Skapara fires up

Not many bands can fuse and manipulate such diverse musical genres yet completely own the sound like Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. Rooted in exuberant instrumental ska, the music of Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra channels jazz, rock, pop, surf and movies with flamboyant horns, relentless drums and dizzying surf guitar and combines them with large doses of love and humour. About 25 years ago, a couple of kids met at a Tokyo record shop and bonded over a Gaz Mayall ska cassette tape. They quickly began to experiment with creating their own version of the Jamaican dance music, throwing into the genre all the other things they liked – rock, punk, jazz, surf, pop, the party vibe and mad antics.
Those same kids officially formed Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra (TSPO) in 1988. Their style of ska was very different from anything else on the market, and they made waves when they first appeared on the underground scene, playing on the streets and in the clubs of Tokyo. Their debut album, 1990’s “Ska Para Tou-jou”, became a runaway success and their unique sound quickly earned them a massive fan base.
Now fondly known as Skapara by fans, TSPO has become one of the most influential and respected bands in Japan and on the global ska music scene. Its massive repertoire of 17 studio albums and multiple collaborations with some of Japan’s biggest names in music also makes it one of the most prolific bands in the global music scene.
Next week, the group is gracing the Mosaic Music Festival in Singapore for the second time after winning over audiences with their high-energy debut appearance in 2007. Baritone saxophonist Atsushi Yanaka, one of the six original members, gave us an update by phone.

What are you guys up to now?
We’re getting ready to get back into the studio and record. We’ll have a new album coming out later this year. We are just at the starting point of the production so we don’t really know what the album will be like yet. Then we’ll tour the US in April, then Russia in July.

It’s been 20 years. What’s kept you on the road for so long?
It’s the audience. It’s our fans. When we’re on stage and look down to see the audience, that’s what keeps us going. The music we play, which is mainly ska, is very rhythmic and fun and it helps keep us enthusiastic. Also, we get to travel to many different destinations and see different reactions from different audience. That keeps us motivated. I remember when we were in Thailand many years ago. I was so surprised by the number of the people that showed up.

What do you listen to?
I listen to a lot of movie soundtracks – Hollywood, French and Italian movies. But I particularly like The Skatalites and The Specials.

Did you set out to be an instrumental band from the beginning?
We love instrumental music. We do have some songs with vocals, but we don’t have a specific idea about which songs we want to be instrumental and which with vocals. Basically we just love to make music.

What else in the musical realm that you haven’t tried?
Maybe electronic music. We never really tried that. Also we would love to do acoustic. For a band like us it would be very challenging.


It’s a blast
>> Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra performs next Friday at 7.30pm at Esplanade Concert Hall, as part of Mosaic Music Festival 2013 in Singapore.
>> Tickets are priced from S$40 to $80 (Bt960 to Bt1,920)
>> More on the fest at www.MosaicMusicFestival.com/2013/.