Interview: Japanese Funk Band Osaka Monaurail

Osaka Monaurail, a Japanese Funk group that has been influenced by James Brown and many contemporary funk bands, will perform at UNICO Shanghai on June 9 to celebrate their 25th anniversary as a band. We spoke with Osaka Monaurail's frontman and vocalist Nakata Ryo to dig a little into his thoughts and learn more about his experience with the band over the past 25 years.

You’ve performed at UNICO Shanghai in the past, do you remember any memorable moments from the last time you were here?
Oh yes, it was a very memorable gig. It was our first show in China. This upcoming show in June will be our second show in China! We are so happy about coming back to Unico. Unico treated us very well with food and everything. We had Sennheiser supporting the show with their best audio equipments and a great working team. It sounded amazing. UNICO must be one of the best night clubs in the world! Though I may not be the best party person to tell you that; I don't hang out a lot at night. I'm a musician, and I'd rather practice piano at home. But, because I'm a performer, I have been to many night clubs and all kinds of places all over the world.

What do you enjoy about performing live as a band, versus recording in the studio?
I enjoy performing live much better than in the studio. That's what I live for. Studio working for me is much more on the 'work' side of things. Searching for perfection. Working hard to make the music as good as it can get. But, for live performances, it's more on the side of 'communication'. We get together as one group and play all the tunes we love. That's a lot of fun. I love it. Of course, we can't be lazy; we still have to pay much attention to what's happening onstage. We need to do certain things perfectly, because we want to make a very good show. Not just a music gig.

What are some of your favorite things to do in Shanghai when you’re here for a show?
That's something I am not sure about.... I don't do much offstage. On the road, we usually don't have much time to do anything. We go to many cities in Japan, in Europe and in Asia. For example, two weeks ago, we were performing in Borneo Island. They had a wonderful Jazz festival there. But I didn't go. Just met some people and performed. Most of the cats in the band like to explore. But I don't. I don't go for exploring much. In each city, I just try to see things and learn about people as much as I can.

How does it feel to look back at the last 25 years of Osaka Monaurail as a band? Do you think the band has gone through a lot of changes?
Yes and no. We changed members several times. They all left. I'm the only one left. I'm glad I didn't leave! But I think that's something you can't do anything about. We were students 25 years ago. So, we all graduated, found jobs, etc. Everyone has to follow his own path. But, most of the guys in the band have been playing together for more than fourteen years. Dan, one of the two guitarists, has been in the group for sixteen years. Yuichi the other guitar player, Shimon the sax player and Kentaro the lead trumpet player have been in the group for more than fourteen years, too. Tsuyoshi the bass player for about thirteen years. Looking back, it's been wonderful. Nothing is like being in a band!

Are there any contemporary funk bands, in Asia or elsewhere, who inspire you? Which bands have you taken most inspiration from throughout the last 25 years?  
The biggest influence on Osaka Monaurail is James Brown, the Godfather of Soul. And, followed by many others, Ray Charles, Rufus Thomas, Curtis Mayfield, Kool & the Gang and so on and so on. Speaking of contemporary funk groups... There are so many good funk bands. Silverbacks from Spain, New Mastersounds from UK, Mohawkestra from UK, Soul Immigrants from UK,  Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro from Japan, Bags Group from Japan, The Poets of Rhythm from Germany, The Getup from Germany, Orogone from US, Bamboos from Australia... just to name a few. I think each group has its own sound, and each group is helping enrich the whole scene.

What do you think about the future of funk music? Do you think it still has a strong following in this era when electronic music is so popular? How do you think funk will evolve over the next few years?
I can't speak for the whole funk scene, but in my opinion, things have been floating around and it will float forever. Sometimes soul comes back in funk. There were times when jazz came back in funk. I think there will be times when bogaloo or be-bop come back in funk, you know what I mean? So, it's going to be like different kinds of grocery stores. Some of them have good meat. One store has good fish. There's another one that has good pizzas. The big words are: Jazz, Gospel, Soul, Funk, Bogaloo, Salsa, Mambo, Cha-cha, Be-bop, Swing...etc. They are many ways to play funk. So, I guess, different funk groups will still keep coming in and out. I don't know if we can beat electronic bands. I guess we won't. But, that's not really the point.

What are Osaka Monaurail’s plans for the next few years? Are you working on a new album?
We are working on two albums. The first one is from Martha High. Ms. Martha High was a background vocalist in the James Brown show from 1967 until 2000. She also was a background singer and featured singer in Maceo Parker's group. We, Osaka Monaurail, are producing her new album. It'll be called Martha High Tributes to the Original Funky Divas. Basically, it'll be a cover album. She is covering all the hits by James Brown's Funky Divas. It's coming out in summer. It'll be a great album. Also, we are working on our own new album. That's Osaka Monaurail's new album celebrating the 25th anniversary. It will be released around October.

We don't have any plans for touring Asia at the moment. But, we are looking forward to come back to Asian countries more often. The world is not that well. Trump, Brexit, Abe. The foreign relationships between China and Japan and between South Korea and Japan are getting worse everyday. We musicians must do something about it. We should perform abroad. Also, bring foreign artists to Japan and build solid communications among many nations. That's my main concern these days.

June 9, 10pm, RMB100. UNICO Shanghai, see event listing.