the way Boom
Boom Satellites music is created?
MK: Not really. For this new album we basically
locked ourselves in the studio and began writing,
which is what we’ve done in the past, but this time
the only pressure we have comes from our own de-
sire for perfection.
Is there anything you would like to say to the
Americans who are reading this article?
MK: Yes, please come out and see us. We have a
really great show planned for you. For every album
written, we record two different mixes. The first mix
is the one everybody hears on the album, but the
second mix can only be heard during the live show
because we synchronize the music with a series of
complex visuals that are also mixed live. Another
reason for the two recordings is to make everything
more exciting for the crowd, and they get to hear
something new.
----------- Interviewed by Sam Frank
Over the last decade America has been binging
on Japanese pop culture. Judging by the Poke-
mon craze of the late 90s to the more recent
video game wars between the Sony Playstation
3 and Nintendo Wii, it appears that pop culture
is evenly exchanged between both countries.
Unfortunately it has yet to properly acknowl-
edge Japan’s bustling music industry. There
are a few reasons for America’s lackluster re-
sponse to Japanese artists. One significant de-
tractor is the language barrier. American audi-
ences place just as much importance on the
lyrics as they do to the music, which is why Ja-
pan’s most successful artists are unable to
make a breakthrough.
Although language and concept have blocked
most J-artists from conquering America’s music
market there are some recent additions who
have slipped through the cracks. Thanks to
movies, anime, and commercials groups like
the Teriyaki Boys (Tokyo Drift), Puffy-AmiYumi
(Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi), and The Yoshida Broth-
ers (Nintendo Wii) have all found their way into
American homes.
So, what’s next? With Japanamania still ram-
pant, America is ready for a J-music hero to
emerge. A band with enough talent to show the
international community that Japan not only im-
ports music from around the world, but is a
country that cultivates and exports its own,
unique sound; and no group is more ready to
carry that torch than Boom Boom Satellites.
What will come next?—The future of J-music](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)