Yoko-Zuna Day Job Interview

Upcoming Yoko-Zuna Australian Tour Dates

Yoko-Zuna return with the release of latest single Day Job. Featuring vocals from long-time collaborators SWIDT, the single showcases another side to the eclectic Yoko-Zuna sound.

Created by both Yoko-Zuna and SWIDT, the track features the trademark confident vocals from Spycc & INF, sitting perfectly alongside the unique instrumentation of Yoko-Zuna. While the two have performed live together for a number of years, this marks their first collaborative release.

Performed live for the first time at Rhythm & Vines and Rhythm & Alps festivals over the new year period, Day Job is driven by an upbeat saxophone hook from JY Lee, perfectly complimenting the laidback vocals. The single arrives alongside an animated video from The Makers Initiative.

The video, an underwater masterpiece, features Yoko-Zuna and SWIDT in an epic party under the ocean.

2018 will see the release of Yoko-Zuna's second album. Featuring Day Job and previously released singles Voltron and January Sun, the album is set to further expand on the innovative sound featured in previous releases Luminols and This Place Here.

March will see Yoko-Zuna perform showcases in Sydney and Melbourne, offering a preview of the new album, and their incredible live performances.

 

Yoko-Zuna is: Frank Eliesa, Swap Gomex, Kenji Iwamitsu-Holdaway and JY Lee.

 

Upcoming Yoko-Zuna Australian Tour Dates:

 

Thursday March 23:  Oxford Arts Factory, Sydney

with special guest Godriguez  

Tickets from http://www.moshtix.com.au/v2/event/yoko-zuna/101850

 

Friday March 24: Howler, Melbourne
with special guest Godriguez  

Tickets from http://www.moshtix.com.au/v2/event/yoko-zuna/101897

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Interview with Yoko-Zuna

Question: How would you describe your music?

Yoko-Zuna: Our style is a mixture of everything we love to play and listen to, boiled down to Progressive, Electronic, Hip-Hop.


Question: Where did the inspiration for Day Job come from?

Yoko-Zuna: We just kind of thought - man wouldn't it be awesome if you had a theme song for your 'Day Job' (laughs) and then the song grew from that basic idea.


Question: What was it like working with Swidt?

Yoko-Zuna: SWIDT are our homies! Very professional, calm and understanding. We've been working with them for years, so was awesome to put something officially down with them.


Question: Which is your favourite song to perform live and why?

Yoko-Zuna: We actually perform a live version of Day Job that we call the 'Mexican Version'. It has different chord progressions, and we cut up and sampled SWIDTs vocals. That track live would be the front runner right now, along with a lot of the other new material we've been working on.


Question: What should we expect from the upcoming shows?

Yoko-Zuna: Lots of experimentation/shenanigans/sounds and Kenji's dancing. We're looking forward to showcasing some of our upcoming album to people who hasn't seen us before.


Question: If you could have anyone, in the world, attend your show, who would it be?

Yoko-Zuna: Our ancestors would be awesome! Just to get them to check out what we are up to these days.


Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Yoko-Zuna: Definitely live, you really can't beat seeing people's reactions and energy.

Question: What is the story behind the name, Yoko-Zuna?

Yoko-Zuna: Swap our drummer is a huge WWE fan. In the early 90's there was a wrestler named Yokozuna who he loved, and that's where we got the name from!


Question: How did the band come together?

Yoko-Zuna: Swap and Frank were running a hip hop jam night at a local bar in Auckland for a while. It was open to all musicians and slowly out of those sessions we decided to form Yoko-Zuna.


Question: What motivates you most when writing music?

Yoko-Zuna: Messing around with new sounds definitely sparks motivation to write, keeps things fresh. We like to experiment and keep trying new things, and most of our material comes out of this.


Question: Which music/artists are you currently listening to?

Yoko-Zuna: LOVE the new Black Panther album by Kendrick Lamar. We also recently saw Moses Sumney at Laneway Festival too, which blew our minds!


Question: What or who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?

Yoko-Zuna: FAMILY


Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?

Yoko-Zuna: Kendrick Lamar or Nai Palm would be sick!


Interview by Brooke Hunter