It’s only five hours away between Bangkok and Fukuoka. And the two cities are actively engaging. A music event called BEYONDERS took place in Fukuoka to showcase promising artists from both cities. NiEW welcomed Ginn and Shogo Nomura to catch up with the forefront music scene of the two cities.
Ginn moved to Thailand from Japan and is now the drummer of the band Faustus. He also has fostered the relationship of those cities for over 15 years under the name “dessin the world.” Fukuoka collective BOAT’s Shogo Nomura is also the organizer of “BEYONDERS” where he worked with the Fukuoka Music City Council.
Fukuoka is the gateway to other Asian countries and now witnesses an ongoing massive redevelopment while art and music harmonize in Thailand. In the first part of this interview, they discuss the current music scene in Thailand and Fukuoka.
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“NARUTO,” “ONE PIECE,” and “NewJeans” are the mutual language in Thailand and Fukuoka.
Nomura: It has already been three months since “BEYONDERS” was held with the participation of KIKI from Thailand and Deep Sea Diving Club from Fukuoka. Looking back on the event, how do you feel about it?
Ginn: The first thing I thought was that the groove among the bands was better than expected. It is quite common to hear of cases where the organizers choose the bands, but when they actually meet them, they don’t really get along.
Ginn has lived in Bangkok, Thailand for 15 years. He has been active in the Thai indie scene with his post-hardcore band “Faustus,” which he formed with Thai members, and also runs “dessin the world,” a label that aims to promote exchange between the Japanese and Thai indie scenes. He also runs “dessin the world,” a label that aims to promote exchange between the Japanese and Thai independent music scenes. Bringing Thai music to Japan. He has been involved in many exchange projects such as physical releases, tours, and promotions of Thai artists in Japan, booking of Japanese artists for festivals in Thailand, event planning, booking of interviews with local radio stations and media, and support for collaborative song production between Japanese and Thai artists. He is involved in a number of projects.
https://dessin-the-world.jimdosite.com/
Nomura: I wasn’t able to communicate fluently in English, but it was instantaneous to get along with each other. I also felt that Japanese and Thai people are rather close in feeling. I also felt that Japanese and Thai people are rather close.
Ginn: In February of this year, a Thai band called Soft Pine was scheduled to perform at “Music Lane Festival Okinawa 2023,” an international music showcase festival held in Okinawa, and since they were going to Japan, they wanted to perform in Tokyo as well. We played with ayutthaya, and the two bands grooved well together and had a great time (laughs).
Nomura: Young Thai people, in particular, watch the same things as young Japanese people, such as movies, music, and anime. That’s why there is a lot of common language, and at the launch party, we got unusually excited with lines from “Naruto” and “One Piece” (laughs).
Ginn: We also sang the NewJeans song in chorus.
