interview jrnr An interview with GUNIX

[BrenGun 2259]

 

https://jrocknroll.com/an-interview-with-gunix/3/

ENGLISH Grammar/Spell Check thx to @Katt

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GUNIX =  ｢EDM(Electric×Digital×Mixture) ｣
In 2020 Ami (Vo), K-BOM(Vo), Arly(Gt), Matsubai(Ba) and Toyotetsu (Dr) formed the band. With a male and female vocalist the band plays the SOUND of a mixture of NU METAL, EDM and J-ROCK fused together like a chameleon would make a sound that you’ll never forget because of the memorable catchy melody. 

 

Not everyone is familiar with the world of GUNIX yet, please introduce GUNIX with some nice words. 

K-BOM: GUNIX is a rock band with the concept of us being a modern form of cyberpunk. Our musical genre can be described as EDM+LOUD MUSIC. What sets us apart from other bands is that we are also a band with a female and a male vocalist. Also, we are always trying out new things. We are a five member band with Vo. Ami & K-BOM, Gt. Arly, Ba. Matsubai and Dr. Toyotetsu. We as a band are all calm and interesting, we all take our music very seriously and we love it with our whole heart.

 

When and how was GUNIX formed? How did you all meet?

K-BOM: GUNIX was formed around the end of March 2020, and we started our activities in August. Of course while forming the band we also got stuck in production due to the shitty epidemic known as the coronavirus. We got to know vocalist  Ami by a recommendation from a music vocational school. 

 

Japanese contains a lot of Kanji, so which Kanji would you give to GUNIX

和 (wa, harmony)

This is because we value Japan’s unique melodies, sensibilities and harmony. We are a world-class band that has a unique sense of connection in our music.

 

 

Currently we live in the world of Corona. Is there something you have learned in these difficult times?

K-BOM: We have learned that it is very important to have connections and relationships with various people. We have to learn how to adapt because the coronavirus epidemic divides us as people.

 

Does Corona have any positive impact on your life?

K-BOM: Well, we can thank the coronavirus because it led to the formation of GUNIX, which I’m thankful for.

 

Why are live shows so important for a band?

At least to us, a rock band can’t be a rock band without performing live. We don’t want to limit ourselves to just releasing material online either.

 

So, you wish that fans come to your shows right? Why is that so? 

For the time being, please come to our lives. Right now we live in a difficult situation in which both artists and visitors ought to spend some money.

 

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Let’s learn more about K-BOM & others!

 

Which Kanji would you choose to express yourself?

K-BOM: 楽 (easy) 

Because I’m always trying to have fun at anything and everything! I consider myself a hyper positive person! 

 

What made you decide to become a bandman?

K-BOM: After seeing LUNA SEA I was longing to be a vocalist and a guitarist, however after seeing PIERROT I really wanted to become a vocalist. Well, also to me, being a bandman is a way of life. 

 

What’s the biggest challenge of being a bandman?

K-BOM: The biggest challenge is that people end up just quitting like it’s some school club activity. Being a bandman to me means that you should never give up.

 

Out of these two, which do you prefer; a bar or an izakaya? Where do you like to drink the most?

K-BOM: I only drink when I’m at home.

Matsubai: I like to drink, but I also like to eat. Specifically, I like social drinking while talking with people around a big table with plenty of food.

 

Everyone smiles and laughs, so what makes you smile and laugh?

Ami: I’m the type of person who is always smiling even if there is nothing to be smiling about.

K-BOM: I don’t really laugh.  

 

Until now, what’s your most played CD?

K-BOM: DRAGON ASH ｢LILY OF DA VALLEY｣

Arly: RADWIMPS「絶体絶命」

 

It’s really great to stand on stage and do a show, right? Isn’t that the most amazing thing?

K-BOM: There is no point in living if you wouldn’t enjoy it.

Toyotetsu: That’s right! I don’t think the time on stage can be replaced by anything else. 

 

Do you face any problems when you perform your shows?

K-BOM: Right now, due to corona, it’s difficult to share my voice to many people. It’s hard because a venue can only allow a limited amount of visitors inside.

 

How do you get your inspiration for making new music?

K-BOM: It’s like taking a bath, a bath filled with music with your favorite songs and new music you never heard before. 

 

What’s your favorite place to write a new song?

K-BOM: I’m always writing with all my focus in my own studio. I really focus on creating songs of perfect quality. 

 

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On October 21th, you have released your first album named “WIRED”!

https://gunix.thebase.in/items/35179820

 

Why is the album titled “WIRED”?

K-BOM: WIRED means awakening or addiction, also it fits our musical style. Beside that, our previous releases are named WIRED1 and WIRED2 so we thought let’s create a “WIRED” series for this year’s releases.

 

What was the main inspiration for creating “WIRED”?

K-BOM: CORONA. This unusual situation felt cyberpunk which became the origin.  

 

What do you want listeners to feel while listening to “WIRED”?

K-BOM: First, the craziness which you will get surprised by, later you feel the loud parts however you will also notice a bunch of pop aspects too. 

 

How was the recording of “WIRED”? Did you have any problems recording the part?

K-BOM: The process of finishing the songs together was creative and exciting. Arly really did do a good job. He did a great job on the arrangement and putting our recordings together with our engineer.

Ami: It really was lots of fun to record all the songs! Most songs of GUNIX’s have a high key, so it was really difficult to hit the tones well, also the chorus wasn’t easy. I had trouble with the many parts of the songs and the many harps. It was fully loaded.

Toyotetsu: I didn’t have any problems with it. I felt good about being allowed to do it freely, while keeping the open-ended vibe of the song. (smile).

Arly: When we were making the unique concepts for our songs, we tried to create an intense but tight sound.

 

Are there any fun and interesting stories about “WIRED”?

K-BOM: There is a point where a song just floats by, like an idiot.

Ami: K-BOM, Gt.Arly, and I do like to record background sounds together. Everytime when Arly made a mistake in timing or rhythm, K-BOM scolded him (which happened almost every time), which was super funny and interesting to me personally.  

Toyotetsu: Well it’s not really interesting, but we were able to create our first album as a very unique and strong piece. 

 

What’s the inspiration behind the lyrics of “WIRED”?

Frustration? Because we live in a shit world, there are many people who are shit. We are the shittiest creatures in the world, so to speak.

 

What did you enjoy most about working on WIRED? 

K-BOM: For me, I enjoyed the food breaks between the recording periods. 

Ami: We recorded each song together, mixed it, mastered it, and finished it as a collective.It was a lot of fun to watch the process of creating a CD as it was completed.

Toyotetsu: Watching the production process, it was great to see how each song was completed.

Matsubai: The production process includes not only songs, but also jackets, music videos, and many other things, and that’s when we start to see WIRED as one piece of work. Our song ZERO GRAVITY was the last song which we matched to fit on the album. 

 

Could you please share some self liner notes about each song of WIRED?

1. INVADE
This is an instrumental song with the theme of aggression.

 

2. ZERO GRAVITY
Zero gravity is the theme, so that means that there’s nothing to lose! That’s the message of the song.

 

3. WAVY TOXIC
It’s written with the idea that the only way for us musicians to survive is to keep chasing the waves of life, we shouldn’t give up on trying, so we have to make sure that our dreams never stop existing.

 

4. IN SIDEOUT!!
This song was written when the state of emergency was declared. Now we came to the point that it’s time to release all passionate and emotional feelings inside your heart. 

 

5. MAKE SOME NOISE!!Feat.GUNIX
This is Ami-chan’s immensely badass PARTY SONG that we helped contribute to.

 

6. BANG MY HEAD
Let’s head-bang until our heads hurt so much that our heads burst.

 

7. PARTY MONSTER
This is also PARTY SONG. It’s a very uplifting song.

 

8. SiN-METRY-SiN
This song has symmetrical lyrics and singing parts. It’s fun to listen to because of the VOCALS swapping back and forth between singers.

 

9. #wonderland
It’s a song about a song which goes viral with a hashtag on twitter. It goes viral because everybody loved it when we played it at our lives.

 

https://open.spotify.com/album/2BIKkHuGRLZUKtIR7XXKPQ

 

 

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You released 2 MV’s so far

Can you tell us about the MV shooting of your MV’s INSIDE OUT!! and WAVY TOXIC?

K-BOM: While shooting the music videos, I wore a mask and it felt like I was running out of oxygen.

Arly: While we were recording WAVY TOXIC, I slammed my PC with my guitar. I almost broke my PC but my guitar didn’t even get a single scratch. 

Toyotetsu: INSIDE OUT is a very rough PV. WAVY TOXIC is like a hardcore PV, and I hope you can feel the difference in tension in a good way.

Ami: INSIDE OUT!! is a MV created from off-shot videos which we took during our activities. We took the off-shot videos and we simply edited them from scratch, so I guess you feel the handmade love in the video! (smile) 

WAVY TOXIC was quite a long shoot, and since it was during the Corona period, we had to create it with only a few people on hand, so we had to move around a lot, and we had to give our very best.

 

 

Matsubai: INSIDE OUT!! is a collection of videos taken during the time between the formation of the band, all the way up until the official band photos were taken. So, we didn’t shoot any special videos but everything happened after Dr. Toyotetsu joined the band as an official member, so it turned into an emotional video. 

When we did shoot WAVY TOXIC it was raining like crazy. (laugh). I decided on our costumes and hairstyles that day, but I only brought a few costumes with me, so I was stressed out trying to keep everything dry.  On the shooting day location there was also an e-sport match going on, so you can see the word “e-sport” written on the wall and there are a lot of computers in the video. That day we also got the chance to take a peek at the location where they were filming an e-sport event. I was really was amazed by it (Laughs)

 

 

 

Please tell us a little bit more about the concept of the MV’s

K-BOM: The concept is cyberpunk. So I just thought about how to express the feeling of cyberpunk. To me, it’s to feel the end of the world.

 

Please tell us a fun background story about the MV shootings.

K-BOM: When we were filming our music video, we also used a CG composite by using a greenscreen. It was interesting to see how everyone was moving in front of the greenscreen.

 

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Final Questions

What’s the ultimate goal for GUNIX in the future?

Matsubai: I want to do all kinds of things which are harder to achieve in our current situation. I want to perform at outdoor festivals, oneman shows at large venues, touring all over the country and abroad!

 

Why do you think someone should listen to “GUNIX”, what’s your unique point?

K-BOM: Because of our unique sound and the way we present and promote ourselves. The GUNIX’s sound is made for male and female twin vocals in mind, it’s quite unique. I also don’t think there is any other band like us with a modern cyberpunk concept.

Ami: One of the strengths of GUNIX is that it doesn’t get stuck in some trivial pattern that someone else has decided for us. The themes and atmosphere of the music keep changing, so It never gets tired of listening to it, and you will find something new every time you listen to us.

 

We came to the end, please give your final message to your fans. 

K-BOM: If you’re reading this, please share this interview, because we want to be active and known overseas as well.

Ami: There’s not a day that goes by that someone doesn’t listen to GUNIX. I’m going to give my best to make that happen. Our goal is to take over the world!♡

Matsubai: Right now I cannot promise you to play a live show in your area, which is very sad. We live in a time where the world is turned into turmoil. Yet GUNIX was formed and shaped and we made it this far, we will always keep going on and deliver our music to everyone. Thank you very much for your support. 

Toyotetsu: I will continue taking support from those of you who are addicted to the unique sound and style that is GUNIX. We are taking everything to the next level on stage, so I’ll see you at our next live show!

Arly: The first album from GUNIX is now complete. You have to listen to it!

 

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Thanks again for this wonderful interview!
We wish you continued success in your future activities.

 

Edited November 5, 2020 by BrenGun