The Japanese Popstars

The Japanese Popstars Interview

First off it’s their name that opened up my curiosity, then naturally as a Japanese, I could never possibly miss The Japanese Popstars until UK Adapta grabbed a chance to find out what they really were. The impact of their name is already massive enough (to me, Japanese anyway), but their sound is even more hugely aggressive that I thought I would be blown away by the overwhelming storm in the sardine-packed sweaty Fabric Room1! I witnessed their driving force of the whole space with the happily excited crowd, which will also be prominent at loads of festivals they are booked this summer. As you can tell from their words, it is definitely worth feeling the roaring sound that is created by these fun loving and positive Irish lads at Fuji Rock Festival in July! I really hope they can have a fantastic time over there, enjoy ‘authentic’ Japan once again.

- Can you tell us a little bit about yourselves, the Japanese Popstars?

Declan McLaughlin: We are 3 Irish guys who make dance music. We just came from Austria today, just half an hour ago. We played at a festival there last night so we are pretty tired.

- Also, can you introduce each other to us? How would you describe your band mates?

Gareth Donoghue: I’ll start. Declan is always very orderly. He likes things to be proper.

DM: (laugh) Routine?
GD: Yes routine, and regimen.

- You are known as Decky?

DM: Yeah. Gary is... opposite. He’s not organised... lost his phone, glasses, wallet and camera in the last three days. He’ll probably lose them again. Everything falls out from his pocket.

Gary Curran: I’ve got a jacket with a fault pocket. Things fall out.

- So you are a good team?

DM: Yes we are. We help each other,
GD: and balance out. Gary is fun, an energetic one also a little bit mischievous. He has quite a naughty thinking.
GC: It’s not true… All three of us are compulsive liar! (laugh)

GD: We love fun and enjoy ourselves. We are very positive people.

- Obviously you are not Japanese. Has your name ever mislead people?

All: Yes, many times.

DM: Lots of Japanese people have turned up to our gigs at the beginning thinking we are from Japan, and left. (laugh) It was back in Ireland.
GD: Also, was it in Belgium? We had a driver trying to pick us up at the airport who was waiting for Japanese people! (laugh)

- You named yourselves ‘Japstars’ on other website. Don’t you see ‘Jap’ as a derogatory term?

GD: ‘Japanese Popstars’ was too long for ‘Twitter’. They didn’t allow us to use the full name.
DM: Otherwise that would have been just ‘Japanese’ or ‘popstars’. (laugh)
GC: Shall we change the name? What else?

- Oh no. I found it very funny, very intriguing…

DM: You don’t know who’s gonna be.

- Exactly, so it sounds good.

- Do you have your favourite Japanese popstars?

DM: Puffy.
GD: Shinichi Osawa.

GC: Mine is the same.

- I think he is a more serious artist, but he’s good.

All: Yeah.

- I’d like to ask you about your roots and influences. I’ll give you 30 seconds, so within this timeframe, can you tell me as many artists or things as you like!

youtube : FACEMELTER

All: Daft Punk, The Chemical Brothers, Rocky soundtracks, digital sound of Star Wars, House of Pain, Cypress Hill, The Prodigy, Sasha, Digweed, Snoop Dog, Dr Dre, Saturday Night Fever, Johnny Logan, Daniel O Donald, Brian Kennedy, Guns n Roses, Nirvana, Pearl Jam…

- As you mentioned, you are often referred to as the rightful heirs to Underworld, The Chemical Brothers et al. How do you feel about that?

GC: Scared.

GD: We are also very big fans. We are just three guys making music in our bedrooms. It is complimentary but...

DM: I’m glad that people see obviously we are doing something people like. We are doing something good, but we don’t see ourselves like The Chemical Brothers, the gods...

youtube : RISE OF ULYSSES

- But you are aiming high.

All: Yeah, of course.
DM: They are just icons.

- Could you talk a little about the creative and production process? Do you take roles to share it or do together? 

GC: it depends how we start an idea. If Declan and me create an idea, we can email it to Gareth and vice versa. We build on from there and it can be arty. We finish tracks and remixes. A lot of trouble but...

youtube : DELBOYS REVENGE

- You exchange material over the internet?

GC: Yeah. Sometimes it gets nearly done to a certain standard but someone takes it to the level that works vice versa. We balance out.

- How long have you been doing together?

DM: 2 and half years.

- Choose one word best describes your sound.

DM: Stadium,
GD: Rave,
Gary: Attack!

- You have been touring loads all over the place. Where was your favourite place to play?

GD: I know you are only gonna think we are saying because you guys are Japanese, but Japan.
DM: Tokyo is the best place in the world.

GC: Osaka and Tokyo.

-Why was it good?

GD: It was amazing.

DM: Everything I have been fascinated was Japan. I called the band the Japanese Popstars and always wanted to go there. When I got there, everything was more than I had ever expected to be. To me, playing in Japan was a dream comes true. The crowd was amazing.

- Did you think the reception of the audience was different from the European audience?

DM: I though it was more violent.

GD: Some people say crowd can be actually different but we found it very... because our music, shows are very energetic, so we saw people found it straightaway and all were really having fun, which was brilliant for us.

DM: Our Japanese record label came down to see us.

There were 2 rooms, Justice was in the main room with 5000 people and our room with 5000 people as well. Basement Jaxx was playing at the same time as us, but the crowd came to stay for us. The record label, they were absolutely over the moon at the reaction of people staying.

- What was the venue?

GC: Makuhari Messe.

- GAN-BAN? It’s a very good party.

DM: Yes, that’s the same guys who will take us back to Fuji Rock.

- Did you have any chance to see any music acts in Japan last time?

DM: I can’t remember his name, but he’s like Japanese Dave Clark.
GD: The week before, we played with Shinichi Osawa in Ireland.
DM: We did a remix of one of his tracks.
GC: I can google the name...

DM: Dex Pistols. They are cool.

- You are going back to Japan for Fuji Rock Festival in July! What will your hopes be?

DM: So exciteeeed!!!
GD: We will stay longer for holiday.
DM: We wanna see Japan, wanna check them all.

- What is your plan? What would you like to do?

DM: What could we do? Can you tell us?

- You can enjoy obviously food...

All: Yes! Yes!
DM: Our promoter took us to an authentic Japanese restaurant last time.
GD: Where we ordered everything. We started drinking sake and we all got very very drunk.

DM: Then we went to the club called ‘rock rock’ (Osaka). It was a very small club where rock stars and crazy bands all came down. Everyone was fantastic!

GC: (suddenly) Takkyu.
DM: (looking at Gary’s mobile) Takayuki Serino?
GC: (googled) Takkyu Ishino.

GD: 3 Technics decks and stuff.

- Which do you prefer, being on a massive stage at a festival or in a crowded small club in the city?

DM: I think I prefer smaller, darker sweaty...
Gary: It depends... on acts and crew. If there’s the Chemical Brothers to see at a festival, I’d like to be there, the same tent, but playing at Fabric main room, it’s like a tent, so I like both.
GD: It’s nice to have a variation. There are annoying things sometimes at festivals...
DM: a bit carried away.
Gareth: But nothing better than feeling, sitting and playing in the blue sky. Everyone is happy on a sunny day... it’s brilliant.

youtube : @Trinity Ball 2009

- Are you not scared of frantically excited audience too close or are you enjoying it?

GD: No no. Not scared at all.
DM: We like to get on there! (laugh)

GD: We like to be part of a party because we are there for. It’s the same as everyone else, have fun and listen to the music.

DM: We started off at the festival back home in Ireland called Oxygen. We were sitting in the field watching LCD Soundsystem and it was not that good.

youtube : Beyonce Single Ladies Put A Ring On It THE JAPANESE POPSTARS MIX

Me and Gary thought ‘We could do this’ and decided, trying to do next year. We formed a band and tried to get on there. We ended up playing at the festival last year. That’s where came from, people wanna have fun, rave.

GD: Can I also say I thought LCD Soundsystem was brilliant! Decky is not his biggest fun but I am.

- What else is happening with the Japanese Popstars next?

GD: We are writing the second album at the moment. We have been spending a lot of time in the studio. We are going to US tour and then we come back to do lots of UK and European festivals before heading off to Japan and then will come back for the studio for a while. Also we are going to Australia at the end of the year, but basically just touring and writing.

- How is your album writing going?

DM: We have 20 tracks but not finished. We could have finished if we were not playing this much. Our album was supposed to be out in September but probably in March next year, fingers crossed.

- Finally, do you have any message to your Japanese fans?

GD: We can’t wait to see you. Just get over there again, Fuji Rock.
GC: We are all gonna smile. Have fun.
GD: Everybody should come to say hello, and go crazy.
DM: I used to read about Fuji Rock, and now we are part of it. Underworld, the Chemical Brothers and Fuji rock... A dream come true.

- Congratulations!

All: Thank you!

myspace : thejapanesepopstars

Written by Chika Aoki

Photos by Toshimi Takaishi