UBI & FU
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UBI & FU

Tokyo, Tōkyō, Japan | Established. Jan 01, 2002 | SELF

Tokyo, Tōkyō, Japan | SELF
Established on Jan, 2002
Band World Rock

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"INTERVIEW: FU (for fans of an.Sigur Ros, Peter Gabriel, Muse, Mercury Rev, and Queen)"

Who’s FU? How you guys all met and started this band?

FU currently consists of Ubi Quitous(Vocal & Guitar), Tekere Two(Bass) and T*K (Drums).
The band was formed in 2002 in Tokyo, Japan.
At first I (Ubi Quitous) started FU as a solo project in 2000, then I recruited Tekere Two and other members through Internet and notice
boards at music stores by 2002. T*K joined the band in 2006.



What’s the story behind the band’s name?

FU means From Unconsciousness, For U, From the Universe, etc…
It derives from the fact that most of our songs come from my (Ubi Quitous’s) dream or daydream, and they’re already written.
To tell the truth, it just struck me one day!



What are your music influences?

We are influenced by all kinds of music and outside of music; the great ancestors.
Especially; J.S.Bach, Namdjiliin Norovbanzad, Hibari Misora, Paul Giger, Louis Armstrong, W.A.Mozart, Bob Marley, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Claudio Abbado, John Coltrane, Bob Dylan, Édith Piaf, Keith Jarrett, Fela Kuti, Pink Floyd, Brutal Truth, Malcolm Burn, ancient and so-called “world” music, Murdo MacDonald-Bayne, Yoshito Hirota, Buddha, Jesus Christ, the sun, the moon, the earth, the universe, the multi-verses and the God Almighty… the list will continue as long as we exist.



What’s your method at the time of writing a song?

I don’t write a song intentionally, it just comes to me mostly in my dream.
All I have to do is to be a half-awake and half-asleep state when I find myself hearing a new song in my dream.
Of course it’s not so easy to stay in the condition, it took me several years to acquire the skill.
Sometimes I skip a new song because not every song is worth to catch and it makes me lack of sleep!
Besides, I usually do special breathing techniques to get intuitions from unconsciousness.



How you see the indie music scene out there in Japan?

Although the indie music scene in Japan used to be like a minor-league in baseball, lately there are many kinds of artistic and versatile bands throughout the nation.
You can hear a different sound if you go a different part of Japan, it’s just like a regional accent.
“Anime”, “Visual key” and pop idles are just an aspect of Japanese music.
Of course everywhere we go, no one can find a band like us!!!



How was it to work with Malcolm Burn?

That was the first time for us to work with a “producer”, we learned a lot from him and it was definitely an awesome experience for us.
He is so kind that he came to Japan just to record our album!
What made us surprised was that he works really fast, I mean, he can make most of the mixes during the recordings.
Also he brought many vintage microphones and effect units that made the sound fat and warm.
He suggested several arrangements and sometimes he played the guitar and keyboard to let us know his ideas.
We are good friends now and he came to watch our performance in Toronto last October with his partner Sandrine and some friends.
Next time we hope to record our album in his studio in New York.



What it meants to you guys to play at the NXNE?

After all, we are the only band from Japan out of 800 bands, so I think people are interested in us all the more.
Though most of them watched our show for the first time, they liked us fairly well.
People came to talk to us after the show and admired enthusiastically, and a man from Vancouver said FU was the best band he saw in NXNE this year.
We made friends with many nice people during our stay in Toronto and it will lead us to go touring there again in the future.



So you guys are celebrating your 10th Anniversary. Anything special for that day?

Yes. For the moment we have three shows celebrating our anniversary, two in Tokyo and one in Osaka, Japan.
One show is totally acoustic and this is the first time for us, at other shows we have guest players and fellow bands.
Also we are thinking about recording some songs to give away or sell at these events.



What has been the funniest moment you have been or took part while touring?

When we performed at Spring Scream Festival 2012 in Taiwan, the wind was so strong that it blew the roof off the stage and it was so hard just to stand!!!
Kou Chou Chin, our friends and a famous group in Taiwan said it was a rare phenomenon even for them, too.



Are there any more plans for the future we should be aware of?

Probably and we hope to perform in the USA in the near future, it may be next year.
Also I (Ubi Quitous) will record my solo debut album this year.



Where can we find you in Internetland?

We have our HP, facebook, twitter, youtube, myspace pages here.

http://www.mfu.be

http://www.facebook.com/izigen

http://twitter.com/izigen

http://www.youtube.com/user/FUfromIZIGEN

http://www.myspace.com/izigenmusic

Our music is sold at Amazon, iTunes, CDBaby and so on.



Do you feel you are moving on the right direction?

Absolutely. Gradually we - Vents Magazine


"NXNE Review: FU"

One of the advantages of attending NXNE is to witness various acts from all over the world. The only Japanese attendee of this year's NXNE, FU, took over Bovine Sex Club on Friday, June 15th.

Politely introduced themselves to the audience, the front man Quitous Ubi, all of a sudden, bent over backwards, while shaking his hands as if he was possessed by someone/something. Once he reached the status of 'unconsciousness', he took a deep breath and sang, On No Words, from the bottom of his lungs with his operatic singing style, which took a number of the audience by surprise.

Between songs, Ubi kept kneeing on the ground to further charge his mystical power, while the drummer T*K and the bassist, Tekere built up the foundation of the song with their solid rhythms. I was hypnotized by their innovative melodies and unique singing style. I have not yet seen anything like this before.

I also think it's worth mentioning that I first encountered the band members at registration on Wednesday while I was working on my day job. I was impressed by the fact that a band from Japan registered for NXNE, promoted and arranged all the travelling, all by themselves. They probably incurred all the costs themselves too. In a country that they don't know many people and in the language that isn't their first language. I've met or seen a number of bands from Japan, yet all of them were here with help of others. Kudos for trying to spread their music by themselves in different countries. I was moved by it!
- Musicpsychos


"Quick hits: Jacob Furr / Soft Swells / FU article review"

FU is a Japanese indie-rock band led an enthusiastic guitarist/vocalist who goes by Ubi Quitous. I mention the nationality for two reasons: A) to make the point that despite the country, there’s not that much difference in indie rock structure and B) To explain why I can’t quote most of the song titles in ON THE EARTH!!!. And that first point rings remarkably true, as the three-piece blazes through guitar-based music that calls up everything from The Appleseed Cast’s optimistically growing epics to Rage Against the Machine’s guitar noodling to the Gin Blossoms’ mid-’90s alt-countryish guitar rock. I have no idea if FU has heard of any of these bands, but American listeners will make the comparisons quickly. The fact that all of this is mashed into one sound is distinctly interesting; it’s held together by neat guitar/bass interplay and the fascinating, beautiful guitar tone. The one cultural difference: the theatrical, affected vocal style is a bit of an acquired taste, but I think it’s worth it. The 16-song album offers up interesting offerings throughout, but, admittedly, there will be some who can’t get through the element noted in the previous sentence. For those on the opposite end of the spectrum, the band will be in America later this year. - Independent Clauses


"Found by `Round"

FU is a band out of Tokyo that cites every- one from Louis Armstrong
to the Dead Boys as their influences. I guess they forgot about Klaus
Nomi. Their song Oh No Words from the album Love I Love has some very
Nomiesque moments amidst gorgeous gui- tar beds and lush production.
Yes it’s pro- nounced “EFF-JU” but the name FU means something very
different in Japan than it means here... “From unconscious, most of
our songs come from dream or daydream and they’re already written”.
It’s not possi- ble to really categorize the sound achieved by the
band, working with Grammy Award winning producer Malcolm Burn. Think
Muse with invented language. Think about what Peter Gabriel must hear
inside his head be- fore he records.

http://roundmagazine.net/ - `Round Magazine


"FU Love I Love"

FU Love I Love
REVIEWS POP & ROCK

By Daniel Sylvester
Members of Generation Pitchfork may be under the impression that Japan only produces sludgy experimental rock or wispy electro pop. This may be why Love I Love, the third LP from FU, comes off as such an oddity. From the sterling slowcore openings of "On No Words" to the lullaby orchestra musings of "Nemulu Hoshi No Youni" and the larger-than-life arena rock of album closer "Children of Love," FU run the gamut of Westernized modern rock, finding a proverbial connection with the listener even when vocalist Ubi Quitous howls and yowls in a language they can't understand. With help from Grammy-winning producer Malcolm Burn (Chris Whitley, Iggy Pop, Lisa Germano), FU craft a lustrous, epic, major label-worthy record that's just as grand as it is unfamiliar. But mostly, Love I Love comes off as a Japanese version of Muse, which may be a lazy, simplistic and reductionist comparison, but this may exactly be what FU were looking for.
(Izigen) - exclaim!


Discography

FU
LOVE DIVINE (2006)
LOVE CHILDREN (2008)
LOVE I LOVE (2010)
FU ON THE EARTH!!! Full Edition (2011)
FU 10th Anniversary EP (2012)

UBI QUITOUS
The Ubi Quitous World (2013)

Photos

Bio

UBI&FU


Cozmic music you can hear on the Earth / La musica del universo que suena en la Tierra / 地球で聴ける宇宙の音楽 / 在地球能聽到的宇宙音樂


Member

Ubi Quitous ゆびきたす 遊日 氣多寿 (Vocal & Guitar) 

UBI Quitous renamed to "OTO tachihiko" as of Nov. 2015.

Tekere Two てけれつ (Bass) 

Manche☆ まんちぇ☆(Drums; 2012~) 

T*K たけ (Drums; 2006~) 

Chang チャン(Keyboard; ~2011) 

Ozaoza おざおざ(Guitar; ~2006)


DISCOGRAPHY: released as FU えふゆー得浮遊

LOVE DIVINE (2006) 

LOVE CHILDREN (2008) 

LOVE I LOVE (2010) 

FU ON THE EARTH!!! Full Edition (2011) 

FU 10th Anniversary EP (2012)


Released as UBI QUITOUS ゆび きたす 遊日 氣多寿 

The Ubi Quitous World 遊日氣多寿的世界(2013)


History 

FU
was formed in Japan in 2002, and changed its name to "UBI&FU" in 2013.
FU means From Unconsciousness, For U, From the Universe, etc... Most of their songs come from Ubi Quitous's dream.

UBI&FU
 and UBI Quitous have performed at music festivals in many countries including 
NXNE 2012/2013, Indie Week 2011/2014 in CanadaSpringScream 2012/2013 in Taiwan, Midi Festival 2014 in China, Art Basel 2015 in Switzerland, Gentse Feesten 2015 in Belgium,  ROCKGODDAM 2012, 2013 and Tokyo Bootup 2012 in Japan

UBI Quitous(OTO tachihiko) is the founder of "Tazigen festival", which has been held in Tokyo, Japan in 2013, New York City, USA in 2014, and Berlin, Germany in 2015.

UBI sings with Japanese ancient style called "Yuri / Nabiki", which he acquired naturally and later he knows it's his ancestor who coordinated it. The style is especially used in Noh

The 3rd album " LOVE I LOVE" was produced by Malcolm Burn, a Grammy-award winning producer, who has worked with Bob Dylan, Daniel Lanois, Emmylou Harris, etc. FU is the first band that Malcolm Burn produces in the sphere of Asia.

" FU craft a lustrous, epic, major label-worthy record..." " FU run the gamut of Westernized modern rock, finding a proverbial connection with the listener..." (exclaim! mag / Canada)

" Its not possible to really categorize the sound achieved by the band, working with Grammy Award winning producer Malcolm Burn. Think Muse with invented language." ('Round Magazine / USA)

“I was hypnotized by their innovative melodies and unique singing style. I have not yet seen anything like this before."(Music Psychos / Canada) 

"If you are looking for something unpretentious and true, UBI&FU is the right thing for you." (The Scene Magazine / Canada) 



Band Members