In today’s music landscape, finding something original that hits your emotions in a meaningful way with mere sound requires a bit of digging, but if you’re up for your next dose of soundwave-induced euphoria, we’ve done the digging for you.
Today Kazuki Tokaji is releasing his new solo single “H.O.P.E”.
H.O.P.E, like Kazuki and his band’s other music, is an instrumental piece focused on guitar, bass, and drum instrumentals.
A Unique Spin on Rock
One of the standout aspects of H.O.P.E is that it has the same heavy-hitting notes and general sound as American metal produced by bands like Djent, but it manages to elicit a positive emotional response that will have you feeling empowered and ready to hit the road running.
This is largely due to the unique mix of genres that Kazuki has imbued into his music.
The band’s trademark style is a mixture of American metal and Japanese J-Pop. It sounds odd on paper if you’re a fan of either of those genres, but in practice, Kazuki makes it work with astonishing results. The music hits hard and delivers the instrumental complexity that American metal is known for, but it’s uplifting, emotional, and overall, positive. This brings the best of both worlds into the fold by increasing the complexity of J-Pop and decreasing the overall angrier or depressing tones that American metal is known for. You get a song that makes you feel good, but you could easily hit the gym and tear up the free weights with it blaring out of your AirPods at the same time.
Of course, being purely instrumental both when playing solo and along with his band also helps Kazuki stand out. It proves that you don’t always need a frontman lyricist to guide the listener through an emotional experience. Just the perfect composition of instruments and notes takes the listener on an auditory journey; in a way that many modern songs fail to do even with massive production-value videos and lyrics, to boot.
About Kazuki Tokaji
Kazuki Tokaji and his band have an interesting history of their own. Kazuki, the namesake of Kazuki Guitar, is a Japan-born United States citizen who moved to the States as a child. At 7, he picked up his first guitar, and he fell in love with the art of plucking strings and composing music. Between his move between two vastly different lands and cultures, and his musical journey, Kazuki has had enough experiences to flesh out a biography before he’s even hit 30 years old.
He then attended the Music Institute of Hollywood after high school alongside his fellow musicians Dr. Sebatian and GT Trevor.
Today, Kazuki Tokaji has brought his love for music to the forefront of his life and formed a band comprised of some of the finest instrumental up-and-comers in the industry. The band consists of Sebastian Konnackel on drums, Jules Whelpton on bass, Trevor Boggs on second guitar, and obviously, Kazuki himself on guitar.
If you want to hear something that steps away from the current music standard and presents a unique, emotional, experience to listeners, make sure to follow Kazuki’s Instagram and tune in to your favorite music platform: YouTube, Spotify, YouTube Music or Apple Music.