Wonk’s Moon Dance
The total package of Wonk 2019
Interview and text by Takayuki Kurihara
After 2 years from their simultaneous releases of mellow Castor and experimental Pollux which showcased 2 different aspects of WONK, the silence has been broken by their new EP “Orange Mug,” which is to be followed by an upcoming album.
Their band name was taken from Thelonious Monk. The idea of “Wonk” was to turn the initial letter “M” of “Monk” upside down. Back then, each member was influenced by various music such as hip hop, soul, R&B, and they eventually found out that jazz was their common ground.
Their music style is expressed as “experimental soul,” a result of reflecting their basic concept “to express beat music created by J. Dilla and his peers by a band,” adopting elements of jazz, neo soul, hip hop, beat music, and their image of creating liberal music. Their world class sound was accepted as an answer from Japan to the music of Robert Glasper Experiment and Hiatus Kaiyote.
“This one is conceptualized much more than any others before,” says the band leader Hikaru Arai. “Blue Moon” starts with an impressive and nostalgic melody, and a floating voice gives a refreshing cool feel. Kento Nagata (vo) describes the song entitled “Orange Mug,” as “In short, this is a letter to my parents living away. Plotting my memories of them around this orange colored mug we had, the song sends them my message to say “Hey, I‘m doing OK.“ The song has been put out as a single. The EP consists of 5 songs, which also includes a song expressing their respect to D’Angelo, “Mad Puppet.”
The artwork is designed by a creative label “PERIMETRON” (known by their works for King Gnu and Tempalay), which helps for a better understanding of the music, and also reminds you the joy of a holding a package in your hands.
Translated by Kazuki Takami (intoxicate)
