D_Drive is a band formed in Osaka in 2009, They play instrumental music and released a new album in May of 2019 called Maximum Impact. The band is lead by the strong female guitarist Yuki and male guitarist Seiji and three other members. We gave a listen to their CD ‘Maximum Impact’ and are thoroughly impressed with what they are able to say without vocals. Seiji took some time out of their busy schedule to answer some questions for us. Read here about what drives their band and what he would advice new musicians!
Q1: D_Drive is a band from Japan, your music consists just of instrumental, could you tell us in your own words who D_Drive Are?
D_Drive is a Japanese instrumental band with two females and two males. We formed in Osaka in 2009, so 2019 is our 10 year anniversary. We previously released 3 albums in Japan before signing with Marshall Records for our worldwide debut.
Q2: Tell us where you get your inspiration from?
I am mainly inspired by Hard Rock and Heavy Metal from the 80’s and 90’s.
Q3: What’s your favorite genre/type of music to listen to and who are your favorite artists?
We like Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. My favourites are Michael Schenker and Steve Lukather, who have a very interesting use of melody and use their guitars just like a voice.
Q4: When it comes to writing and composing, how do you start and work out new songs?
I always compose songs using the melodies and rhythms I create when I see a beautiful nature site, or watch films. I imagine them first and then translate that to my guitar.
Q5: You just released your album Maximum Impact, what can people who aren’t familiar with your music expect when listening to it?
I expect audiences to feel the maximum impact of the melodies from the twin guitars just like singing, and to feel the dynamic sound of the bass and drums. We want this to be something that people will listen to over and over.
Q6: Is Maximum Impact different from your previous ones? How so?
‘Maximum Impact’ is a kind of compilation album which is made up of ten songs from our Japan only albums, and we rerecorded the bass parts with our new bass player Toshi that joined the band last year. Akihiro Nishimura, who is a New York based Japanese engineer, did brand new mix on these tracks and then Christian Wright at Abbey Road Studios mastered the album. It brought a new lease of life to the tracks and we are completely happy with the results.
Q7: What’s your favorite track from Maximum Impact and why?
‘Attraction 4D’, because it gives listeners a huge introduction to the band as the opener of the album. The name of the song implies the four members of D_Drive attract the listeners to be taken on a journey.
Q8 What can an audience expect at a live show of D_Drive?
Our shows are high energy and we love the crowd to get involved and become one with our music and have an absolute ball.
Q9: What would you advice young musicians, who are just starting out. Something you wished you knew when starting out?
It is very common nowadays to get information via their eyes since the internet became so popular, and I understand that “seeing is believing”, but music is made of sound. I think young musicians should train their ears and try to engage fans with their sound. When I started my career, I just wanted people in the industry to know my band so I was constantly updating interested parties.
Q10: Any last words to your fans and our readers?
Japanese bands are still unfamiliar on a global scale, I think the language barrier is a big obstacle, however, I do not think this will affect D_Drive because we are an instrumental band so I would like to see more great responses from the world. Please enjoy our unique Japanese melodies on ‘Maximum Impact’. We look forward to seeing you in the Netherlands in the near future. Thanks for reading!
Streaming
Listen to D_Drive’s new album on the following streaming services
D_Drive on Youtube
D_Drive on Spotify
D_Drive on Apple Music
