Interview with Tomo of SOMA in Greece

On 21st November, the Greek JaME team hosted an introduction party with DJ sets and a concert by SOMA. Despite the technical problems that were encountered, the audience supported SOMA and the concert was a success. SOMA is a musician who knows how to please the audience and offers an incredible experience through his unique music. A few days later, we spoke to him and learned about his musical background, plans and dreams for the future.


Firstly we would like to thank you for your performance here in Athens. It was an amazing night for the Greek audience.

Tomo: Yeah, for me too! It was one of the best nights I spent in Europe!

You performed at a club here in Greece. How was the experience compared to your other performances during your European tour?

Tomo: Well, it depends on the venues, depends on the events. It’s different so I can’t simply tell because of the country… But one thing I can say is that there are always nice sound systems and sound engineers when I play with other bands at events. But when I perform one-man gigs at DJ parties or conventions, I'm not usually given really good sound conditions.

Well, one thing that was really good this time was that the club was quite small and I could feel more audience reaction and energy! I prefer small venues full of people to big venues with space on the floor left.

This is your first time performing in Greece. What did you and what did you not enjoy?

Tomo: I actually played as a DJ in Athens at the beginning of this year. I felt that the audience had changed a lot since that time. I think that the audience became purer, more innocent. They accept and enjoy my music as it is without judgement in their hearts. I made the visuals for the screen behind me on the stage. I put a lot of messages into the visuals. The visuals link to my sound. I felt that the Greek audience understood my messages quite well from the way they cheered during my performance. I felt that they enjoyed themselves very much and they showed me a lot of support. Because of that, it was best reaction I received in this European tour.

What inspires you to write a song?

Tomo: Daily life, from almost everything. Also from the music of other musicians. And of course from the audience too! Performing gigs always makes me want to compose new songs.

Ah another thing, when I’m sleeping, I dream of music many times, great music. I want to try to record it in reality but when I wake up, I almost always forget how the music notes were supposed to be. Even if I remember them, I don’t have the perfect music pitch, so I can’t make it into actual sound. But I remember at least the guitar refrain and vocal melody after waking up sometimes, and they become my songs in reality. Some of SOMA's songs were made this way too.

Your sound is a fusion of rock with electro and other music genres. Exactly how would you describe your music?

Tomo: It comes from my background. I started making music when I was 12 since l listened to X JAPAN. I was totally into visual kei bands at that time. I then played in a hardcore band when I was in high school. At that time, I was listening to a lot of punk, hardcore and alternative music and all my friends’ bands were playing too. After that I came across Radiohead's music. Radiohead released their album Kid A at that time. I started listening to more club, ambient, abstract and post-rock music. In those days, I went to rave parties and clubs every weekend. I was doing fashion show music in Tokyo too — I am from Nagoya by the way. Then I moved to the UK at the time when indie rock and grime was becoming very popular there. I could hear those types of music everywhere. Also, as I was going out with friends from many countries, I experienced a lot of world music too. So all these influences pretty much became one in my sound.


Is there any artist that has influenced you in your music?

Tomo: X JAPAN, LUNA SEA, SADS, DIR EN GREY, Radiohead, sigur rós, MOGWAI, Tool, KoЯn, The Mars Volta, DJ KRUSH, Goldie, Burial, Massive Attack, nine Inch nails, Juno Reactor, Underworld… Well, many many more. I live along music, I can’t stop appreciating great bands and artists.

What is the perfect audience for you?

Tomo: Maybe if there was perfect audience, it won't be so interesting to play in front of them. At this moment, seeing audience reaction really interests me.

Kotoba is the title of your song from the new single. Kotoba means 'word' in Japanese! If you were to tell us one word right now, which one would it be and why?

Tomo: 'Nihon.' Because… I have been living in Europe for seven years, but I have to go back to Japan, that very strict country now…

Anyway, for Kotoba, what I wrote about was that saying just one word can change a situation in a good way. Sometimes, having a conversation helps.

Which song of yours has a special meaning or had a making process that was really memorable to you?

Tomo: I choose four songs as they have special meaning. Also, please read the lyrics.

Awake, from the first mini album. This song tells people ‘Please wake up, the time has come!’ Could it be the end of the music industry? I used Athens’ Columbia studio that was destroyed as a visual for this song. Could it be that human culture, globalization and the International Monetary Fund are bringing about the end of the world? Could the great control and power USA has over the media and its attempts to rule the world mean that we are in a very dangerous situation?

Youth Life , from the second single. This song is about youth. It's my message for people who don’t go out and stay at home all day, just watching anime, chatting on the Internet and playing games. Go out, enjoy yourself with friends, enjoy dating, enjoy parties. Because youth is very short and precious. There are many things you can do only when you are still young, so don’t miss the opportunities. And this song is one of my two favorite SOMA songs at the moment.

Wasurenai, from the third single. This song carries my message and feelings towards European friends and fans. I have made so many friends in Europe, but I don’t know when we can meet again. I have met so many nice fans, but I don’t know when I can perform in front of them again. I will never forget my friends and fans who shared their precious time with me in Europe.

Limited, from the latest single. For example, the way we learn about the war in Japan and Korea is different. What Japan believes about the past and what Korea — we can say also China — believes are totally different. Governments control their country's history. Information is always controlled, hidden and written in whichever way that makes it easy for them to control their country’s citizens. The manga "One Piece" describes these things very well! I love "One Piece"! How history is viewed can be different depending on the country and people. Many wars, not only those involving physical weapons but also corporate wars amongst big businesses and industries, happen because of desires. We ought to examine what fuels these desires and hate and where they come from. Some really bad things are happening between South and North Korea now. We should think carefully and decide what we really should believe. At the party in Athens, we found enjoyment through music no matter where we came from. Please remember that. I hope all of us will enjoy our lives and help each other.

Yuki no naka, from the first single. This song is not about a special meaning or message. It's about your other question, where the process was memorable. I collaborated with Rica Minami for this, so it was very special to me. I put quite a lot of my music background into this song. A lot of Japanese flavor went into it to. It's another one of my two favorite SOMA songs.

What are your plans for the future?

Tomo: To collaborate with my brother YASU. He plays the Japanese drums, Japanese flute and also writes classical music. On top of that, like me, he composes electronic music. Currently, he teaches music at a primary school in Nagoya, Japan.

And this one is probably very difficult, but I want to bring my other band, my multi-national band MOULT to Japan to perform. I strongly believe that MOULT is a top world-class band. My dream is to play at the FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL as MOULT.

If you were to collaborate with an artist, who would that be and why?

Tomo: YOSHIKI. I started making music because of his music. Also, he has the magic of making songs beautiful and touching. Anyway, even just meeting him will make my long time dream come true. Kyo from DIR EN GREY, because he has many kinds of voices. Bjork: her voice is simply amazing, it takes listeners to a different world. And Thom Yorke. His voice and melody. I love Radiohead and his solo but actually none of his collaborations with other artists are good… Maybe his voice suits his own songs more. Also Ryuichi Sakamoto, he is always progressive and playing music on a different level compared to other talented musicians. Hmmm and many more artists!

Do you have a message to your fans and audience?

Tomo: I will miss the European audience a lot. For me, performing in front of an audience is the best time. Also, fans coming to me and telling me that they liked my performance after the shows makes me happiest. I want to go back to Europe to perform for them again and also go to many places in the world which I haven’t performed in yet. Many fans send me messages to come to their countries everyday and I really want to. I really appreciate having people who like my music and are interested in my music projects. I can’t thank them enough! Love!