FUJIYA & MIYAGI are neither a duo, nor are they Japanese. They are however an English trio whose fusion of funk, electro, Krautrock, indie, dance, and rock combines to thrilling, room shaking, effect.
Fujiya & Miyagi - Steve Lewis, Matt Hainsby, and David Best - play the Róisín Dubh this Saturday at 9pm, performing music from across their 14-year career, including songs from their most recent album to date, Artificial Sweeteners.
Best says of their music, which is driven by beat, rhythm, and groove: “One of the things we are good at is making people dance, and there’s no greater reason to make music than the ability to have a physical reaction on someone. The music aims to be life affirming and positive. I think taking enjoyment from the pleasurable aspects of life that counteract all the stress and anxieties is the best way to live.”
Best is also the Brighton-based trio's vocalist, but lyrics are used less to convey meaning, than to create sound-quality, and the repetition of phrases itself creates another aspect to the rhythms of a song. In this, Best says he was inspired by Serge Gainsbourg and Iggy Pop. “Both knew how to give the seemingly trivial or shallow depth,” he says, “by cutting away the flab you can make what you produce less self-indulgent.”
Support is from Everything Shook. Tickets are available at www.roisindubh.net, the Ticket Desk at OMG Zhivago, Shop Street, and The Róisín Dubh.
