On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the creation of Hokuto no Ken (Ken the Warrior), the rock band DNR (DreamsNowreality) wanted to pay homage to this series with the song “Shin”.
With pleasure and great interest we had the opportunity to listen to the piece, finding it to be a rhythm that blends different sounds, involving the listener who is attracted by its fluidity and intensity, leading him to listen to it several times.
Mondo Japan took the opportunity to interview the band who are about to leave for a tour that will conquer the various hits, with an alternative musicality, whose power of rock is mixed with melodic sounds, thanks to these fantastic guys.
But let’s pass the word to them:
How and when the Band was born and who are its members.
The band DreamsNowReality (DNR) was born in 2008, precisely the launch was on May 2nd, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the death of the legendary guitarist of X-Japan, Hideto Matsumoto. This event represented a tribute to one of the greatest rock guitarists in Japanese history. At the time almost no one knew J-Rock/Visual Kei, many people intrigued by our eccentric look approached the genre thanks to the visual impact… for us it was lucky because from the image they went on to appreciate the band’s sound. The founding members of the band are Ash on drums and Kira on bass, while the new entries: paZ on guitar and Flow on vocals!
Your musical genre is a mix between JRock and classic Rock. How did the idea for this come about?
Our music comes from a passion for both Western and Eastern rock. We wanted to combine the influences of both worlds, as they observe and influence each other. It’s funny to see that listeners often find elements in the songwriting that belong to their background rather than a specific genre. Over the years, even specific magazines in the music sector have tried several times to label our sound, hypothesizing the most convoluted formulas (Eurovisual, Pop Oriental Rock, Pop Metal, J-Italian Rock, Indie…) but there is no exact definition , they are all right and wrong at the same time, if you listen with your heart.
You can present us your works and what satisfaction they have given you.
We are fond of all our releases, each one represents a child for us and it would be impossible to choose a favourite. However, we can say that the last album “Dreamfinity” (recorded in Germany and distributed by the American label Perris Records) marked a boundary line, from then on we undertook a more introspective path and the forced break due to Covid and the change in the line-up allowed us to lay the foundations for our next concept album, “Nanto 2077”, currently still in the works.
Your sounds are very pleasant and intense. What kind of work is behind all this?
We have always put the melody first, we look for melodic lines that tell the state of mind and the inspiration that guided us in writing it, it is not an easy task because you find yourself defining an atmosphere, which intertwines melody, lyrics and sound research… it’s like “singing a photo”, you can’t sing it but you can create an atmosphere to strike the imagination and try to drag the listener and audience into your world. Often listeners find what they want in the songs, they think they define our sound but in truth they are defining themselves, as if they were looking in the mirror, we simply bring out the emotions… it’s all already inside themselves. We are just the “trigger”. Each person is a universe unto themselves, and each song is a unique galaxy. This is why we have been labeled different over time: it’s not just what we play, but what we awaken in the soul of the listener.
With your latest song, Shinare you ready for a new tour?
The new single “Shin” (mastered by the sound engineer Katsumi Sambongi at “3 Trees Studio” in Tokyo), taken from the album “Nanto 2077” to which we are dedicating all our energies. A concept album that draws inspiration from the work of master Buronson (Yoshiyuki Okamura) “Hokuto no Ken”, also known as “Fist of the North Star”, on the occasion of its 40th anniversary. The song “Shin” takes us deep into the inner conflict of the first master of Nanto Seiken school. Guided by the star of martyrdom that marks the steps of his destiny, he lived by tearing away love at all costs, leaving no choice to the other party. A dream stolen by the name Yuria, asks us a crucial question: is life truly life without love, or is it simply mere existence? All this must be contextualized in a post-atomic era, which in the imagination of 1984 could be outlined by current political situation, unfortunately not too far from a scenario that can also be reproduced today. Especially when compared to today’s crisis of moral values. That’s why the NANTO concept “Nanto 2077” still remains so relevant. We had the opportunity to play abroad several times, especially in Japan. However, before returning to the stages, we want to complete the release of the singles in the Nanto order of appearance, i.e. after Shin: Rei, Yuda, Shu, Souther and Yuria.
What relationship do you have with Japan and its pop culture?
We have always had a strong connection with Japan, thanks to the first singles we had the opportunity to be invited directly by the founding father of “Visual Kei”, Seiichi Hoshiko, and to perform in various contexts, the most important were Vrock at Saitama Super Arena and Stylish Wave at Akasaka Blitz, with a bit of pride we can say that we were the first “non-Japanese” band to participate in that event… it was a real honor to be able to share the stage with the big names! Who would have thought that Italians would have crossed this border?!
That’s why we’re planning to go back, like in the rest of Europe, we don’t place boundaries on music, especially the kind played live!
Projects, secret dreams, future collaborations…
The album will be enriched by collaborations with international musicians, featuring which will enhance the entire “Nanto 2077” project. For now we can’t reveal it but there are many internationally renowned musicians who helped us behind the scenes, we want to thank them because without their help we wouldn’t have been able to return… maybe we’ll talk about it again in the next releases here, on the legendary “Mondo Japan” so we can reveal it together!
It’s your moment… what do you feel like saying to the readers of Mondo Japan?
We wanted to thank the staff, the entire editorial staff who gave us the opportunity to talk about our music and above all the work of maestro Buronson on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Hokuto No Ken, because his vision is still current and in the values that communicated we have drawn the strength and inspiration to carry on in a difficult moment, then obviously a heartfelt thank you to the readers of Mondo Japan, who are attentive and passionate, we hope we have sparked their curiosity and that they have tuned in to our social media to follow the stars of Nanto with us!
Ash, paZ, Flow & Kira.
Thanks for the photo shoot:
Location: Italy (Italy)
Photographer: Shi Yun Lee
Make-up: Alessia Traisci
Hairstylist: Cristina “Crazy Head” Balena
Graphic designer: Chiara “Skele’s Head” Platolino