music sounds better with you...

Has that thing ever happened to you where a tune gets into your head and becomes a soundtrack for everything you're doing? Like driving or shopping or dressing up? And then some how (especially if you're in the creative industry) the tune leaks into your work so that it's translated into a story or a drawing or a design? Yes? Don't you love that?

It always seems like art that was influenced by other art that you love and appreciate comes out with an extra something. Like a love child that will always remind you of the other parent (which is only good, i suppose, if you actually love that other parent). Later you can look back on it and have a total nostalgic moment. So sweet.

If I remember correctly, when imekura started, we (the other green girl and I) had simultaneously gotten into Bossa nova. I had discovered Joao and Astrud Gilberto, Cee had discovered their daughter Bebel and we were in total harmony. Bebel's work in particular featured on our respective playlists around the time we were working on the nostalgia collection.


Some of our favourites included:

- Baby
- Jabuticaba
- Sem Contecao
- So Nice (Summer Samba)

We also liked "Ides of March" which is a popular and classic bossa nova song. The one we had was I think performed by a group called Brasilia.

At that time we were also getting into the newer indie rock genres (see Williamsburg, NY) via Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Hives, The Strokes, etc. Cee's significant other (at that time) played bass for a progressive rock band and it was in following his performance circuit, she uncovered the band that impacted us the most in the year 2004.

On July 28th 2004, at Lion's Den, New York, Cee discovered Jupiter One!!!!


An electro-pop rock fusion act that uses synthesisers, multiple keyboards and violin(/fiddle?) to create the catchiest hooks and the most wistfully unforgettable melodies ever. Since that night we managed to catch them live one more time before returning to Nigeria and we were not even slightly disappointed!

They have recently achieved some fame because tracks from their self titled album have been used in a lot of big franchise video games (See Madden). One song "Platform Moon" was also used for a Mazda commercial and the ever addictive "Countdown" (which is the song currently stuck in my head) was used in pre-season premiere special of "Heroes"! Naturally we are stoked by their success and hope for much, much more!

We loved them so much back then that the track, "Summer Eulogy" (I think it's now called "Summer Song"?) from their first CD featured in our first love video. It's still one of our best. Other songs on there that juiced us while creating our line were:

- Wrong Line
- Kamikaze Pilots
- Mystery Man

These songs and more are now on their officially released self titled album. Till today, we love Jupiter One and can not urge everyone enough to check them out!

On the whole, in 2004 we listened to a lot of different things but I think I can confidently say that Bebel Gilberto and Jupiter One were our strongest musical influences when we first started creating Imekura. We are eternally grateful to them for this and hope we can pass on the creative buzz that they gave us.

Well, there have been two more collections since "Nostalgia" and one currently in the works. As music continues to be part of what inspires us, please expect more rhapsodies on the musicians and music that will always be a part of our process!

ja ne!
xx