Born in Kyoto, now based in Tokyo, the singer-songwriter Tatsuya Kokufu (国府達矢) released his first album in 15 years, titled “Rock Buddha”.
Tatsuya Kokufu has brought Asian symphony into indie music like “OK Computer”, “Nevermind” or James Blake. The result is music we couldn’t find anywhere else, his original Japanese groove which includes Western rock, funk, hip-hop.
With the help of drummer and bassist of the rock band Skillkills, on Tatsuya’s comeback album called “Rock Buddha” (ロックブッダ) guitar riffs keep attacking our ears and hearts massively – as if he was Jimmy Page.
“Rock Buddha” is definitely new form of art which will have big influence on us and our cultures, said Salyu, an acclaimed singer and one of Tatsuya’s former collaborators.
Tatsuya Kokufu released his first LP with the band Mangahead in 1999. In 2003, his first solo LP “Rock Tensei” (or “Rock Reincarnation”) was out. In 2007, he wrote music for Salyu. And in 2011, he wrote words for salyu×salyu, and beside that, he started recording his new album.
Tatsuya’s past decade might be a time of training to be spiritually awakened. After musical enlightenment, he’d already recorded two more albums, the next one is an album of mellow ballads, and third one is a collection of folk songs. He has other ideas to record more albums. These works would be his own the Bible of Buddhism.
Meanwhile, in his latest video “Matsuri no Junbi”, Tatsuya Kokufu is dancing and singing his original sutra in an industrial area in Kawasaki city. He is planning to share other versions of this music video. He may dance in other style, or he may dance in any other place around the globe.
He says that he will be sharing other versions of this music video in many years to come. It would be a kind of art project.
Stream “Rock Buddha” LP on Spotify.
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