On Friday (Jan. 31), ASH DA HERO launched New Chapter, the primary album to characteristic the band’s new lineup. The rap-rock quartet, made up of vocalist ASH, bassist Sato, drummer WANI, and DJ Dhalsim, celebrated its third anniversary in September and was reborn with a brand new lineup. On November 29, it placed on its first solo abroad present, ASH DA HERO LIVE 2024 in Taipei, and it has steadily been bringing its sound to a rising circle of listeners.
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Billboard Japan spoke to the band about their mindset as they set out with their new lineup, the creation of their new album and what they targeted on when writing new songs, and their upcoming February 1 present at Zepp Shinjuku (TOKYO), titled ASH DA HERO LIVE 2025 “New Chapter,” which shall be their first solo present in Japan with their new lineup.
To begin off with, may every of you introduce yourselves?
ASH: I’m ASH, and I’m the vocalist. My specialties are rapping and singing. My roots lie in punk, hip-hop, and reggae.
Sato: My title’s Sato, and I play the bass. My specialty is brewing espresso. We don’t have a guitarist, so I additionally play bass within the guitar’s pitch vary.
WANI: I’m WANI. My specialty is enjoying the drums. My roots are in punk, and I’m particularly expert at drumming with a rap-rock really feel. I additionally sing, and I’m engaged on getting in form, so I’m actually into weight coaching proper now.
Dhalsim: I’m the DJ, Dhalsim. My specialty is high-speed scratching. I additionally program music on laptop. I’m liable for the general sound design of our songs. We don’t have a guitarist, however we’re making the most of that to do all of the issues that we couldn’t have achieved if we had a guitarist. We’re fully shifting over to that composition model, so proper now we’re within the technique of rebuilding our sound.
What benefits have you ever present in turning into a quartet?
ASH: I feel there are increasingly more bands with out a guitarist, particularly amongst youthful musicians, however a rap-rock band with a DJ however with out a guitarist remains to be a rarity. I feel that’s a significant sturdy level for our band from a world market perspective.
So how does it really feel really having began the subsequent chapter of your band’s historical past with out a guitarist?
Sato: We had been initially a five-person band, and now there are 4 of us, so we every do our personal half to make up for the change. That implies that we’re every enjoying extra. it from one other perspective, it additionally means we every have extra potentialities to let our personal individuality shine. We’re overhauling all the pieces—our make-up, our costumes, our enjoying kinds, and our devices—based mostly on our personal core essence and our roots. By way of that, we’re redefining ourselves and turning into a brand new band, which is an extremely enjoyable course of. We’re creating one thing new that doesn’t match into the “rap-rock = guitar” sample, so all of us can tackle numerous new challenges, which is admittedly gratifying.
WANI: At first, I used to be nervous about what would occur. I used to be positive that we’d lose some followers as a result of the guitar is the core instrument in a band. However the four-person association felt lots higher than I’d anticipated, and I spotted that the followers had their hopes up for this new incarnation of ASH DA HERO, which was tremendously encouraging. We wish to dwell as much as everybody’s expectations with the music we create and with our dwell performances, after all, however Sato and I are additionally enthusiastic about following up with what ASH and Dhalsim are doing.
ASH: Once we had been a five-piece band, there was loads of “that is what a rock band needs to be like.” Now that there are 4 of us, there’s a a lot stronger feeling that we must always take a freer strategy. Now we’re doing what we wish to.
New Chapter shall be your first idea album. What sort of album will or not it’s?
ASH: Proper now we’re creating our freshest music, with a sound that we may solely obtain as a four-person band. The title of the album, New Chapter, is similar because the title of our dwell present, and we picked it to symbolize that we’re beginning a brand new chapter as a band, with a brand new lineup, beginning on February 1. I additionally really feel just like the music that we’ve created is definitely distinctive within the Japanese rock scene, so the album’s title additionally represents the truth that we’ve invented a brand new approach of creating rock.
“Wrangler Beat” was your first launch as a four-piece, and it carried on the texture of the ASH DA HERO of the previous.
ASH: Proper. It’s received a little bit of a classic rock vibe. It’s a little bit paying homage to “Octave.”
After sweeping apart the by-the-numbers strategy with this tune, you then launched “VANDALISM.” The rap lyrics within the second verse actually resonate. I really feel like the way in which you encourage folks by means of songs like that is the rationale that ASH DA HERO strikes such a chord.
ASH: In life, you’ll immediately get sideswiped proper when issues had been going properly. That’s not simply one thing that’s occurred in my life, however one thing that I feel occurs to everyone. The query is, when that occurs, do you look down in dejection, or do you retain your chin up? I’m the sort of one that’s like, “No, I’m not going to flinch, are you loopy?” So I put all these emotions into the lyrics.
And you then tie all of it along with the completely fantastic nearer, “I’m your rock star.”
ASH: That’s what a rock star is all about, proper? It’s cool when somebody’s in a tough spot however they’re like “No massive deal.” For me, Jack Sparrow (of Pirates of the Caribbean) is that sort of character. Even in unattainable conditions, he simply laughs it off. I put that feeling in phrases, like, “Don’t you even take into consideration forgetting!”
What are you able to inform us in regards to the sound manufacturing?
Sato: The primary riff has loads of repeating phrases, so I targeted on how a lot swing I may put into these easy phrases. I actually vibed on it.
WANI: The drums are easy however catchy. Our older songs had loads of intricate fills, however on “VANDALISM,” I removed all that. I targeted on that straightforward, cool sound. It’s received a very convincing rhythm. If you hear it dwell, you’ll notice that it’s not only a easy beat.
Dhalsim: I additionally stripped down my scratching to the restrict. What influenced me within the early 2000s had been songs with easy scratching. That, and intros.
That’s one of many cornerstones of the tune.
Dhalsim: Within the 2000s, Kanye West would velocity up information and pattern them, and I added that very same taste into the tune. It was well-liked, particularly in Japanese hip-hop, to file authentic materials to pattern within the studio, after which to pattern that materials and chop it up. I hope that playfulness and historic background come by means of.
One other tune on the album is “BDC.”
ASH: That’s the one the place we simply shout “botanical dance membership.” It’s the sort of tune the place you clear your head and also you simply shout and dance.
Dhalsim: The refrain is sung by scratching, which is new. These are the varieties of latest issues we’re doing. We’re making the most of the dearth of guitar to check out all types of latest concepts.
What are you able to inform us about “Break Free?”
ASH: Drum and bass has come full circle, so we wished to see what it could sound like if a rap-rock band with out a guitar tried its hand on the sound of teams like Prodigy, which we’re big followers of. Sato’s vicious bass riff loops by means of the tune. Then on prime of that there’s rap with a U.S. hardcore vibe, and an emotional refrain.
The rap is tremendous aggressive.
ASH: The lyrics go for the throat, as they need to for a rock band. The tune is sort of a warning in regards to the consumerism and idol worshipping of society.
What number of different songs will there be on the album?
ASH: There’ll be two extra songs, which we’re engaged on now. I feel they’ll characteristic our new four-piece sound much more prominently. All of it comes all the way down to February 1. That’ll be a significant milestone for us.
What sort of present do you suppose it will likely be?
ASH: The reply to the query of how we’re remodeling as a band shall be clear on February 1. That’s when the brand new chapter of our historical past will begin. I do know all of the folks studying this interview have their fingers on the heartbeat of music, so we’ll be seeing you on February 1 at Tokyo’s Zepp Shinjuku.
After you open this new chapter with the present, what are your plans for 2025?
ASH: We’ve already finalized plans for a number of abroad reveals, so we plan to tour the world, whereas at all times staying attentive to our followers in Japan.
—This interview by Sachie Tojo first appeared on Billboard Japan
