LOKA

LOKA first made their appearance on June 9th, 2012. At that time, singer Kihiro and drummer KEN'ICHI were the only official members.

Originally Kihiro was a vocalist of the band named Supe. In 2003 the band relocated to California to perfect their international sound. With the 2006 self-titled release, produced by Sylvia Massy-Shivy (Tool, System of a Down, Red Hot Chili Peppers), Supe launched their first US tour with over fifty dates scheduled. Upon their return to Japan Kihiro joined Leda’s (ex DELUHI) solo project UNDIVIDE. In June 2012
Kihiro announced the launch of his own project and together with KEN'ICHI, formed LOKA.

As for KEN'ICHI, he was the drummer of SEX MACHINEGUNS, a famous Japanese metal band. He was welcomed as an official member in 2007, competing against more than 200 challengers for this position. After five years in the band KEN'ICHI decided to leave them to join LOKA in June 2012.

On August 8th, LOKA released their first EP, entitled "01"-zero one-, and kicked off their first national tour in September. Still being on the road, they released their debut full-length album, titled EnFLAME, on November 7th and continued touring until the end of the year. That time they played about forty shows across Japan and sold more than a 1000 copies of the debut album, which is quite an impressive number for a brand new band.

In April 2013, LOKA welcomed Katsumi (ex CLAYFISH) as an official bassist. The band then kicked off another summer tour including their first international date–they took part in the Taiwanese summer music festival FORMOZ.

Though it’s only been a year since LOKA’s formation, their musical talent, professionalism and strong stage presence have already paved the way to their future success and ensure them a place among top class bands of the Japanese alternative scene.