Back To The Funk: An Interview with BRADIO Vocalist Takaaki Shingyoji

Gaining popularity from the anime "Death Parade" (an anime where they provided the opening theme) BRADIO is a rock band like no other incorporating genres like funk and soul into a sound that is all their own! We recently talked with their vocalist Takaaki Shingyoji about their start, their unique sound, and their recent works! Check it out!

BRADIO's name stands for "Break the Rule And Do Image On" and they originally formed in 2010 with their first demo being released in 2012. Following two mini-albums, 2014 saw the release of their first single "Otona Hit Parade/Step In Time" and the following that following year their single "Flyers" was chosen as the opening for the anime "Death Parade". 2015 would also see the release of their first full album "POWER OF LIFE". BRADIO released their most recent single "Back To The Funk" in November 2016 and in February 2017 they released their second full-length album, "FREEDOM".

A-to-J: Can you please introduce yourself and tell us something interesting about yourself?
A-to-J: 自己紹介と自分について面白いことを一つ教えてください。
真行寺 貴秋:BRADIOのボーカル貴秋って言います。SOUL MUSICが大好きでアフロヘアーは誇りとリスペクトを込めてて気にいっているんだ！本当に大好きなんだよ！
Takaaki: I am BRADIO’s vocalist Takaaki. I take pride in having an afro hairstyle because of my love of soul music. I also have a lot of respect for the genre too. I really do love it!
 
A-to-J: We understand BRADIO stands for, ""Break the Rule And Do Image On," can you explain how this name came about?
A-to-J:BRADIOは「Break the Rule And Do Image On」の略ですが、名前の由来は？
真行寺 貴秋:gtの聡一がアイデアを持って来てくれてその時みんなの気持ちがその名前と意味にピンと来て。「ルールに縛られずに新しいイメージを持とう」って意味でその当時の僕らにピッタリのテーマだったんだ。
Takaaki: When guitarist Soichi came up with that idea, everyone felt like that name came to mind.  The meaning is "We want to bring a new image without being bound by rules", and at that time when we came up with the name we thought it was a perfect theme.
 
A-to-J: Can you tell us how did the band BRADIO come about?
A-to-J:BRADIO結成のきっかけは何ですか？
真行寺 貴秋:当時それぞれが組んでいたバンドが同じタイミングで解散しちゃってさ。それまでも一緒にSHOWをしてたから仲良くて、みんなそれぞれのバンドでイカしてたやつらを俺が集めたんだよ。ドリームチームってやつだね！
Takaaki: Various bands were breaking up at the same time as our formation. Nevertheless, we became good friends because we did a show together. I gathered BRADIO's members together after seeing them being badass in their own groups. We are the dream team!
 
A-to-J: For those that aren't familiar with BRADIO, how would you describe your music?
A-to-J:BRADIOをご存じない方に説明するとしたら、BRADIOの音楽をどう説明しますか？
真行寺 貴秋:グルーヴだね。いろんなタイプの曲があるけ一貫してグルーヴしていることにこだわりをもっているよ。踊れるしその時にしかないフィーリングを大事にしている。あとは俺たちが掲げてるのは"音楽って素晴らしい"ってことなんだよ！
Takaaki: Groove. As we have various types of songs, the group has an obsession of having something with a constant groove in it. We cherish the feeling of doing nothing but dancing at the time of our formation.  We also have adopted the saying "Music is wonderful!!"
 
A-to-J: BRADIO has been active since 2010, but we’re curious to know how long each of the band members has been playing music or active in the music scene.
A-to-J:BRADIOは2010年から活動されていますが、個人としてはいつぐらいから音楽活動されていましたか？
真行寺 貴秋:僕は中学一年生の頃に英語の先生にThe BeatlesやMichael Jackson、Stevie Wonderを教えてもらってから音楽にのめり込んで楽器を始めたりして、最初はベーシストだったんだけど歌が楽しくなっちゃってさ。歌を歌うと目の前の空間が時間が変わるのがわかるのさ、快感だよ！Takaaki: For me, when I was a first-year junior high student my English teacher introduced Michael Jackson, The Beatles, and Stevie Wonder to my class . Because of this, I was absorbed in music and began playing musical instruments. At first, I was a bassist but I starting to have fun with singing. I understood then that time and space changed immediately when I sang a song. It was a pleasant feeling!
 
A-to-J: Your fashion sense is quite unique - in particular the outfits you are seen sporting in your recent music video "Back To The Funk" has a jazzy, funky, yet stylish sense to it. Do you mind explaining the concept behind and inspiration for your fashion?
A-to-J:ファッションセンスがとてもユニークですよね！特に"Back To The Funk"はファンキーでスタイリッシュだと思います。ファッションのコンセプトとインスピレーションを教えてください。
真行寺 貴秋:ファッションは音楽には欠かせない表現方法だと思ってる。インスピレーションはソウルトレインやディスコ、ニュージャックスウィングとかかな、ものすごくステレオタイプだよね。笑 だけど大好きなカルチャーなんだ！デザイナーさんに相談してつくってもらってるんだ。派手だけど紳士的できにいってるよ。
Takaaki: I think fashion is an indispensable expressive style for music. Our inspiration probably comes from new jack swing, disco, and others that were found on the TV show "Soul Train”. That is a dreadful stereotype, (Laughs) but, I love this type of culture! Our designer discussed ideas with us and made those outfits. They are showy but able to show a gentleman-like quality.

BRADIO - Back To The Funk MV

A-to-J: Almost two years ago, at the start of 2015, your single "Flyers" was used as the opening theme song for the anime "Death Parade". What was that experience like and what did you learn from it?
A-to-J:２年ほど前の2015年にBRADIOのシングル「Flyers」が「デスパレード」というアニメの主題歌になりましたが、その時はどう思いましたか？その経験から何か学ぶことは出来ましたか？
真行寺 貴秋:初めてのタイアップってこともあってチカラも入ってたし舞い上がってたよ！アニメのおかげで世界中の人達に俺達をアピールすることができた、相乗効果だよね。ストーリーも面白いし絵も最高、お話の内容とは全く真逆のパーティーチューンだったけどそれがまたうけたんだよね！
Takaaki: We were ecstatic and filled with strength when we had our first tie-in. We were able to bring our appeal to people around the world thanks to anime, which is synergy! The story of the anime is interesting and the artwork is amazing. It was certainly a party tune with contents of the plot embedded inside, but I think it was well-received.
 
A-to-J: Are you a fan of any of the anime or games of which your songs are on? If so, which ones?
A-to-J:主題歌を担当したアニメやゲームの中で好きな作品はありますか？
真行寺 貴秋:もちろんデスパレードさ！
Takaaki: Of course, Death Parade!

BRADIO - Flyers MV

A-to-J: Can you tell us a bit about your songwriting process?
A-to-J:曲作りのプロセスについてちょっと教えてください。
真行寺 貴秋:曲はセッションやみんなのワンフレーズを持ち寄ったりgtの聡一がいろんなアイデアを持って来てくれてそれをメンバーみんなで色んなことを試してつくっているよ。 よくソウルミュージックやファンクなんかのエッセンスをオマージュとして取り入れたりすることもあるんだ。
Takaaki: A song is brought together by a jam session and one musical phrase. Guitarist Soichi brings us various ideas and then the members test out these ideas in various ways. There are also things that we do like adopting a sound to pay homage to the essence of soul music, funk, and others.
 
A-to-J: Who are some of your personal favorite music artists?
A-to-J:好きなアーティストさんはいますか？
真行寺 貴秋:そりゃたくさんいるよ。みんなで共通で好きなアーティストはジャミロクワイとかマルーン5、俺はもう60'sから80'sぐらいまでのソウルミュージックが大好きさ！サムクック、ウィルソンピケット、スティービーワンダー、アレサフランクリン、あげてたらきりないよ！
Takaaki: There are a lot! What we share in common, in terms of favorite artists, is our love for Jamiroquai and Maroon 5. For me, I love soul music from the 60s to the 80s. Samuel Cooke, Wilson Pickett, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, and so many more.
 
A-to-J: Do you have any funny or interesting stories that you can share that occurred during your career?
A-to-J:活動している中で面白い話やハプニング話などありますか？
真行寺 貴秋:ライブの演出でたこ焼きを食べながらプレイするってのがあったんだけどいざやったら熱いし飲み込めないし歌えないしもう最悪だったね！なんでやったんだろ。笑 今では最高の笑い話さ！
Takaaki: There was a moment where I performed while eating takoyaki during a live. However, if I did such of thing now I wouldn't be able to sing. I wouldn't be able to gulp it down and I would be hot. That would be the awful thing. I wonder why I did it? (Laughs) It’s the funniest story nowadays.
 
A-to-J: You've not only performed as part of well-known music festivals such as COUNTDOWN JAPAN but you've also headlined your own sold-out oneman shows. What do you feel is the difference between being a participant in a music festival and from headlining your own performance? Do you have a preference?
A-to-J:「COUNTDOWN JAPAN」など知られているイベントだけではなく、自分たちの売れ切れるほど人気のライブイベントをしていますが、フェスの一部でライブするのとワンマンでライブする時の違いは何だと思いますか？フェスやイベントとワンマン、どちらが好きですか？
真行寺 貴秋:ワンマンは俺達を目的に観に来てくれてる人達だから、気の知れた仲間達と一緒にパーティーする感覚だよね。相乗効果はやっぱりすごいよ、みんなで音楽を創っている感覚だね。フェスなんかは色んなアーティストがいて色んな音楽を聴くファンがいる、もちろんBRADIOを知らずにたまたまそこに居合わせた人達がたくさんいるんだけど、俺達の演奏が始まって次第にみんなが笑顔になって踊り出して、最後にはみんなファミリーみたいになっていくのがもう病みつきだよ！どちらも楽しみがあるよ。
Takaaki: Because a one-man live is where people come to see our purpose, there is a feeling that it is like having a party together with trusted friends. Synergy at these lives is wonderful, as expected, and there is a sense that we are cultivating music with everyone. At things like a festival, there are various artists and fans who will listen to various types of music. Of course, there will be lots of people who will happen to be casually present at our stage that has never heard about BRADIO. But, once our performance starts, everyone gradually puts on a smiling face and begins to dance. Then at the end, everyone becomes close like family or they become addicted to our music already! Both are exciting!
 
A-to-J: We understand that you recently released an album titled "FREEDOM". Can you please explain your concept behind the album and any expectations you might have for it?
A-to-J:新しいアルバムの「FREEDOM」が発売されましたが、アルバムのコンセプトや見込みなどありますか？
真行寺 貴秋:踊れる、楽しめる、今までのBRADIOはもちろん、今作はさらにパーソナルな部分や人間臭さを出したかったんだ。今目の前で起こっている普遍的な出来事にフィットするし、そのことで伝わることも今まで以上にあるだろうし、それが自分達の音楽とのこれからの向き合い方にも影響するし、とにかく自分たちらしく出来上がったからそれがこのアルバムへの最高の自身になったよ。
Takaaki: "To be able to dance" and "to be able to have fun" is the personal portions and human traits that, until now, BRADIO definitely wanted to get out with the current release. We fit the album's theme with the universal affairs that are happening currently right before our eyes. This type of thing will probably be transmitted from here on out.  It will also influence our music and how we approach it. Anyways, because we were able to be ourselves, we personally became the best for this album.
 
A-to-J: What are some of your goals for the rest of the year?
A-to-J:今年の目標などありますか？
真行寺 貴秋:今年はもっともっと自分たちがやりたいこと、伝えたいことを明確にやって行きたいなと思っているよ。それを提示してファンを最高のパーティータイムに連れていくのさ。
Takaaki: There are things that we want to do more and more, but I think there isn't a clear way of going about to communicate these things.  We will present this when the time comes and take our fans to the supreme party time.
 
A-to-J: Lastly, can you please provide a closing message to your fans.
A-to-J:最後にファンに向けてメッセージをお願いします。
真行寺 貴秋:いつも応援ありがとう！みんなのおかげでいつも音楽って素晴らしいなって感じさせてもらってるよ。これからも同じ時代、同じ空間で一緒にたくさんの音楽を感じ合おう！
Takaaki: Thank you for always supporting us! Because of everyone, we always bring and convey wonderful music to our fans. Let's enjoy lots of music together in the same era and space from here on out!

For More on BRADIO:
Official Website: http://bradio.jp/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BRADIO.official/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bradio_official
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradio_official/?hl=ja

For More on Takaaki Shingyoji:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BRADIO_Gyorge
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradio_takaakishingyouji/?hl=ja

Original interview translation by Tiffany Fujii. Post translation by Aisasami