Hi guys, great to have you with us for the first time. How are you both doing?
Hello. Thank you for having us. We are doing great! Hope you are well too!
Please can you introduce yourselves to our readers?
My name is Dee and with my partner Kyoko, we are working on a project named DRUNKEN KONG. We are both from Tokyo, Japan. We have been releasing music from labels such as Tronic, Terminal M, Octopus Recordings and Stil Vor Talent.
Where in the world are you based right now? And what’s the music scene like there?
Currently we are in Tokyo. The scene here is really great. Lots of parties going on every weekend and also on weekdays! Definitely a very active scene here.
Congratulations on the forthcoming release of your second studio album ‘Where We Start’ on Tronic Music. Can you tell us about the project?
Thank you very much. We are very happy about it! This album, we focused on expressing our inspiration and emotions that came from being a parent. We wanted to make something that we felt directly into the music.
Can you guys elaborate on the inspiration behind it? What were you looking for when you started to the album and was the initial idea translated to the final product?
Definitely our daughter was the biggest inspiration of this album. When we first came up with the idea of an album, we felt it was the right timing for us to do this. Something in us was changing in terms of what we wanted to express musically. Being a parent, and living a new life for us was the biggest thing that reflected this album.
This is your second album release on Christian Smith’s label. What do you think it is about your sound that makes Tronic a good fit for your releases?
We are always really happy to release music on Tronic. Its of course a big honor for us and at the same time, we feel the direction and style of Tronic really fits well with the direction we are heading. Groove is something we really focus in our productions and Tronic is a label in which we feel we can keep this and at the same time, also experiment with different styles.
In terms of the production, what gear was used? Did you use any production techniques out of what you normally do?
In all our productions we use a mix of analog and software gear. For example, we use hardwares such as Moog Sub 37, Roland Juno 106 and King Kong. We also use a lot of softwares from Arturia and Native Instruments.
For mixdown, we use mainly UAD softwares and external preamps and compressors.
How do you think the music industry has changed since you guys first started making music?
Definitely social media has changed many things in the industry. We feel this social media is becoming bigger and more important year by year. Also the style of music has also gradually changed. In the last years, we have seen more of classical influences on modern techno. This blend we think is really cool! I hope the groovier side will also come back sometime soon!
Moving into some personal stuff, can you share a classic tune you can’t live without? One that really made an impact on you?
The Prodigy – Voodoo People
This tune has always been a big big influence on us. Definitely THE track that got us deep into electronic music.
Are there any plans to tour the album in 2020?
Yes we are currently working on some tours. More info coming soon!
Finally, what’s next for you guys after the album release? Any exciting projects in the pipeline?
After our album release, we also have a collaboration EP coming up with Misstress Barbara and a remix work with Christian Smith. We are also very excited about this!
Thanks guys and all the best!
Thank you so much!!
