A little extra from Depapepe
Admitting they're an instrumental act only because they can't sing, the Japanese guitar duo issues an album just for Thai fans
Local fans of Japanese guitar duo Depapepe were recently treated to a Thai-edition greatest-hits album and a free mini-concert as the duo celebrated their 10 years on the road.
The mesmerising instrumentals of Kobe natives Takuya Miura, 32, and Yoshinari Tokuoka, 38, first hit the airwaves in 2005 when their album “Let’s Go!!!” entered the Top 10 on the Oricon chart for instrumental debuts.
A dozen albums and EPs have followed, with the most popular tracks including “Start”, “La Tanta”, “Sky! Sky! Sky!”, “Kimidori” and “Sunshine Surf”. The music is soothing, atmospheric and carries a distinctive feel-good vibe while encompassing a wide range of genres.
We had a chat with the duo after their showcase at Groove at CentralWorld Plaza.
Just how special is this “All Time Best” album?
Miura: The album is a collection of our best singles from our 10-year career. And for the Thai edition we have a song we did with Sin Singular when we were here last time, as a special gift to the Thai fans.
How have you evolved as a duo since 2005?
Miura: Our musicianship has improved. We’re not yet the best in the scene, but we’ve grown and improved through the years. We’ve worked and toured together for a long time and that makes us a better team. We play together better.
Did you intend to be an instrumental act from the start?
Miura: Not really. We were in different bands and when we formed Depapepe we didn’t have any fixed idea. We were both big fans of this instrumental band called J&B, and since neither of us can sing, instrumental seemed the way to go!
If you could choose any singer to put words to your songs, who would it be?
Miura: I’d like to have Bobby McFerrin on our songs. He has a completely opposite approach to ours, because his music is all about the vocals, while ours is all about instruments. It would be a very interesting collaboration.
Tokuoka: I don’t know, maybe some kawaii pop idol?
How would you describe your style?
Miura: My father is a guitar teacher, so my style is a little academic and by the book, which is noticeable in my playing. I’m more into the technical side.
Tokuoka: And I’m more into melody. I also play the piano, so my style is like “singing with guitar” and I tend to like melodies you can hum along to.
What kinds of music did you grow up with?
Miura: As a teenager learning to play guitar I liked hard rock and heavy metal. Then I discovered J&B and explored the instrumental side more. Right now I like New Orleans sounds – all the jazz, funk and blues.
Tokuoka: I was into heavy metal, too. Now I like African jazz and I’m a fan of Jonathan Butler. I also like fusion jazz.
So we might hear more jazzy sounds in the future?
Tokuoka: Not that much, because we want melodies that people can recognise and hum along to. Maybe a little jazz just to add variety, but we won’t go full-scale jazz.
What about EDM, the electronic dance music that’s so trendy now?
Miura: It’s interesting that a lot of genres have merged with EDM. I respect the way DJs make music, using programs and software instead of instruments, and yet they can create real songs. We would definitely consider it if there were an opportunity.
What are the challenges of being an instrumental act?
Miura: You have to accept that your music is not going to be mainstream and your audience will be limited. Also, live performance is a little challenging because audience involvement is limited, unlike lyrical music they can sing along to.
But the good thing about being instrumental is that our music is universal. Anyone can enjoy our music because there’s no language barrier.
How do you work as a team?
Miura: I normally come up with the rhythm and Tokuoka writes the melodies, but it’s not fixed – sometimes we switch.
Any battles in the studio?
Miura: We do sometimes fight when we have different opinions of what a song should be, but most of the time Tokuoka wins the argument because he’s older than I am and I respect him.
What advice can you give guitar players trying to be as good as you?
Miura: Have fun with your guitar! If you have fun, you’ll be motivated to learn and practise more. Don’t give up when you hit some techniques or styles you can’t quite master. Have patience and have fun and you’ll get there eventually.
Tokuoka: Start with songs you like – the songs you want to be able to play. You’ll have more motivation to work towards the goal and learn something along the way. And, like Miura said, have fun with it.
