The last time we saw a Japanese band make impact on the Brit indie scene it was 1992 and Shonen Knife. Sugar Plant however present us with a very unique brand of pschydelic/trance music that owes as much to Stereolab and Yo La Tengo to Velvet Underground and Krautrock. Interview with Chinatsu and Shin'ichi by Terry McGaughey (Translated by Taro Yoda).
Firstly - is the band just a duo, or a 'collective' like Stereolab?
We are a duo. Musically for us it is more flexible for us, as in concert or during recording we can use different people to alter our sound.
What inspired the title 'After After Hours'?
We often go to trance techno parties and "after hours" parties. After we go to these parties, we need nice music to relax. So we made it. "After After Hours" is music for after "after hours".
The music on the LP seems to draw influences from both sixties psychedelic/experimental bands like Faust and Popul Vuh to more modern bands like Stereolab and Mazzy Star...how much did/do these bands influence the music?
We do listen to bands like Faust and Neu!, but I don't think we're really influenced by them. We also love psychedelic music andtry to incorporate that into the music we make. Regarding Stereolab, we really like their attitude to music and we find it similar to our own attitude. As for Mazzy Star, I think the main reason we're often compared to them is just because of the female vocal. We're more influenced by bands such as Yo La Tengo, Velvet Underground, The Rachels, Tim Buckley and trance techno.
What Japanese music has influenced you?
We don't listen to much Japanese music.
Why did you decide to record the LP in America?
It's very expensive to hire studios in Japan. In a lot of cases it's cheaper to go overseas to record. Also we really liked records by indie American bands such as Helium and Versus. They both used a studio in America, so when we went there we decided to record there.
The lyrics - especially on 'Liquorice' and 'Synapse' are very similar to those of Mazzy Star, i.e. melancholic abandon. Do you agree with this?
I don't know about the lyrics of Mazzy Star. My lyrics may be melancholic, but not "melancholic abandon". I think the feeling my lyrics convey is laziness.
Another thing I noticed is that the lyrics are sung mostly in English - do you feel that this important, or did it just 'fit in' with the music?
It just fits in.
Are there any future live dates/tours planned?
We might do a US tour in Autumn, and we hope to come to UK to play.
What plans have you got for the next LP? Will you continue in the vein similar to 'After After Hours', or will there be further diversification?
We already made a LP (mini-album with 5 tracks) in October '96, which has already been put out in Japan. It's called "Trance Mellow". This is another concept, and has evolved more from "After After Hours". This autumn we're going to start recording our next album. I think the next album will be more powerful and will create a lot of images for the listener.
Give me ten words EACH that describe you/the music best!
(Chinatsu): I cook Japanese food everyday at my super nice place.
(Shin'ichi): Sitting in my house whispering while watching the dark moon.
Get your own Free Home Page