“I don’t think of it negatively on the whole, though. provided an environment to fully embrace both cultures and the inner conflict subsided. “Sometimes it felt like being in a zoo, with schoolmates coming to my classroom just to look at me and run away.” Moving to the U.K. But, in Japan, it’s almost like people question whether a person can really be two things.” Sarah had the experience of asking herself that very question while attending junior high school in Hokkaido. “In places like London, being mixed-race is so commonplace and doesn’t get much of a second thought anymore. Gus elaborated on some of the bigger issues that KKB explores in their music. But I have no idea how they do their tax returns…” It felt really right.” Growing up, Sarah’s dad spoke a limited amount of Japanese and her mum, a limited amount of English, so a new idiom was created in her home. When I was writing the first rap, I don’t know, I was really excited and it… just happened. “I was really excited,” she says about creating the first lyrics for KKB. “I spent half of my life in Japan and because I have this ability to speak both languages, I wanted to do something where I could use them together. Sarah digested this auditory homework and took a shot at writing, nailing it on the first try. While listening to music together and searching for their sound, Gus was impressed that, from the beginning, “she tried everything we threw at her.” This included a range of Japanese rap, hip hop, and pop, including East End x Yuri. “Sarah is always willing to experiment with music,” Gus says about the mad-styling KKB front lady. Pictured left to right: Gus, Sarah, and Jamie. A mixed British and Japanese girl, Sarah’s vibrant attitude, artistic presence, and lyrics that challenged global issues and social expectations for young women, sealed the deal for what was to become Kero Kero Bonito. While enthusiastic responses from Japanese salary men wanting to relive the glory days as 80s rock frontmen were tempting, it was Sarah who caught their eyes and ears. They posted an ad to a Japanese expat board for people in the London area, looking for a rapper. The boys became inspired to do a project where they would produce a vocalist. They weren’t alone either, with movements like chiptune and labels like PC Music making waves. Gus and Jamie, friends and independent musical collaborators for years, have always celebrated this nostalgia in their music. Kero Kero Bonito achieves something similar: the music is made in the U.K., but it works for anyone who connects with Japan´s international culture – today’s as much as that from the past. It came from Japan, but resonated with and was adopted by everyone. Across class and cultural divides, friendships started at the mention of Nintendo or Playstation. No matter where we come from, life 15 to 20 years ago featured no shortage of Japanese influence: videogames and anime, sure, but don’t forget the family car and home gadgets. So what is it that sets KKB apart from other artists playing with dancehall samples, Casio beats, and video game melodies? What is the connection between these three Londoners and Japan that distinguishes them from other entertainment seeking merely to exploit the distinct oddities of Japanese pop iconography?Ĭlick to listen to the latest release from KKB, ‘Build It Up’!Ĭonsider that by the 80s and 90s, Japan had created, unwittingly or not, a united culture. Fittingly, no one has seemed able to nail just how to describe it, with tags ranging from “contemporary J-pop” to “turn-based RPG soundtracks.” Kero Kero Bonito, though, have wrapped it into something that commands listening to: bilingual schoolyard dancehall.Ĭlick on Sarah’s awesome artwork throughout the article Light and poppy, nostalgic but new, and above all, unique. Their music is fresh – it’s really the only word that comes to mind. It’s clear that the beats are resounding across the globe and that the message, in all its bilingual glory, is coming through. It brought nods of approval from producers like Blackbird Blackbird, features by The Guardian, DIY Mag, and Pitchfork, plus special edition album art commissioned by Tower Records. They recorded their first album independently in the summer of 2013 and re-released it through Double Denim Records last August. Gus, Jamie, and Sarah, the trio that make up Kero Kero Bonito, are a group of young people in London whose music has been taking off at laser speeds. It is posted here with the author’s permission and some extra pix ). It was published in AJET Connect Magazine’s March 2015 issue. The following is an article that was written by one of your fellow MAJETers.
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