ROCK AT NIGHT REVIEW: Strangers by Hotei
Hotei’s debut album Strangers is out and Rock At Night is loving what we are hearing! The songs really reach into various genres (industrial, Texan blues, groove, hard rock, melodic metal) and make really nice ear candy. Hotei is a veteran to the rock music scene in his native Japan (60 million records sold) but this is is first international release–and boy, what a nice piece of pie.
Hotei received helped from “friends” such as Iggy Pop, Richard Z. Kruspe (Emigrate/Rammstein), Matt Tuck (Bullet For Your Valentine), Texan-born bluesy singer Shea Seger, and Noko from electronic music pioneers Apollo 440 to create this well-engineered, upbeat, and eclectic masterpiece. Hotei previously joined forces with artists such as David Bowie, Andy Mackay (Roxy Music), INXS, Blondie and Joni Mitchell, he also performed with The Rolling Stones on their 50th Anniversary tour.
Some notables include “Medusa” which would sound great in a “spaghetti western”. Actually the song “Battle Without Honor or Humanity” was the title track in Tarantino’s Kill Bill film. Lots of total “badness” and attitude are featured in these two songs! The song “Move It” is an aggressive, fiery song that I can picture listening to while weaving in and out of traffic. “How The Cookie Crumbles” features no-nonsense lyrics and edginess–thanks to icon Iggy Pop. I’m lovin’ “Texas Groove” which rocks in a down-home, sleazy Texan blues kind of way.
The Making of ” Move It”
EXTRA TIDBITS
Hotei has revealed the video for his latest single ‘Move It’ which features guest vocals from Richard Z. Kruspe (Emigrate/Rammstein). Echoing the upbeat industrial vibe of the song and shot in Berlin, the video is dynamic and starkly atmospheric with intense performances from both Hotei and Richard.
Hotei comments on the video saying, “I wanted to make it simple, because Richard has a very strong character, and I think we have different characters. First, we wanted to try to do a story, but now it’s more like a focus on two characters on the same screen.”
Richard explained his inspiration for the lyrics to, “I listened to it and the first image I had was this Bond character in my mind. I was seeing a guy going through streets and pushing everything away. I thought, ‘Oh, that’s interesting, let’s try that’. And we pretty much recorded the vocals in one or two days.”
‘Move It’ was released today as two-track single, featuring a “Hounds” remix of the song, done by Olly Burden, known for collaborating with The Prodigy on their most recent album.
‘Move It’ is taken from Hotei’s debut UK album Strangers which was released last year through Spinefarm Records and is a wide-ranging body of work with a dramatic sonic palette demonstrating Hotei’s diversity as a songwriter and virtuoso guitarist.
Hotei has just finished a European tour and is currently on a major tour of Japan.
See “Texas Grove” featuring Shea Seger
See “How the Cookie Crumbles” featuring Iggy Pop
I grew up in a household full of rock music, studied journalism in college, and then became a scientist.Although my science career has served me well, music has always played a major role in my life. I grew up reading "Creem" magazine; I play several musical instruments as a "hobby";and it seems a camera has always been in my hand. Now, I am combining what I love the most--music and photography--serving as editor of Rock At Night. I travel between the US and UK seeking my dream! My motto: life is short...no regrets. Chyrisse
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