Ayatake Ezaki, the keyboardist of WONK, has always pushed the boundaries of music, blending genres and exploring new soundscapes. Following the release of his debut solo album Hajimari no Yoru in May 2023, he’s gearing up to share Shades of—WONK’s first album in two and a half years—this November. A musical tapestry that blends digital and analog elements, improvisation and structure, Shades of is a culmination of Ezaki’s evolving vision and his deep connection with the keyboard.
But Ezaki’s journey doesn’t end with his band or solo work. His unique style has also found a home in the world of film music. In this interview, he reflects on his longstanding relationship with the piano, starting from his childhood, and opens up about how he went from resisting practice to forging a distinctive musical path all his own.
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The New Album by WONK: A Blend of Everything They’ve Created So Far
In November 2024, WONK’s new album Shades of was released with the tagline “A Beat Music Chronicle from Tokyo.” Mr. Ezaki, what kind of expression were you aiming for with this album?
Ezaki: Actually, this tagline came up during a meeting with the staff after all the tracks for the album were completed. In other words, we didn’t set this theme from the start. However, when I listened to the finished product, I really felt that over the past ten years, we’ve created a wide variety of music. Some bands might decide on “this is our style” and stick to that direction consistently, but we’ve always been open to eagerly absorbing whatever we found interesting at the time.
Musician. Born in Fukuoka City in 1992. He began learning piano at the age of 4 and started composing at 7. He graduated from the Faculty of Music at the Tokyo University of the Arts and completed his master’s degree at the University of Tokyo. In addition to being a keyboardist for WONK and millennium parade, he has contributed to numerous artists’ works, including King Gnu, Vaundy, and Kenshi Yonezu, through recording and production. He has also composed film scores, including for Homunculus (2021), and is involved in managing a music label and participating in arts education. Ezaki continues to freely cross various fields in his artistic pursuits.
The 4th album EYES, released in 2020, was a grand concept album that depicted diverse values in the information society through a sci-fi story. The following album, artless (2022), captured the subtle nuances of the heart and everyday scenes. How would you describe your latest work after these two?
Ezaki: I feel that it’s “a mix of all the elements we’ve used so far.” I can appreciate the digital aspects, like in EYES, and also the analog expressions, like in artless. Instead of choosing one over the other, I think the key feature of this new album is that we’ve placed both elements side by side without hesitation.
I also felt that in this work, your piano plays a more significant role than ever before.
Ezaki: I didn’t particularly intend for that to happen. However, our leader, Arata (Kou) on drums, would say things like, “We have this kind of song, but I’m not playing drums on it.” He’s such a kind leader, so perhaps he wanted to respect and incorporate the musical direction I was exploring solo. In fact, I think there were quite a few tracks, especially in the first half, that were built around the piano.
