BO NINGEN: “We perform, you react, and we interact as one.”

Meaning ‘Stick Man’ in Japanese, Bo Ningen is a London-based four-piece alternative rock band consisting of Taigen Kawabe (bass/ vocals), Yuki Tsujii (guitar), Kohhei Matsuda (guitar/keys), and Monchan Monna (drums). Though they come from Gunma, Tajimi, Nishinomiya, and Tokyo in Japan, they coalesced in London. Their iconic look and quest for artistic invention are only surpassed by their intense live performances, which have earned them a place as one of the most captivating live acts in the UK. They have performed collaboratively with Damo Suzuki, Faust, and Savages.

Wooed by many high-profile acts wanting to take them on tours and featured as icons in McQ by Alexander McQueen’s campaign and works by Juergen Teller, as well as some of the world’s biggest festivals putting their name on their lineup including Glastonbury, Coachella, and Fuji Rock, Bo Ningen embody today’s art/music scene where crossovers of different cultures are flourishing. They are fusing disparate sounds and influences into a fierce, eclectic torrent of grooves and bringing them across the oceans.

The Japanese alternative rockers Bo Ningen will perform in Bucharest at Psych Kicks – a two-day psych-rock extravaganza hosted by Control Club, between November 27-28. With this occasion, they’ve answered some of our curiosities.

Hi, and thank you for your time! I’m sure fans would be interested in knowing more about your backstory. How did you start the band?

We all moved to London from Japan separately around the same time and met in London through friends. It didn’t take long for us to get along and dive into some day-long sessions in the studio.

For newcomers to your music, if you had to pick one track that shows people who you are as an artist, which one would it be?

It’s almost impossible to pick one, but “Daikaisei Pt. 1 – Daikaisei Pt. 2&3″ as well, if you were talking about a whole experience.

Is there a specific philosophy or worldview underlying your music?

The answer is no, but yes in a way. We simply want to express music as a state of trance especially when it comes to live. We perform, you react, and we interact as one. That’s the purest form of it.

How do you think your sound has evolved over the years? Did you always have in mind to sound the way you sound today?

We had no clear idea of what kind of sound or songs we wanted to create in the early years. It was more about the attitude, which was a response (almost anger) to the UK indie music scene at that time. Over time, we gradually started incorporating elements of composition, sound design, and other influences into our music.

Take me through your sound design process. Does the conception come first or do the songs evolve naturally – do you have a clear idea of what it will be before you start to make it?

We all have a clear idea of sound design, especially when it comes to individual sounds, using our own pedals, for example. However, during the production process in the recording and mixing studio, we remain open to experimentation and even unexpected mistakes that might surprise us.

There are many descriptions of the ideal state of mind for being creative. What is it like for you? What supports this ideal state of mind and what are distractions? Are there strategies to enter into this state more easily?

Taigen: To be honest, I’m still searching for a better state of mind personally. It’s a bit of a dilemma, though – if you establish a clear idea of it (or a routine or ritual), it would be easier and faster to create what you want. However, we also want to leave space for improvisation and errors, not just with equipment and production, but also with our own bodies and minds.

In how much, do you feel, are creative decisions shaped by cultural differences – and in how much, vice versa, is the perception of sound influenced by cultural differences?

Monchan: When you make creative decisions, you have to focus on yourself, also you have to understand/accept the situation you are in.

Accepting it means discovering new possibilities for yourself like the concept ‘Umwelt’ by Jakob von Uexküll, in a very positive way we all are different. So, I think it has a huge impact on the creative decisions you make.

Also, I think it is very important to be aware of cultural differences and to feel the sound, just as the Indian musical scale differs from our standardized scale, and just as originally, there were no strict pitches set for the sounds of Japanese gagaku and festival music.

How do you know when a track is ready? Does it ever become difficult to refine ideas or stop perfecting?

In many cases, especially in our recent productions, we reworked the songs many times. It is like the process of making ceramics, by reworking it over and over again. We gradually see things beyond the boundaries of our own imagination. But it is also important to set a deadline, as this process can be repeated forever.

Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for creating? What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise, or reading poetry play?

Sometimes a creative mind-switch can occur when you remember your favourite poem. Words, especially condensed/abridged ‘poetry’, may also have something to do with their frequency characteristics, but they can also immerse you in a meditative, degenerative consciousness.

Anything you like brings you to a good creative mindset especially containing temperature, smell, and texture but me personally at the moment is beer.

Guilty pleasure time. What would you say are some of your current most guilty pleasures? All is fair – game, food, books, video games, whatever floats your boat. Let us have it.

Kohhei: Nothing should be felt guilty, but midnight food might be it. After a good amount of drink, cook improvised drunk pasta or instant ramen with lots of oil and chili. I also like playing ‘Saturday Night’ by Misfits very loudly on weekends.

What other creative outputs do you guys engage in that we may not suspect?

Kohhei: I like making images. Drawing, collage, and more conceptual image making etc. Currently, most of my visual works are music-related, but I’d like to do more for myself.

To wrap it up, what do you hope to do with your art in the future? I mean, do you have any crazy goals?

We just did a large ensemble for our ‘Holy Mountain Live Score’ show with 8 guests + 2 visual artists. That was kind of hard to realize but very prolific. We’d like to do more with different coordination. Strange orchestra from Parallel World sort of thing.