Spring is here, the skies are blue, and we’ve got another new act just for you! Today we’re pleased to introduce to you the duo known as AJ Unity. Naomi Suzuki and Phillip M Moll are a London based act, who are just about to release their debut album ‘Sweet Roses’. Although we had them stumped on a few of our ‘15 Questions’, they still had plenty to say, so read on and enjoy!
How would you describe your act, in the style of an advert?
‘AJ Unity picked trip hop up where Bristol had left it about a decade ago, stirring up an entirely new concoction to attract a 25+ crowd.’
If you could read one newspaper headline about yourselves in 2010, what would it be?
(2011 ok too?)
TRIP HOP IS BACK – AJ UNITY TO SKYROCKET AT BRIT AWARDS!
If a radio station gave you control of their shows and playlists for a day, what would you do?
Is this Radio1? We would ask Pete Tong to do another Chris Moyles morning show!
BBC6 Music do a lot right, let’s hope they’re not gonna get axed.
You decide to plan a launch for your new album/single release, what would your ideal event be?
We would land on the moon and perform the 3rd track off our debut album (Everyday Memories) Ideally! Realistically, it would still be amazing to perform live, but once again ideally, the most effective way of releasing ‘Sweet Roses’ might be on a cutting edge TV show, with a hot presenter, who knows what audiences we can attract.
If the question was geared towards a more ‘conventional’ launch, then , not sure. Did it the old way (physical / vinyl etc), did it another way (digital / more pr based), it’s horses for courses really. The main selling point for AJ Unity could be the collaborative element, between essentially what is already likely to draw interest from three different countries (Japan, UK, Austria), via the collaboration of two young sexy artists!
What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learnt about the music industry?
We choose to work with people who we trust, both artistically and in a business sense. An artist – in order to express his / her views – has to be able to communicate freely, without any inhibitions or fear, which is the enemy of artistically integer work and success.
Are there any instruments or other music related skills you’d like to pick up or improve on?
Plenty, and way too many for this lifetime.
You’re asked to design/come up with something to giveaway to fans at your gigs, what would it be?
n/a
What’s your favourite part of music history? (acts/genres etc)
There are several, for different reasons. Politically, we wish we could have been around when Punk kicked off. Musically, we’re quite happy having moved to Britain over a decade ago, which was when electronic influences and production in popular music became more and more apparent, with new technologies offering so many new, groundbreaking possibilities to create.
What was the last thing you googled online?
Very exciting – UK Election stuff.
Have you any funny ‘You’ve Been Framed’ style stories you can share with us?
n/a
Who would you most like to interview and what would you ask them?
We have a question for William Orbit. ‘All practicalities aside, is there something that computers evoke during your work process as a producer, that a guitar or a piano just wouldn’t do?’
Do you still buy CD singles/albums, or is it all about downloads?
We buy physical copies. A lot of our friends buy physical copies if they really like something they’ve already got in digital format. We’re old fashioned that way.
Who do you think we should watch out for music wise this year?
Besides AJ Unity? We’re very intrigued by Katie Melua’s upcoming record.
How would you promote the British music scene abroad?
This wouldn’t be difficult, and we think we’d be the perfect act for the job hehe! I could write a PhD on the diversity and the uniqueness of the British Popular Music Scene. In fact, I might do!
We act as music curators and promoters on behalf of other countries in the UK, and we believe inventive artistic collaboration (especially on the writing side), is one of the strongest of the many artistic qualities Britain has to offer. We would certainly aim to point out the equality and open-mindedness of the British music scene, with regards to embracing influences from abroad, at an often dazzling and mind-blowing pace. Hands down, the reason why we live and work in the UK, is that we keep falling in love with the music scene over and over again, aside from fantastic ales and cottage pie, that is!
And finally what else should we know about your act?
We broke several world records during the making of our debut album!!!
That’s quite a claim to make, and may just excite interest in the album! ‘Sweet Roses’ promises to be a heady mix of pop/trance/electronica/alternative sounds, and it’s released on May 31st, so you don’t have long to wait before you can check it out! In the meantime why not visit http://www.ajunity.com for more information.