Akuma 3 an interview with ALEX and TOKYO ROSE
Interview by: Eric Riedel
Interview by: Eric Riedel
Seemingly out of nowhere Akuma 3 drops. Without notice, a trilogy is completed without any of us knowing it was a trilogy. An album nobody knew was coming but everyone wanted. In recent years there has been a loud call by fans to put out another album by the duo that is TOKYO ROSE and ALEX. They have been catching a lot of heat to produce more music akin to their Akuma outing as solo artists. The Akuma series is arguably their most successful venture. So it’s pretty obvious to me why they dropped it without any build up. Both artists in recent years have been pushing farther and farther away from what gained them attention (Synthwave or i should say 80’s inspired Synthwave) in the first place and have leaned more and more into their own interests and passions. As they should, as much as this may pain a few close minded listeners. We all benefit when artists pursue their passions instead of pandering to a select few vocal critics. This space has allowed the duo to lean into what they both bonded over in the first place. This album is probably the purest output by two friends that are bonded by similar age and interests. The album comes across almost as a conversation between two friends who absolutely love the same thing. Getting excited about different facets of music, video games and culture of their youth. So in this album you can tell they are having a lot of fun. The album benefits from their continued honing of their craft, their stylistic flourishes are there and in spades. Instead of 80’s darksynth though we give way to 90’s electronic affinity. You hear elements of Trance, Techno, Bigbeat, IDM etc. What I enjoyed so much about this album is that it so refined. Taking the best elements of those styles mixing it with their style and creating something very exciting. 90’s electronic music for better of worse could be redundant and repetitive. This album does not suffer from that, each song is a highlight through those styles staying fresh and engaging. This also seems to be a logical conclusion to the Akuma series, instead of trying to make the same songs over and over they keep pushing forward. Which is something I think they have always done, they are slightly a head of the curve. For myself as well I believe in order for the “synth” genres to continue to be interesting you have to move on from the same tropes. You can still capture that same spirit, but not be stuck in neon sunsets and vectors. This album will also act a gateway into the wider genre which is important. New ears must discover the music it will keep the Synth genre alive and innovative. I’m not going to rate the album. it’s to easy to put a grade or star rating. I will end it this part with saying i really enjoyed the album. I felt and heard exactly what they were going for, it is refreshing to listen to. I was pleased to be able to sit down with both TOKYO ROSE and ALEX to discuss the new album. Please enjoy.
Akuma 3 is currently out now on New Retrowave Records on all digital platforms with vinyl coming out sometime in 2023.
The Interview:
TPA- Alright, thanks for taking the time out of both your schedules to talk to me. It's pretty exciting times right now on the Akuma front with Akuma 3 just dropping. This is obviously a highly anticipated release from the two of you. When did work begin on Akuma 3 and why drop it now?
Alex- So the idea for an Akuma 3 was pitched way back in November 2020. But we didn't get to work on it until mid / late 2021. The production stage took us around 7 months. Whilst post production took some extra months, very close to our release window. As working with Tonebox on the mastering was a very thorough process from all parties involved. We actually wrapped up only a month before release day as well as the artwork took a bit longer than scheduled. There's was plans to aim for a much earlier release but we were both feeling a bit burnt out back then, so we took our time & made something we both really wanted to do & not repeat the same sound as the last 2 albums.
TPA- Did you guys have a "Trilogy" always in mind or have they been as long as they're is a spark there you would make another? The release seems to be out of nowhere at least I perceive it that way. You "Alex" had taken some breaks and made your burnout known. Which is commendable. What lead to the decision of releasing in this way? What where the ideas that you guys wanted to explore for Akuma 3?
ALEX- I think there was never an idea for a trilogy post Akuma 1. And then eventually we warmed of the thought of a second project that would be a leap from the original from an audio production perspective. We really wanted to make something worthwhile & needed to have a good reason to do so. Akuma 2 was definitely a high score for us in terms of learning new skills & just how to make things sound much more refined compared to some of my contributions on previous works. It was also a major bonus to work with artists we listened to allot & highly respect. Never in a million years we would have thought we'd nab a collab with the mighty Power Glove or FOOL. We made the decision to ultimately do a 'silent' / 'surprise' release as we think the album would really do the talking instead of either of us hamming it up on social media. I was super guilty of doing that when I was a Twitter junkie & I feel I may have overindulged allot in the dopamine from constantly updating about 'Blood City'. In my view I think just showing & not telling seems to divert more attention to the creative process & we really benefited from not over hyping or talking about a potential Akuma 3 in the pipeline. We already knew there was a demand from the audience for ages so I think the echos of that in the back of peoples minds served us well in the end. From what I can see, the album is doing well & we've not really done any marketing so in hindsight the longing for a bookend to the akuma LP series seems to have worked in our favor. Marketing at an indie label level is so difficult as well compared to corporate so I feel without the massive established channels in the mainstream, there's only so much we can do to make it stand out. So in the end it's the music that matters & how it's received.
ALEX- The 90s dance / rave scene were what were super into doing for a 3rd Akuma album. It felt like the right direction. We felt it was a much more old school direction than Akuma 2 and after doing the more 80s inspired sound of the first one, it was a no-brainer. Plus I'm super into the sounds of the Roland TB 303 & use it religiously in so much work now. Whereas TOKYO wanted to take his career outside of synthwave and into fresh territories and back to his trance roots. We both share mutual love for the artists birthed from that era as well. Daft Punk, The Prodigy, Aphex Twin, etc. But even influences from the likes of Underworld, Faithless and lots of jungle / dnb releases from 1989 to 1999. Even movies like the original Matrix factor into this release subconsciously whilst we were producing it. Plus I feel it's a sonic signature that's made a comeback the past few years in it's various forms. Also returning aesthetically as well which I think we prefer to the neons & purples that dawned our previous projects. With so many artists pursing a more 80s sound (which we already love), we felt it was organic to take the audio time machine forward. Keeping things fresh career wise is also a massive burnout killer as being in the same sandbox for 3 full LP Akuma projects would probably just make us creatively bankrupt. We wanted to really push things past the 80s and focus on the decade that is so much more resonant with us. It's the era we were born in too & it felt like we needed to really respect our roots artistically and finally get round to working with the sounds that made us and shaped our understanding of music growing up. This album was allot of fun & with a more incognito release it felt like it was much less stressful being able to just go silent for a while & deliver something that puts a smile on our faces in the end when we wrap up. By the end of the record, it sort of became & sounds like a transformative experience where our sounds advance forward and take a humble nod & bow to the past, acknowledging where we came from and moving on into a nice big open horizon of a future in our careers. This is even reflected in the evolution of our LP's mascot 'The Akuma', originating from the old art on the blood club E.P., many moons ago. Born from the sounds of darkwave & horror aesthetic... The character just sort of stuck by with us on our projects as it was just such a cool manifestation of the music, ambitious & something people can make up their own stories too what it means. It's 100 percent a landmark for us & we're really grateful for NRW to have accompanied us on the ride along the way.
ALEX- Now post Akuma 3, we have actually given the titular character it's own artist account & will act as an alias for any future releases related to that brand now. We feel it's best to have a nice trilogy with bonus releases peppered here & there just to give a nice discography & let things rest there. We'll both definitely still collaborate, but we strongly feel singles are the healthier option for the future. The way music is consumed is so much different now than it was in the past, and we work on so much already that it would be nice to put out more consistent smaller releases that make the same impact as an album.
TPA- The sneak release makes a lot of sense, as you said there was already a demand and what more could you really do to elevate something people already wanted. I can imagine it also took a lot of stress off the both of you. Being able to just focus on music as opposed to dealing with anyone preconceived notion of what it should be. I definitely see the furthering of both your skills in this release. It seems like you guys are having a lot of fun here. Exploring the sounds that meant so much to you. The 90s vibes seem to increase as the albums goes one. Was that on purpose to ratchet up that kind of sound? I'm glad you mentioned those artists I heard all of them on this album. Well the influence of them at least. People will be relieved to hear the two of you are not entirely setting this down just maybe done with full albums.
TPA- I imagine there will be a vinyl release at some point in the future?
TPA- Do you see another remix album in the future? I can't imagine it would be hard for people to want to be involved.
TPA- What songs on this album stick out the most to you guys? And why?
TPA- I have to say I really love euphoria of the new beginning.
TPA- Has working on this album impacted what either one of you will do in the future as far as your solo material?
ALEX- We sort of just went with the creative flow really. At the end of the album we had an idea of which track was going to be in the L.P. in terms of order. Rave eternal was the first track we wrote I believe for the project. Then we took elements from that & turned it into the intro 'Into the night'. So that it would act as a nice beginning & flow into the the first danceable piece with ease. In post it was really a process of listening to each track to figure out where it goes. The fact that it maybe seems to ratchet up is an effect that we didn't really anticipate until everything was written. This must have been a subconscious thing in the creative process. It's something we didn't really think about or talk about. Vinyls are on a release trajectory for 2023. We've definitely floated the idea of having 2 remix L.P.s done post Akuma 3. I'd like for there to be one for the original and then one for the 3rd release. However nothing like that has been set in stone. We already have all the stems for 3 ready to go for people to remix if they wanted to be on an official remix project. However we'd need to get everything sorted for Akuma 1's remix-able materials. For myself I really like Euphoria of a new beginning. As by the end of it it gets really ethereal and just becomes this ambient soundscape that was a sort of happy accident in the writing process. It really signifies the end of an era or trilogy & acts as a perfect final act with it's medley of dance sections. It's great because it's not even dark either. It's actually very upbeat but fierce when it gets into the more acid rave parts. It seems to have a really unanticipated emotional quality to it. I'd really love to experiment with that live in future as it's feels like it'd be really fun to see peoples reactions. System Shock is another one that is super cool. Also because it's super simple too & hits hard. Reminds me a little of that 'You wouldn't download a car' advert. TOKYO really likes Last dance & sub zero. He really captured his trance influences in last dance. Whilst in Sub zero, he worked on allot of different elements to make it resonate with allot of nostalgia from games, to acid dance tracks etc. Also Insomnia as it gives off an aggressive rave vibe that resonates with him allot. I think it's definitely made us realize that albums are much more of a special, more old school type of format to release in in today's world. Plus it's allot of time to work on something with our mouths zipped in secrecy until release day. We'll definitely be taking a break but I'm sure we'll do another release again at some point. It'd be more in the form of a single or E.P. though. As we strongly feel they can do just as well as an L.P. format in terms of numbers. For every album there's realistically going to be 1 or 2 tracks that everyone picks for their favorite in their playlists or mix tapes that really vibes with them in the end. We think taking the time to work on really lovely polished singles would benefit us down the line. With those we can be more consistent in output and less burnt out. And you can even group up all the best ones or something & then reconfigure them into an album later on & then you may have an even stronger release if you wanted to release physicals for it. Plus we've done A LOT of albums now. I think it's safe to say we've worked really hard. However quality over quantity should always be the priority. We don't need to do huge albums with lots of potential filler material just for the sake of reaching over an hour or so in audio. It's really what works best for the artist on an individual level. There's no right or wrong way. I just think after doing many albums, it's going to be refreshing to work on singular projects instead of large ones. We believe albums are best with labels & financial backing behind them so they can be much more of an event & get heard properly & really make it a professional release. For all the amount of time put in, you'd really want it to get released the strongest possible way you can. But again, there's no right or wrong way, just what the artist can handle or wants to do. And that's totally okay. It's healthy to take a step back & chill for a bit & listen to our brains on what to not do to conjure up that dreaded writers block.
TPA- I'd like to talk about the chemistry between the two of you. Clearly there is a special bond and has lead to creative fruits so to speak. What's draws the two of you to make music together? Was there a moment when you realized there was a spark and what was that?
ALEX- When TOKYO got in touch all the way back in 2016 just after blood club was out, we naturally clicked when we did a collab that then morphed into an entire album. It's most likely due to us being very like-minded, share allot of the same interests in music, pop culture etc & eventually meeting each other in real life in NYC a couple times as well. One of those times to go see DANGER's live show at the knitting factory in Brooklyn. So there's authenticity there in that it's a solid & real friendship instead of it being exclusive to social media that many people only exist on in today's strange climate. We regularly send each other demos / previews as well of unreleased for feedback or just chat whenever about music or life etc. Natural Broski's.
TOKYO ROSE- I reached out to ALEX quite a few years back when I first heard his banger “Occult”. There’s just something about that track that till this day I have it on repeat but at the time I just had to collab with him. It was a must. I was genuinely stoked when ALEX agreed to work on a single together and somehow that idea turned into an E.P. and later evolved into the first ever Akuma album. Obviously we naturally hit it off and pretty much talk everyday for the most part ever since 2016. There’s a chemistry between us that is unmatched and I feel a big part of that comes from the genuine connection we have and we also share a lot of the same common interests as ALEX mentioned. I feel that fans alike can feel the aura of our friendship through our many projects.
TOKYO ROSE- Broski’s 4 Life.
TPA- Clearly a special friendship that transcends music or common interests. I have found those kinds of relationships come by only a few times in anybodies life. We are all just lucky we get music out of it. This is to TOKYO ROSE. Are there any tracks on this album that stand out to you. Maybe something you learned or unlocked? This question is for the both of you. Production and quality seem to be at the forefront of your thoughts on this album, leveling up so to speak. You said you worked closely with Tonebox to mix and master. What was that process like. What were you looking for in that process?
ALEX- So we naturally reached out to Tonebox as he had worked with us on Akuma 2, notably the track 'Affliction' prior and we were really impressed by his use of multi stem mastering. So since there was an allocated budget from NRW, we utilized this for the multi stem mastering process. Bringing each individual piece of the track to a really crisp & clean edge with really lush hardware. We found that process really enhanced every aspect of the record. The mixing / mastering process took a while too & rightly so. We all wanted to make sure every fine detail was to our specifications before we green lit the final masters. We're very grateful for having Jonas back on Akuma 3.
TPA- I will say. As much as I love your 90's feel I appreciate your modern approach to not just making the music but the mastering of it. As much as I love 90s electronic, which I truly do. I could get repetitive This album is alive, always brimming with different sounds and textures, different movements for lack of a better word. It never looses your attention. How long did it take you guys to finish a track on average?
ALEX- It took us months for just one track at times, to just a week or in some cases a couple of days.
TPA- Is there anything we should talk about in regards to the album, anything either one of you want to express?
ALEX- I think that's everything from me on my end.
TOKYO ROSE- Likewise. I feel we’ve summed everything up. 👊🏽
TPA- Thanks guys for talking with me. I appreciate both of your time. It's been a pleasure 🙏
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