Ningen Isu has been doing well lately. International recognition for the trio from Aomori, Japan has increased significantly. In late Febuary, the band will even come to Europe for the first time, performing two shows in Germany and one in England. Meanwhile, the band’s debut album celebrates its thirtieth anniverary this year. These are the perfect circumstances to talk to singer/guitarist Shinji Wajima, with contributions from singer/bassist Kenichi Suzuki and singer/drummer Nobu Nakajima.

The international attention Ningen Isu has gotten has not remained unnoticed. Recently, the band added English captions to many of their YouTube videos. Not much later, the first European concerts are a fact. “We realized we were a very Japanese band for overseas audiences“, Wajima states. “Since we sing in Japanese exclusively, have traditional Japanese elements in our sound and our visual approach is quite Japanese as well. We have always hoped for recognition overseas, however.

Our next goal was to perform overseas. Since the reactions to the ‘Mujo No Scat’ video were so positive, we were finally able to get acquainted with an overseas coordinator. When we appeared at Ozzfest Japan in 2013 and 2015, we already had the idea that our recognition abroad would incease. Recently, we noticed that the number of foreigners who listened to our music online increased as well. That is why we added the English translations to YouTube as well. We have been busier than ever lately.“

New youth

Not unimportant is the quality of Ningen Isu’s recently released twenty-first album ‘Shin Seinen’. The title translates to “new youth” and that is exactly how the band sounds on the album. “This album marks our thirtieth anniversary and we needed a title that clearly represents the image of the band“, Wajima explains. “Our band name Ningen Isu (‘The Human Chair’) is the title of a story by Edogawa Ranpo. Ranpo debuted in a magazine called ‘Shin Seinen’. We got a lot of ideas from that particular story (‘Ni-Sen Doka’ or ‘The Two-Sen Copper Coin’). For an anniversary album, I think this was the only possible title. In other words: we still had the same feelings as when we made our debut album. And we wanted to continue making weird songs like the story Ranpo wrote for ‘Shin Seinen’.“

Lyrics are an important part of Ningen Isu songs. “Lyrics bring the songs to life“, says Wajima. “Just the music makes the song an empty shell. The lyrics create meaning to what was once meaningless. The vocal melody of the song is also quite important. Silence can be essential as well. I think Japanese people are good at expressing loneliness and silence, so I consciously try to incorporate them in our music.“

Teenager

A remarkable feature in Ningen Isu’s music is the interaction between the traditional-sounding Japanese lyrics and the highly British-sounding hardrock sound of the trio. “When I was a young boy, there was a lot of rock music on the radio and in the record stores“, Wajima says. “Most boys and girls listened to Japanese pop, but there were a few kids who thought rock was the coolest music in the world. Suzuki and I were such boys. We became classmates in high school and we formed a band. When I play with Suzuki today, I still get the fresh feeling I had as a teenager.

Our concept from the very beginning was to put Japanese lyrics to the seventies British hardrock sound that we liked.  There our some Japanese artists who inspired us lyrically, mostly folk singers, but our sound is almost entirely influenced by western hardrock. Also, we decided to make our stage clothing Japanese instead of the so-called heavy metal clothing, which I thought was not suitable for us physically. These ideas have basically been unchanged from the very beginning.“

Unusual

The traditional Japanese clothing has become a trademark of the band. “That is all part of the band’s concept“, Wajima confirms. “I chose to wear the most traditional and common kimono. But of course, in today’s Japan, people don’t wear kimonos in their daily lives, so it still looks very unusual.” Suzuki can be brief about his stage appearance: “An evil monk. A monstrous monk.“

“I’m wearing a Koikuchi shirt and dobo pants as they were worn by Japanese carpenters during Japanese festivals“, Nakajima explains. “By wearing a design that is exclusively Japanese, I imagine a stylish man you would encounter at such festivals. And a Regent haircut with appropriate sunglasses are simply my favorite style.“

Appreciation

Impressively, Ningen Isu’s line-up has changed very little in the last thirty years. Wajima and Suzuki have even been there since the very beginning. “Suzuki and I know each other very will“, Wajima nods. “Nobu joined us about 15 years ago. He was almost the same age at us and listened to similar music. At one time, all three of us even lived in the same neighborhood. In other words, the three personalities are different, but our roots are the same. By playing in a band together, we can feel like our youth continutes all the time.“

It has not always been easy, however. Hailing from the relatively remote prefecture of Aomori, it wasn’t always easy to find a connection with the rest of the Japanese music industry. “Aomori is one of Japan’s most rural areas“, says Wajima. “We never tried to hide the fact that we are from there. In fact, we actively incorporated it into our music. I think that’s what causes the nostalgic feeling of old Japan in our songs. That gave us a very strong, unique personality, but that didn’t mean our albums sold explosively.

The hardest time was from the late nineties to around 2010. Mostly from an economic viewpoint. Album sales were really poor for about a decade, so we needed to work part-time jobs. On the other hand, that helped us appreciate the appreciation from our fans and the joy of making music even more.“

Method

All three members of Ningen Isu sing. Wajima states the explanation for this is quite simple: “Whoever comes up with the main idea of the song will sing it. Since every song comes from the heart of the composer, the most natural choice is to have them sing it as well. Every band member comes up with ideas for songs. Usually, Suzuki and I are in charge of that.

Generally, the music comes first. But I also write songs with a certain image in mind. For example, I will write a song after I decided a certain Lovecraft novel will be the theme of the song. This helps me build a song from a certain feeling. Rather than riffs alone, I often bring a simple flow of a composition. Suzuki’s technique is to always carefully select his riffs, so the starting point of the song is a bunch of cool riffs.

Whoever writes the songs, our method is usually the same. As soon as the composition is done, we add a melody to it and after that, we add lyrics that match the notes.“

Satisfied

“I really like Gibson SG’s“, Wajima says. “The sound of those guitars is really nice, with a slight lack of high and low and its focus on the attack. I think it sounds very emotional, close to how the human voice sounds. My main guitars are a 1993 Gibson SG Standard for songs in standard tuning and a 2012 Gibson SG Standard for downtuned songs. Other guitars I often use live and in the studio include a double neck Gibson EDS-1275 and a Martin D-28 acoustic guitar. My amplifiers are a Marshall 1987 head and a Marshall 1960TV cabinet. In addition, I use combinations of effects that I made myself to create my sounds.“

For most Japanese bands, travelling abroad greatly limits the equipment you can bring along. “Aside from my instruments, all I really need is a Marshall amplifier“, Wajima states. “Preferably a 1987, a 1959 or a JCM-800.” The rest of the band is similarly undemanding. “I have no particular requests“, says Suzuki. “As long as I can use a microphone in front of my amplifier rather than a DI.” Nakajima is similarly relaxed about it: “I would be satisfied with any simple drum set. I would be happy if it had two seperate bass drums though.“

Newcomers

And now, Ningen Isu will come to Europe for the first time since their 1987 genesis. “It was a matter of timing“, Wajima says. “We didn’t just want to perform abroad for one show. Our aim is to continue to perform overseas more often. We realize that we are newcomers there. This is will be our first time in Europe, so we want to play the best shows we possibly can. We will carefully select the songs we will play and perform those as well as possible. And since our musical roots are in western rock, I want to honor those roots with gratitude.“

“If you like hardrock from the seventies, we would like you to come to our shows“, Suzuki adds. “But I also hope you will enjoy our Japanese sounds. We promise you an experience like you never had before.“

Almost all Ningen Isu albums are available on Spotify and iTunes. We asked the band which they consider the best work for newcomer to check out. “In mid-December, our new compilation ‘Ningen Isu Meisaku Sen Sanju Shunen Kinen Best Ban’ will be released“, says Wajima. “We hope all our overseas fans will listen to that. The CD booklet will contain English translations of the lyrics. Also, our latest original album ‘Shin Seinen’, of course. I think we succeeded at capturing the youthful, dark atmosphere of our debut on that album. ‘Kaidan Soshite Shi To Eros’ (2016) is a solid concept album focused on scary music. And our debut album ‘Ningen Shikkaku’ (1989), as it is a clear indication of what we want to do.“

Tour dates: Lido Club, Berlin (Feb. 19), Zeche, Bochum (Feb. 20), Camden Underword, London (Feb. 21)

Order Ningen Isu cd’s from nearly anywhere in the world at CD Japan below

Originally published in Dutch at The Sushi Times.