Montreal-based, Japanese psych-rock group TEKE::TEKE announce a deluxe version of 2023’s Hagata (Kill Rock Stars) featuring five reinterpretations of Hagata songs, including remixes by Holy Fuck and SUUNS, a brand new track, and a limited edition vinyl release that sees a collection of Hagata-era tunes available on vinyl for the first time.
The tri-lingual group leads with a French focus for today’s first preview, sharing “Doppelganger (Version Française)” and its accompanying music video by the band’s singer and artist, Maya Kuroki. Originally sung in Japanese, this French interpretation furthers the song’s theme of dual identities and the consequential paths we take for an offering that’s now as equally befitting of a Truffaut film as their original, Tarantino-esque arrangements.
The original idea behind “Doppelganger’s” main groove was inspired by 60s Okinawan music mixed with the melancholic vibe often found in 70s Japanese pop ballads. Maya was then inspired to tell the story of parallel lives, which reminded TEKE::TEKE’s guitarist/composer Sei Nakauchi Pelletier of The Double Life of Veronica, a 1991 film by Franco-Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski that perfectly mirrored Maya’s tale.
“That’s when we all decided to add some string arrangements (courtesy of fellow Montrealer, collaborator Guido Del Fabbro, who signed the arrangements) and go for the Serge Gainsbourg, Jean-Claude Vannier vibe,” Sei explains. “Being of mixed Japanese and French-Canadian culture, I always feel like in some way I’m living two parallel lives… a big part of me is here in Canada, obviously, but another part of me is on the other side of the planet… this could be said about most of us in this band.”
Alongside today’s release and remixes by Holy Fuck and SUUNS, Hagata Delux will also feature Sei’s boom bap-ified rework of Hagata’s eastern-flavored standout “Gotoku Lemon,” and an entirely new TEKE::TEKE song, “Meimu.” Additionally, the limited edition vinyl revisits the Hagata-era by committing to wax* (*read eco-mixed recycled vinyl) previous TEKE::TEKE releases, including a cover of Kill Rock Stars labelmates Unwound’s “Corpse Pose”, a Japanese version of The Clash tune “Bankrobber”, their contribution to another mega-franchise “Visible Lights” from a Dungeons & Dragons compilation, and a cover of TEKE::TEKE’s catalysing influencer, Takeshi Terauchi’s “Chidori”.
This release is fresh off the back of their epic soundtrack to mega franchise Assassin’s Creed’s latest installment, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows; their album, titled Kage No Iro, is available to stream and on vinyl. Offering 6 original songs in addition to their fiery take on the series’ recurring theme, “Ezio’s Family,” Kage No Iro is both a thrilling new entry in TEKE::TEKE’s discography, as well as an exciting evolution for video game giant, Ubisoft, who commissioned a full original album from the band, with the songs appearing in-game as well as a standalone record.
Check out our other features with TEKE::TEKE HERE.
About TEKE::TEKE
TEKE::TEKE is composed of guitarists Sei Nakauchi Pelletier & Hidetaka Yoneyama, flutist Yuki Isami, and visual artist and vocalist Maya Kuroki, with an added rhythm section for live events. The band will play a string of Canadian dates this summer before heading to Europe for a run of newly announced shows in the fall.
SOURCE: Official Bio
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