Establishing 'Tokyo Ska' with Broad Musicality and a Unique Style

—Congratulations on your 25th anniversary. Could you tell us about Skapara's journey so far?

It's hard to believe 25 years have passed. I was in a band with friends from high school, and in college, those friends were invited by people who were forming a ska band. That person was ASA-CHANG, the founder of Skapara and our former bandmaster. Essentially, my band was absorbed into Skapara.

I was the vocalist in my band, so I couldn't play any instruments. I hoped that when I visited rehearsals, they might ask me to sing something, but that never happened... (laughs). One day, ASA-CHANG said to me, 'Mr. Yanaka, do you know what a baritone saxophone is? I think a baritone saxophone would suit your tall frame.' I bought one immediately, even though I didn't know if I'd get into the band. Once I had it, I felt I had to make it work, so I sort of pushed my way into joining Skapara. A year later, I was playing a melody on our debut album. I had a hunch, and I think now that the baritone saxophone was indeed the right instrument for me.

—When did you start performing overseas?

I think it was about two or three years after our debut when we went to France. We also went to Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia – the ASEAN 5 countries. Then we were invited to Australia and various other countries in quick succession. Skapara originally started as a street band, and we were always thinking about how to stand out and grab the attention of strangers. We felt that by being conspicuous, we had a reason for existing.

There was a very interesting member back then named Cleanhead Gimura. Gimura was quite knowledgeable about the fashion industry and knew a lot about Italian clothing. He proposed and introduced certain styles to the band as 'ska fashion.' This led to the creation of our style: wearing matching suits in colors like yellow and pink while playing brass instruments. Naturally, people were surprised. But we felt the band had potential because we could stand out. I wanted to keep it going.

—And when did you become the current nine-member lineup?

Since 2009. Although there had been member changes before, Takashi Kato on guitar and Kinichi Motegi on drums joined around 2000. During that period, Skapara embarked on what we called the 'Vocal Trilogy.' We invited guest vocalists like Takao Tajima, Yusuke Chiba, and Tamio Okuda, which generated a lot of buzz. It was then that I started writing lyrics for the first time. It was a late debut as a lyricist, but I think it was accepted by everyone and has led to where we are today.

Around the time of the 'Vocal Trilogy,' we decided to focus on international activities alongside our domestic work, and we've been doing European tours every year since. This year, we're touring the US and Mexico. In the US, we're playing Los Angeles and New York. Mexico is really vibrant lately, and this will be our third time there. That's a rough overview of our journey.

Skapara's New Challenge for Their 25th Anniversary: The 'Band Collaboration Trilogy'

—What kind of album is the commemorative release, 'SKA ME FOREVER'?

I believe an artist who doesn't consider their latest work their best has no reason to continue, so I put all my energy into making this our best album yet. Especially this year, being our 25th anniversary, we knew we had to create this album with even more dedication than usual. We wanted to do something new for our 25th, so while we've collaborated with vocalists before, this time we decided to collaborate with bands. At first, I thought, 'What a wild idea!' We already have nine members, so if we invited a three-piece band, we'd have two drummers, two bassists, and two guitarists. I'd never heard of having two bassists, so it seemed like a rather ambitious plan. In the end, though, it turned out great.

When you only work with vocalists, the focus can end up being solely on their personality. But when you collaborate with a band, you gain insights into their internal dynamics and their creative process, which can be very stimulating. And, of course, there's the presence of Seiji Kameda, who produced the album. He skillfully managed and amplified the energy of both bands by observing their rhythms and moods, allowing us to have a great recording session both mentally and atmospherically. The fact that we were able to create an excellent 'Band Collaboration Trilogy' with 10-FEET, MONGOL800, and ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION is the highlight of this latest album.

—What about the songs other than the 'Band Collaboration Trilogy'?

There's a song called 'Chance,' sung by our drummer Kinichi Motegi. It's based on the theme song 'Last Flower' from the play 'Last Flowers,' a collaboration between Gekidan Shinkansen and Adult Planning. It's a dream I'd had for years, having been close with Suzuki Matsuo, to work together, and it finally came true after many years. We created nearly 80 songs for this play, and 'Chance,' sung by Kinichi Motegi, is one of them, using the same melody but with different lyrics and vocalist. The song 'Last Flower' has lyrics written by Suzuki Matsuo and is sung by Gen Hoshino. The lyrics are quite wonderful, so I hope you'll listen to that one as well.

—This is a live house tour to support the album, isn't it?

This US and Mexico tour was a significant turning point for Skapara's future, a truly great tour. It might be the first time we've toured the US and felt such a strong sense of accomplishment. All the members were incredibly excited. It feels like everything we've done so far is starting to sprout new leaves and bloom again. Humans grow stronger and gain new ideas by confronting various people. Those who are interesting, in my opinion, meet many different people and have diverse experiences. In that sense, Skapara is becoming more interesting as people through interacting with so many audiences. I think it would be fascinating to showcase that personality in the intimate setting of a live house. Of course, we want people to come for the music, but it would be wonderful if they could also enjoy the unique characters of each Skapara member.

Latin x Tokyo Ska: Will the 'International Collaboration Trilogy' Become a Reality!?

—What are Skapara's future plans?

Currently, Latin music fans are incredibly passionate. There are many audiences enjoying music with a happy vibe, and the artists are aggressive. At 'supersonico' (※the Latin music version of Coachella Festival), America's largest Latin festival, there were hardly any artists from English-speaking countries. The headliners, Café Tacvba, are from Mexico, and Calle 13 are from Puerto Rico, featuring a variety of Latin DJs and Afro-punk bands. We found it fascinating to have Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, a Japanese band, mixed in among them. It's like ska within Latin music, or ska as an entry point to Latin music. I think ska can be a wonderful translator when people from non-Latin regions try to understand Latin music. Both Café Tacvba and Calle 13 have roots in ska bands, so they have a close relationship with ska. We want to collaborate with people like them and with international artists.

That said, artists who are primarily active overseas sometimes face a lack of trust in Japan, so we intend to continue touring in Japan as well. In the future, each of the nine members will incorporate elements inspired by Latin music into their songs, and I have a strong feeling that just by creating those will result in something truly remarkable. We will continue to do our best.