TEKE::TEKE
Photo by Andy Jon
Montreal’s TEKE::TEKE is a seven-piece band featuring a Shinobue (traditional Japanese Bamboo flute), a Taisho Koto and a trombone alongside fuzzy guitars and a rhythm section to create a sound reminiscent of 1960’s – 70’s era psychedelic Japanese soundtracks, while remaining undeniably modern and punk. Their debut album entitled Shirushi (or “signs of great changes to come”) takes you through a vast array of imagery with themes of identity, spirituality, rebirth and the profound exploration of oneself.
Our Montreal-based contributor Mackenzie Aker talks with vocalist Maya Kuroki about the band’s background, influences, and the making of Shirushi, which is out now.
Interview by Mackenzie Aker
Hi Maya, congratulations on the new TEKE::TEKE album Shirushi. Can you tell us about the band's initial vision for this album? How closely has the final outcome adhered to this initial vision?
Most songs on Shirushi were originally composed by Serge (Nakauchi-Pelletier, founder and guitarist of TEKE::TEKE) and were introduced to the rest of the band one at a time. The vision as a whole was perhaps unconsciously fragmented into these individual songs. As we went along, one idea led to another and we just followed the flow, naturally, that’s probably the only way we can go about it as it feels the most genuine and honest to us.
On my end, for the song’s lyrics, I relied on my instinct and the imagery that the music created in my mind to make what I like to call a “constellation of words” to develop a story and a universe for each song. It’s only once the album was almost completed that we realized a concept had laid itself down organically with recurrent underlying themes connecting all the songs. So Shirushi (Foreshadow), the album as a whole is a true representation of the band and the process we went through naturally and freely.
I’m interested in your collaborative energy as a band, coming from such a range of backgrounds. How did you all come together and what is your collective process like?
TEKE::TEKE, or these seven individuals coming together, is truly the result of some special sets of circumstances and overall amazing timing (synchronicities?). Long story short, we were all doing different things here in Montreal, some of us didn’t even know each other before this band. Serge is the one who sort of recruited everyone and because everybody already had a certain experience in music and bands, but more importantly a very humane outlook on life, it was that easy to get together and it quickly felt like a family. That same experience, and I mean that in the humblest way, also allows for everyone to be open-minded enough to let everybody find its place in the band and shine in their own way. That’s the exciting part, to be able to tap into what everybody has to offer musically, artistically and use it to experiment and shape our sound.
I understand that the band started as a Takeshi Terauchi tribute group. In what ways have the band's original compositions been influenced by his guitar work?
The more we started working on our own material and developing our sound, the further we got from the initial influence of Terauchi, not so much by choice, but it just kind of happened naturally. It did kick start this band and inspired us immensely, but even from the beginning when we were playing his songs, we’d do it with a new energy and a more modern sound. We obviously love the sound and aesthetic of the 60’s and 70’s, in Japan (and elsewhere for that matter) there was great energy emerging from the undercurrent movement giving birth to so many interesting artists/projects, that’s because they were looking in front of them, they were moving forward.
Shirushi, Kill Rock Stars, 2021
What has the band's artistic journey been like from starting off as a tribute group to where you are now?
The first few shows (two only really) as a tribute band made us realize how special the chemistry between all seven of us was, we really connected, beyond music even, as human beings. We just saw the possibilities and felt like there was so much we could explore sonically as a band. The idea of writing our own music and shaping our own sound was really exciting and promising to us. It also helped that we didn’t have any expectations whatsoever, just a vision for the aesthetic and the music, plus great positive energy. We want this band to keep exploring freely and let it take us wherever it takes us, we’re a work in progress.
TEKE::TEKE is also influenced by the Japanese art of kintsugi. What is kintsugi and how does it inspire your approach to music?
The funny thing is, it was actually a writer who came up with that analogy (some of us in the band didn’t even know what kintsugi was!) after discussing the process that went into the songwriting with the album Shirushi. Kintsugi is a beautiful way to repair broken pottery with urushi (Japanese lacquer) and gold. It’s never put back the way it was before, but rather a different creation of art using your imagination, love, and old broken pot parts. We like that analogy, in a way that’s exactly how we worked on our songs, by basically destroying the first versions of them to put the pieces back together in a new way.
I’m curious about the relationship between your visual art and TEKE::TEKE. For example, the band’s music videos often share aesthetic qualities with your paintings and drawings, such as kaleidoscopic colors, a mix of images and text, collage and animated qualities. Is there a shared vision between these practices?
Yes, everything is coming from the same place, deep inside the body, they complement each other and help a whole universe. For sure, every art form needs a certain technical approach to make everything come out fluently. So I’m learning as I’m doing more and more of those projects. But, to me, the most important part is to connect deeply with the art, to bring it out of myself in its purest and most honest form, that’s always very challenging. I’ll take something that’s awkward or lo-fi but pure and honest, over something that’s technically great and slick but empty, cold or generic, anytime.
Do you identify foremost as a musician or a visual artist? Or might they be too intertwined to separate?
I see myself as someone who will create with whatever is at my disposal with a lot of conviction and energy. I like to rely on instinct and I’m not afraid of a little improvisation.
Your lyrics are vividly poetic, often verging on spiritual. What inspires or informs your approach to writing?
For me, poetry is a tool to look into my unconsciousness, and it helps me grow. For TEKE::TEKE, I try to make it a little less abstract, perhaps a bit more logical, and beautiful, so that hopefully more people can understand and relate, (I try anyways!…), but fundamentally, my interest in creation is closely related to my curiosity for spirituality and evolving as a person, and inspired by surrealism, fantasy, mythology and Buddhism.
Personally, who are your biggest musical influences and who are your biggest artistic influences?
There are many, but for now, just on top of my head I’d say for music, I love the album Oyoge taiyaki kun, it’s a 1976 album with a collection of Japanese children songs, there’s something very deep about that record that stayed with me all my life.
For visual art, Shinro Ohtake. His artbook Jari-ojisan is my bible.
After Shirushi, what do you think is coming up next for TEKE::TEKE?
Hopefully some real shows with audiences, touring, more creation — whether it’s for music videos, animation, web content, etc. Then, we’d like to dive right back into a journey of exploration for the next album.
Shirushi is available now.
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Mackenzie Aker is a Montreal-based writer who has worked as a curator, filmmaker and publishing editor. She holds a BFA in art history and film studies from Concordia University and her academic interests include museology, archaeology, and early documentary film. When not writing she spends her days reading in parks, drinking coffee, and listening to metal.
