Ska band interviews – Dallax – Part 2 – Charity Ska Song And More

This is part 2 of the interview I did with Numb und Pe from Dallax at the beginning of their “Heart Storming” tour 2011 through Germany. Dallax talk about a bunch of interesting things: for example

• the best new Japanese Ska bands you might not yet know,
• why Japanese people haven’t embraced Facebook yet,
• the charity song “Play For Japan” that Dallax produced with friends from all over the world.

You find part 1 of the interview here.

Joe: In Europe Early Reggae, Rocksteady and Ska Soul seem to be on the rise. There are not many new 2Tone bands or Ska Punk bands. Is it the same in Japan?

Dallax: In Japan 2Tone Ska bands are few, Ska Punk is popular, there are lot of young Ska Punk bands. The scene is becoming bigger and bigger. Right now, most of the audience are young kids who do not listen to the radio, but get their information from Twitter, websites and blogs.

Joe: Yes, Twitter, that’s something I was going to mention, too. Before the downfall of myspace I thought it was easier to keep track of Japanese Ska bands. Now in Europe and the USA most bands turned to Facebook for band promotion. But Japanese bands don’t seem to be on Facebook. They use Twitter. And is there another service similar to Facebook?

Dallax: Facebook isn’t big in Japan, because Japanese people are shy. They don’t want to appear under their own name. In Japan there is a social network called mixi, that’s the biggest social communication network. It’s like Facebook, but more anonymous, and much bigger.

Joe: Are there any other Japanese Ska bands, that maybe “big in mixi.” But the rest of the world hasn’t yet heard about them?

Dallax: Yes, Hey-Smith for example. They are 21-22 years-old and already play big open air festivals. They play Skacore, Ska Punk and Pop. Melody Core plus Ska Punk. They are a really good band. Another great band is Sim. They mix Reggae, Dub and Skacore. They are really good.

Joe: This is your fifth tour through Europe. So, you are experienced in long-distance travelling. How about shorter travels? Do you also tour in other countries, like China, Indonesia (where there is a big ska scene)? Or Australia?

Dallax: We haven’t been to Australia. Last November we toured Korea. There is a Ska scene, too. But not as big as in Japan. We haven’t toured to China or Indonesia.

Joe: And in Japan? Did you play any shows after the earthquake on March 11^th 2011.

Numb: It was our “Heart Storming” release tour in Japan. We cancelled three shows. At first after the earthquake no one knew what happened, the mobile phones didn’t work. We couldn’t contact the record promoters. They worried what had happened to us.

Joe: I already heard that the families and friends of your band are okay. That’s a good thing to hear, of course. Did you already think about writing songs about the catastrophe?

Dallax: We did. We already made one, a charity song named: “Play For Japan.” We recorded it and sent the file to friends who live all around the world. They sang their parts in their countries’ language and sent back the file. From Germany there is Skaos, Babylove & The Van Dangos from Denmark, Bluekilla, Skaladin from Switzerland, P.O. Box from France. It will be released at the end of June on iTunes. It’s a really good song. In seven different languages.

Joe: Is it correct that the money that is earned with “Heart Storming” will go to benefit organizations?

Numb: Yes, to the Red Cross. The money from the charity song will go there, too. So, the music lovers out there can do something good AND get some great music.

Joe: Good luck on the tour. Arigato.

Numb: Arigato.

Go to part 1 of this interview if you like to find out more about the Dallax mini album “Heart Storming”  and the video to their song “Glow Of My Life”.

There is also a video report of this interview for you to watch.

In the meantime, why not share your love for Dallax in the comments?