RockFeedback

Fujiya & Miyagi

29.11.10

Biography

Fujiya and Miyagi are not, as you might expect from the name, a Japanese art-pop band. Nor are they a law firm or a brand of washing machine. They are in fact a Brighton four-piece, making Krautrock-inspired funk, about as far away from what their name suggests as possible.

They started out as a duo of Steve Lewis (Fujiya) and Dave Best (Miyagi), after Steve asked Dave to record a guitar part over his backing track of Warp Records-inspired electronica. It was soon clear they were heading down the wrong avenues, and they began recording what was to become their debut album, 2002’s Electro Karaoke in the Negative Style.

The title of the album didn’t help to shake off people’s preconceptions of the band, but what lay inside was as far removed from the far east as it could be. While the album wasn’t indicative of the band’s future work, the motorik beats and Dave’s trademark half-whispered vocals have been a constant throughout their music. The story behind the vocal style is as simple as you might suspect. Dave was reluctant to perform vocals, and his lack of confidence led him to whisper the lyrics, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Their second album, Transparent Things was released in 2006, and saw a change in sound for the band, as well as the addition of new member Matt Hainsby on bass to beef up their live shows. After their first album failed to gain them any real notoriety, the band decided to change their approach, and started releasing singles instead of playing loads of gigs to no one. This tactic instantly paid off, with their single ‘Collarbone’ being featured on adverts for both Jaguar and Miller Lite. Coupled with glowing reviews from the likes of NME and Pitchfork, Transparent Things far outsold their debut and gained them a devoted fanbase.

The band didn’t ring the changes for their third album Lightbulbs, continuing in the same laid back motorik funk style as their second. There was, yet again, a new member on board for this one, in the shape of drummer Lee Adams. The album gained similarly positive reviews, and probably stands as the band’s best work to date, with highlights including singles ‘Knickerbocker’ and ‘Sore Thumb’.

Fujiya & miyagi are currently readying their next album for release. Ventriloquizzing will be released in January via Yep Roc Records, and sees the band work with producer Thom Monahan, well known for his work with Devendra Banhart and Pop Levi amongst others. The band say the album has a slightly darker feel to their previous work, in both lyrical content and overall sound, evidenced by early taster ‘Sixteen Shades of Black and Blue’. In the build-up to the album release the band will embark on a small European tour, starting with a sold-out Rockfeedback gig at London’s ICA on the 1^st December.

Tour Dates