My conversation with Masafumi Gotoh of ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION was a reunion for me, yabori (Tomohiro Yabe), after 10 years. My musical journey began here, encountering AKG’s music and opening the door to Western music by listening to ASH’s “Burn Baby Burn” from the Nano-Mugen Fes compilation CD. And now, NANO-MUGEN FES. 2025, revived after […]
Interview
Miso Extra Talks Umami for Ears, ‘Earcandy’ Interview
Miso Extra is a British-Japanese singer-producer with roots in both Japan and the UK. She layers Japanese and English rap over eclectic beats, blending sounds from K-Pop to UK garage and R&B, creating ear-pleasing music that has garnered praise from talents like Thundercat and Fabiana Palladino. Furthermore, Miso Extra’s “POP” has ranked high on J-WAVE […]
Deradoorian | New Album “Ready For Heaven” Interview
Dirty Projectors, a leading American indie rock band based in Brooklyn, released their 5th album “Bitte Orca” in 2009. It’s an undisputed masterpiece that still garners support even after more than 10 years. Participating as a former member on this masterpiece “Bitte Orca” was the songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Deradoorian, whom we interviewed this time. Although […]
Mei Semones Interview – Roots & New Album ‘Animaru’
Singer-songwriter/guitarist Mei Semones, originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, with a Japanese mother. Having studied guitar performance focusing on jazz at Berklee College of Music and possessing experience as a Japanese kindergarten teacher in Brooklyn, Mei Semones is a young artist featured by media outlets like Rolling Stone and Paste in 2024 and is scheduled to […]
Sahara Grim, with Roots in Japan and India: What is the New Album “Fable” Born in the Forest?
Sahara Grim is an artist based in Los Angeles with roots in India and Japan. She recently released the album “Fable.” This work features Luke Temple, the frontman of Here We Go Magic, as the producer, and blends diverse music genres from R&B and soul music to indie-pop, ambient music, surf rock, Brazilian jazz, and […]
Who is the Korean Indie Band Orange Flavored Cigarettes with 1.8 Million Plays?!
Formed in Korea in 2020, orange flavored cigarettes (commonly known as ofc) is a noteworthy band whose debut song has reached 1.8 million plays on Spotify, despite being unknown newcomers. The quartet, consisting of dani (Vo.), gurl (Gt.), hotch (Ba.), and chan (Dr.), has gained popularity beyond borders with their unique worldview and musicality, much […]
Meet Matt Hsu: The Multi-Instrumentalist Breaking Barriers with Obscure Orchestra
A groundbreaking musical experiment is taking shape in the outskirts of Brisbane, Australia. Matt Hsu’s Obscure Orchestra is, in other words, the musical utopia that John Lennon envisioned in “Imagine. With 25 members, Matt Hsu’s Obscure Orchestra is a ripper blend of orchestral arrangements and punk spirit, pushing beyond conventional genres and musical boundaries. At […]
Launching New Project ‘Jingle Jungle Range Town’ Featuring AI Characters!
To Our Readers Today, we are excited to share detailed information about our new project “Jingle Jungle Range Town,” which was announced two weeks ago. Thank you for following our 13-day teaser campaign on social media. Before diving into the project details, let me explain our new concept and why we decided to introduce AI […]
“Rainbow Safari Polycotton”: Unpacking FOLK9’s Kaleidoscopic New Album
FOLK9 is a 4-member indie pop band based in Bangkok, Thailand. They have previously collaborated with Japanese band Luby Sparks on a joint single release, and this year they have performances scheduled at the outdoor music event “THE CAMP BOOK 2024” in Nagano Prefecture as well as an album release party. At BELONG Media, we […]
What is Lesssugar, the leader of the Thai indie scene?
Lesssugar is a four-piece indie pop band from Thailand that was formed in 2022. The members are from Ubon, Chiang Mai, and Bangkok in Thailand, and they create music while respecting each other’s geographical and personal experiences. They stand out as a band that can access the world from the local indie scene that is […]