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19 f
Ryukyu Underground
In which the UK ex-pat and his US collaborator continue
their Okinawan adventures. John Potter pitches in.
I
t’s Sunday afternoon in Okinawa and whole album of, for example, reggae or
I’m at the football with Keith Gordon techno. We did have some faster tunes
of Ryukyu Underground. The island’s which didn’t make the album, so it wasn’t a
team FC Ryukyu is playing against a conscious decision that most of the tunes S
o how about the opposite problem
of working closely here with
traditional Okinawan singers. How
much do they understand what
team from mainland Japan in the JFL – on the album should be mid or slower you’re trying to do? “Good question and
the third tier of Japanese soccer. FC tempo. A lot of the source material came one that I’m afraid I don’t really know the
Ryukyu are bottom of the table with no from recorded sessions from the Warabi
answer to. Maybe you could call them and
points but have a celebrity manager in Uta recordings that Mika, Ayano and Nat-
ask? Not being cheeky but it’s not really
former Japan, South Africa and Morocco suki did for Respect. I am now a father and
something I am aware of or actively
coach Philippe Troussier. He hasn’t been we started working on the album just
question them about. What certainly helps
able to do much yet but in the warm-up about the time that my daughter was born,
is that I often see them around and have a
to the game the sounds of Ryukyu so to be working on these songs while she
very natural relationship when we get in
Underground are played loudly over the was a baby was very natural. Part of the
the studio which relaxes them I guess. Toru
public address system. Keith’s connection reason why we have strong reggae tunes
Yonaha also has a big hand in
with the club has also wangled us some on this album is that she liked the bass
coordinating the studio sessions and he is
complimentary tickets and he reveals that vibes and could sleep and calm down to
very open to new ideas and likes the
Troussier is apparently keen on the duo them when she was very young.”
challenge of what we do which is so very
writing a new club song for the players to
And how is it different from previous
different from his approach. Natsuki
run out to. Perhaps they’ll even change
albums? “Well, I did set out to deliberate-
definitely gets what we are about
their name to FC Ryukyu Underground.
ly try going in a more electronic direction
musically as she is very knowledgeable
It’s some years since Ryukyu Under- with a few songs – two of which have
about club music and the Asian
ground were featured in these pages. To made the album. Paikaji is a new depar-
Underground scene we seem to have been
recap, they are a duo comprising the said ture and very electronic. All those years of
a part of. Mika and Ayano less so I suppose
Keith Gordon, originally from Newcastle growing up in the heyday of synth pop
though it has never presented any
but now resident in Okinawa, and his coming through there. Also, Urizun, simi-
problems – unlike the time we played live
cohort, American Jon Taylor based in Cali- larly electronic though more ambient.
with legendary old Okinawan singer
fornia. They first met in Okinawa while liv- That’s something that we’ve never really
Minoru Kinjo – bless him. He had trouble
ing on the island and began sampling and done before and it’s something we will
playing along to a drum and bass track –
experimenting with its music. With the definitely explore more in the future.
not surprisingly – though the audience
recent release of their fourth album, the Also, Umaku Kamade – the Afro-beatish
were all on his side and loved it.”
challenge for Keith and Jon is always to try
track – although we’ve used African influ-
and find new ways of mixing Okinawan
ences before we haven’t done anything
With Umui the UK/US duo has pro-
music and modern technology. Keith says:
quite as direct as this.”
duced one of the most interesting albums
“Our core is Okinawan traditional music
of Okinawan music in recent times. Now if
I wondered if it is difficult working with
fused with our western musical back-
only Philippe Troussier can do something
Jon when he’s on the other side of the
grounds. That is the basis for everything – I
similar to inspire his football team who
world. “It’s not really a problem. The whole
can’t see myself ever stopping experiment- method of making music like ours often
lost again. Maybe that new RU club song
ing with new forms and new directions to involves long hours sitting in front of a com-
will do the trick.
go in that doesn’t follow this idea. puter screen which doesn’t really lend itself
www.ryukyu-underground.wwma.net
Whether anyone is interested in listening to working other than alone really. We com- Umui is available through Far Side
is another question and one that doesn’t municate constantly all the time though.” Music:
www.farsidemusic.com F
trouble me too much! Our music is for us a
release, an escape from everything else
Ryukyu Underground with Mika Uchizato (centre).
going on around us, and I believe we’ll
always still have the need of that escape.”
The new album Umui came out in
April on the Tokyo-based Respect label.
Famed Okinawan singer, musician and
producer Toru Yonaha lends a hand on
these recordings, and once more the new
album features the sublime vocals of Mika
Uchizato. Additional vocals are again sup-
plied by two more young women, Ayano
Uema and Natsuki Nakamura. The three
women had previously sung together on
Warabi Uta, an album of Okinawan chil-
dren’s songs produced by Yonaha.
On Umui there is a slightly more
relaxed, slower mood to the music. So
what does Keith think of it? “Well, it’s
always difficult to know, but I think, in gen-
eral terms, this is a very natural and relaxed
album. As ever, it goes from one genre to
the next and we find it difficult to do a
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