Seeing us through to the end of the year we’ve reached out to a number of our favourite artists and cultural creatives to join us in celebrating good things. A bunch of five things that make their world go around, inspire them or just need celebrating for what they are. There’s no theme here. It’s no kind of “best of year” round-up. These are just five things of the many things identified as making the world a better place to be. We’re all about positivity. Almost all of the time. We promise…
Maya Kuroki has had a remarkable year with her band TEKE::TEKE. Originally formed in 2018 as a tribute to guitar legend Takeshi Terauchi; the seven-piece features traditional Japanese instruments, flute and trombone, raging guitars and a wild rhythm section, creating a sound reminiscent of 1960’s and 70’s-era Japanese and Brazilian psychedelic soundtracks. TEKE::TEKE's unquestionably frenetic, contemporary and twisted pugilistic musical stylings, coupled with their oblique visuals, results in a vastly intimate and fun, musical metaverse of their own making. Anyway, that's what I call music, over to Maya for where a big chunk of that metaverse comes from.
Flowers growing in concrete and wall cracks
This may seem like a very simple image, one that blends into our everyday life. However, for me, whenever I see flowers or greens growing in tiny cracks of asphalt or through building walls, I see a powerful symbol of persistence and strength. I see nature fighting its way against a society that imposed itself, that took over every space. I find it very moving, inspiring, and it fills me up with energy to want to go forward myself, especially with my creations.
The old guitar hanging on my bedroom wall
I started playing guitar when I stopped doing theater in Tokyo and moved to Montreal (Canada) a while back. That first guitar is a symbol of this important transition in my life, when I first started tackling with the idea of making music. Although I don’t play it so often now, seeing it every day keeps me grounded and is a constant reminder of where my musical journey began in connection to where it is taking me now.
Organic decaf coffee
Since I don’t drink alcoholic beverages, my ultimate go-to ‘grown-up’ drink is decaf coffee. With today’s wide variety of quality, tasty and yet affordable ethical and organic decaf, it makes for a simple but classy hot beverage that definitely makes my world go ‘round.
Leftover goods in the fridge
Every time I open the fridge and see leftover ingredients, I see an opportunity to challenge myself in inventing a new recipe. This basically represents the philosophy at the core of any of my creations, which is to work with what I have to create something new. D.I.Y.
My bicycle
At the end of the day, or when push comes to shove, I can always count on my bike to ride freely across town or wherever I may want to go. With its low-profile and rusty features, there’s no risk of it being stolen. With its basket in the back, I can pick up things on the way and bring them home. The overall freedom I get with my bicycle every day and the inspiration I get from every ride makes it a must on this list.
Essential Info
Main Image Maya Kuroki screengrab from a TEKE::TEKE music performance.
TEKE::TEKE - Dobugawa on Youtube here⇒
A BUNCH OF FIVE: Throughout December 2022 we asked a number of our favourite artists and cultural creatives to join us in celebrating good things. A Bunch of Five things that make their world go around, inspire them or just need celebrating for what they are. See what they came up with, below.
- jan5.
