Interview with BESPA KUMAMERO

Before the concert which was organized by CMG-Project began, we had had an opportunity to talk with BESPA KUMAMERO in a comfortable atmosphere about their new album, impressions of Moscow and plans for future.


Hello! Please introduce yourself to our readers.

Azumi: We play in Japan using techno, electronics, rock and other musical styles. We are BESPA KUMAMERO.

How did you picture Russia and Moscow before coming here? Did your feelings change?

Azumi: I heard that Moscow is a very beautiful city. We went on excursions and I saw that it was true.
Monkichi: We went to Kremlin. It’s very beautiful.

You have been in Moscow for several days now. Did you eat any of the native foods?

Azumi: We would like to but haven't yet.
Monkichi: Oh, no! We ate pancakes and caviar.

And what did you see?

Azumi: Church on Red Square, Saint Basil the Blessed. And... museums... mm..
Monkichi: Pushkin museum!
Azumi: Yes yes, Pushkin!

Azumi, I know you were in school studying jewelry design. Why did you choose such direction?

Azumi: It’s not that I wanted to study jewelry design in particular, I just wanted to learn about clothing design. I thought it would be useful to me.

Azumi, could you tell us about the magazine article you read of Monkichi's that assisted you to become acquainted with one another? What did you like about it?

Azumi: It was very interesting to me how Monkichi sees the world around him. He has strange ideas that I was unfamiliar with. He also has a very unique literary style. Through his articles I felt like we were soul mates. He had his own column where he wrote essays and published photos of the things he had made.

Monkichi, how did you move from hard-core punk to techno?

Monkichi: In school, we played in a band. But after we graduated, there was no opportunity to get together as we did in school. I simply had no one to play with, which is why I began to make music by myself. I then heard about Sequencer, a program that assists you to write music by yourself using different sounds.

Who designs your images? Do you have a stylist?

Azumi: We invent our style.

Your music contains a lot of elements and layers. How do you choose which is the best to use?

Monkichi: Before we formed the band, I used to write music with the help of a computer. Electronic sound was the main part of it. Then I changed it to techno. We just wanted to add our favorite elements in music... (Azumi interrupts him).
Azumi: We thought that it'd be more interesting if we don’t concentrate only on techno.
Monkichi: Then we’ll play music that no other band does.
Azumi: Nevertheless, we just added things in our songs that seemed interesting to us.

Do you find difficulties in the band since you're the opposite gender?

Azumi: No, we make all decisions together, therefore we have no difficulties.

You recently released your first PV. Tell us something about it: how did the recording go, who’s idea was the concept and why did you decide to include animation?

Azumi: We just took the material from our concerts and brought them to creators and told about how we see BESPA KUMAMERO. The rest was up to them.

Please, tell us about your first trip abroad. Which country was it and how was the reaction of your fans?

Azumi: The first country was England. Most of their concerts take place in livehouses not in clubs. In comparison to Russia, the atmosphere here is different than that of England.
Monkichi: There were also two bands from Japan but they played different music...not techno. However, a of people who really like rock gathered and they still enjoyed our performance.

Which country in Europe did you like best?

Azumi: We liked England.

You put a lot of energy into your performances and use a lot of Japanese imagery (katanas, fans etc.). How important are your live performances? Do you deliberately include Japanese imagery to maintain your identity as a Japanese band?

Azumi: Just to play music is really boring, that’s why we thought that it’d be cool to include something while performing. We didn’t ever think about adding Japanese elements in particular. We just decided that it'd be interesting to add a katana while performing on stage.
Monkichi: When we were writing the song, Hagure Kumo, (during that song Monkichi shows his technique in Kendo and Azumi dances with fans), we had no idea that some day we’d be able to perform abroad. That’s why we tried so hard for the Japanese fans to enjoy our concerts. You cannot understand BESPA KUMAMERO only by listening. We try to be the band that’s not only listened to but also seen and enjoyed by everyone.

Tell us, please, about your first album, Romantic waves? How did you decide what songs will be in it? Is there any theme?

Azumi: No, there is no special theme in it. We wanted to fill the album with many different images for our fans. There were a lot of songs, which you can hear on our concerts that we wanted to put in the album. Unfortunately, we couldn't add them all. The decision came down to whether we liked the song or not.

How did the recordings go?

Monkichi: The recordings went very slow because we were taking our time. When we heard that we are going abroad however, we decided to release a CD sooner. So, in the end we were finishing the album in a big hurry.

You’ve been to several anime conventions in America this year. Tell us a little about them and about how did you get the invitation?

Azumi: We were connected by MySpace.
Monkichi: One American company found us and asked to come for an anime convention. And it was Japanfiles.com who invited us to Mexico.

Did you enjoy it? How was the atmosphere there?

Azumi: We liked it there very much! There were a lot of people and everybody had fun.

Do you like anime? If yes which one you like most and what was the last one you’ve seen?

Monkichi: We watch it but have no particular interest. Furthermore, we don't make music for anime but anime conventions still invite us to perform. Interesting. Why is that? (Laughs)
Azumi: I like manga more. My favorite manga is...(laughs) it’s hard to say.
Monkichi: She likes the type of manga that isn't popular.

And what about music? You play techno and electronic, but what kind of music do you prefer to listen to?

Azumi: There are a lot of different bands, but no special or favorite one.
Monkichi: We like different music styles. That is why it's hard to answer this question. Even if I think deeply about it, I can't answer (laughs). And telling by the truth…people often ask us about it. But every band has successful and not very songs. May be that’s why it’s hard to choose the favorite one.

Your free time: Are you active or do you just stay at home? What do you like more?

Azumi: (laughs) Internet.

Do you plan to release something new in near future?

Azumi: To tell you the truth, we are preparing something now, probably (laughs).

How do you see BESPA KUMAMERO in 5 years? What do you want to achieve in future?

Monkichi: In five years? (Laughs)
Azumi: If we are still in good physical condition, we’ll continue our activity.
Monkichi: After 5 years I’ll be 43 and I don’t know whether I can move or not (laughs).

Finally, give a message to your international fans.

Azumi: We plan to perform a lot more abroad. Listen to our songs, and come to our shows if you have an opportunity to. You will like it for sure!
Monkichi: Come and see us before I can't move anymore (laughs).
Azumi: (laughs) Yes, because the time is coming up already.


JaME would like to thank Manyata for the translation, BESPA KUMAMERO and CMG-Project for making this interview possible.