Dokumi

Interviewer, writer: 1-5
Band Members: Lin (Guitar), Nana (Bass/Composer), Mika (Vocals/Accoustic Guitar/Song Writer)
Questions Answered by: Lin, Nana, and Mika



First of all thank you for doing this interview. Could you introduce yourselves for people who aren’t familiar with Dokumi?
Lin: Hi I’m Lin, the guitarist, songwriter and programmer/producer behind Dokumi.
Nana: I’m Nana, the bassist and I write lyrics and songs too.
Mika: Mika, vocalist, acoustic guitarist, songwriter


Why did you choose the name "Dokumi"?
Nana: When we decided we needed a name, we just randomly thought of words with a nice sound to them. Dokumi was one we all agreed on.


Were any of you in previous bands? If so, how is Dokumi different from those bands?
Lin: Until now I was only a solo artist/producer
Nana: I’ve done some minor songwriting projects for other bands, but nothing really worth mentioning.
Mika: I used to be in a punk band, which sounded heavier than Dokumi. And I’ve been in an acoustic band, which is not really that much of a difference since we are planning to use acoustic sounds in a few upcoming songs as well.


You’ve said before that you’re influenced by Japan and Japanese music. What do you admire about them?
Lin: I love their way of encountering music. They create a lot of crossovers and don’t mind experimenting. They also tend to be more philosophical about music. I also love I can express myself far more in the Japanese underground scene in particular.
Nana: Because I write the lyrics, I naturally pay attention to the lyrics in songs. I’ve come to admire several Japanese artists for their writing style. Of course, their entire approach to music is different from most bands around here. Japan itself inspires me a lot as well, especially the interesting mythology and culture overall.
Mika: I like how a lot of artists tend to mix their styles up and aren’t sticking to one genre, it makes the music less boring and more surprising. Also I like how the lyrics are sometimes less straightforward. Like, you can interpret them in more than one way, or they can have a double meaning. I like songs that make me think.


What is the visual scene like in Holland?
Lin: It is kind of small but and most people in the scene know each other.
Nana: well, lately that’s not exactly true anymore. Of course, there used to be small groups of visual fans that all knew each other, but since a few artists from Japan have been here, those groups have been expanding. Also, if we’re talking about the general visual scene, we have a pretty big cyber-Goth scene going on here, but all very underground.


What kind of reaction have you had from people there?
Lin: A lot of good ones abut also some strange faces because it is very unusual to create music with Japanese lyrics and the songs itself are not the most common neither. It is all very experimental.
Nana: "Where is your drummer!?" people seem to think of us as a little weird because it is only the three of us.
Mika: ah yes, the drummer thing! "love the music!, but I do expect you guys to get yourself a hot drummer sometime soon!" those kind of comments, even though that comment made me laugh haha, but I guess, people just need to get used to it first, it’s just not that common here. But overall I think we had way more good than bad reactions.


Why do you choose to write your lyrics only in Japanese?
Nana: First of all, I love the language (though I’m far from fluent). To express myself I’ve always tried to find a language that has the right sound and the right words. Dutch itself is a very rough language and I’d rather write in something more delicate. English is okay for expressing oneself, but Japanese seems to be the language that flows easier.


How long did you study Japanese before you were able to write lyrics in Japanese?
Nana: I’ve never really studied Japanese. I’ve been listening to Japanese music for more than ten years now and unconsciously I’ve picked up a lot. Of course, I do have some study books and a dictionary and all those tools, but the basic knowledge simply came from listening.


Do your songs have any specific themes or messages?
Nana: I think every song carries its own theme and carries out the message that supports that theme. However, we don’t really plan things like that; all messages are born naturally within the songs.


What inspires you when writing music and lyrics?
Lin: My daily life and problems. I use music like an exhaust for myself to wash down all my negative feelings. That’s why a lot of my songs are kind of gloomy and dark.
Nana: The world, dreams, fantasies, mythology and astrology, things like that.
Mika: I’m always filled with thoughts, feelings, I think a lot of that shines through when writing music.


Which bands/artists/people have influenced you and your music?
Lin: Really a lot, from older Visual Kei acts like Luna Sea, Pierrot, BUCK-TICK and more till the later generation of bands from the Matina and Keyparty label till the bands from now at the Undercode and other various labels. But I’m also inspired by some metal bands like Children of Bodom, Sonata Arctica and Arch Enemy or electro acts like World’s end girlfriend and Aphex Twin.


Are there any bands/artists you’d like to collaborate with? And if so, why do you want to work with them?
Lin: Hmmm a lot. I want to work with the cyber-Goth band PSYDOLL because I respect them very much and they have a similar style in music, as well the band BAAL, because a lot of my musical roots are in the Industrial scene. Next to them I would like to work with Kisaki since he is like a caterpillar in music when it comes to styles ranging from traditional Visual kei till very hardcore metal. The guys from Coaltar of the deepers would be great too! But this list is very long. I also would love to work with the guys from Anti Feminism and Hagakure too!
Nana: I myself would like to collaborate with a band like BAAL or PSYDOLL because of their Industrial/Cybergoth roots.
Mika: I can pretty much agree on most of the already named bands, collaborating with an industrial or rock band would be awesome. But I think it might also be fun to collaborate with bands that play a totally different genre then that we play.


You played your first live recently. How did it go?
Lin: It went okay, it could be better but we had some sound problems so it wasn’t the most ideal circumstances to work in but by far the most people in the hall cheered for us and enjoyed themselves.
Nana: Fairly well, although we did not have time to do a sound check, which caused Lin & mine instruments to be overpowered by the backtrack too much. However, people were cheering and calling out for us, so there was a positive vibe.
Mika: I thought it went quite well, sometimes I couldn’t hear my voice that well when I had to sing lower, but besides from that, we had an awesome time, and I think/hope that most of the audience had a great time as well.


What was it like opening for Hagakure and Anti Feminism?
Lin: For me it was a great honor. Anti Feminism is a band that I respect a lot and Hagakure is a very cool band too. It was very cool to open for them and a great moment for me in my life. They were very nice and supported us well. It was kind of unreal since even MTV filmed it and broadcasted parts of our live and an interview on Dutch television.
Nana: A great honor, indeed! I definitely have a lot of respect for these bands, especially after seeing them live. They put in a lot of effort to let people enjoy a show. I was glad we, as a band without much experience, had a chance to open the show for them.
Mika: an Honor, yes, also very inspiring. After seeing them play, I felt so determined to expand and improve our performance. They really give great live shows and were very friendly!


Do you have any plans to play more live shows?
Lin: Yes, but we are currently planning everything.
Nana: Our main goal right now is creating more material for an album and live shows.


Where do you see Dokumi in 5 years time?
Lin: More mature and better musical abilities are gained.
Nana: We will become better musicians and will be playing more live shows!
Mika: Older, and more songs written~


Are you working on any new songs?
Lin: I’m currently writing and producing a lot of new songs for an album.
Nana: Together with Mika I’ve been working on a few songs for the album as well.


Do you have any plans to release a single/album?
Lin: We are planning an album but that will take some time.


Could you give a message to your fans?
Lin: Please come to see our show when you are in the neighborhood and support our music!
Nana: Please take some time to check us out!
Mika: Thank you for reading~, I hope you will enjoy our music~!

Additional Information

Dokumi's Official Site
Check out Dokumi’s Official Site for more information on their history, lyrics, discography, and more!


Dokumi @ J-Music Ignited
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