Michihiko Nakanishi's solo project nkn releases new song "From the Sea," featuring Noni from the chef cooks me

nkn released their new single “Umi Kara,” today, Wednesday, June 12th.

nkn is a solo project by bassist Michihiko Nakanishi, who is a member of Yasei Collective and has recorded and supported Aimyon and many other artists. This third single was co-written and sung by Noni of the chef cooks me, a band Nakanishi supported himself in, who disbanded in March of this year. The experimental approach, such as using cassette tapes for sound production and lyrics composed of words instead of lyrics, has elevated the piece to a level that transcends the boundaries of rhetoric.

Track making and total production was handled by nkn, while vocals and lyric were handled by Noni. This is Noni’s first time singing since The Chef Cooks Me. Vocal recording was handled by Koganmaru Satoshi, who also played guitar in The Chef Cooks Me. The artwork is a collage by nkn, and the underlying theme is a longing for a certain town in Tokyo that gave birth to The Chef Cooks Me.

[nkn comment]

I finally made a song with a great talent that I’ve been watching from behind for the past few years.

Originally, I had had them listen to a few songs, but as long as The Chef Cooks Me was active, everyone was working hard and letting things take their time. When our final live show in March was over and we wondered what to do next, the idea for an arrangement naturally came to me, and this is how it turned out.

Originally, I wrote the lyrics myself by combining the words Noni gave me, but I didn’t like the idea of it ending up sounding too fake, so in the end I went for a beat literature-like format, just arranging the words as they were, but I felt like all of the words I received had a meaningful connection, so I arranged them in more or less the same order.
Or rather, the conjunctions between the words are left to the listener’s imagination.

I wanted him to transcend his own packaging, which is “only good at packing things neatly into place,” with a fresh and vibrant sensibility.

The moment you declare “A is B,” you eliminate the option that it might be C, but with this song I tried to avoid that as much as possible. I think it’s a projection of myself, someone who is always in a state of uncertainty. I hope that this can be conveyed to the listeners.

This is certainly not Noni’s only talent, but I’m glad I was able to capture a fleeting moment in its pure form.

Also, by converting the fragments sampled on cassette tapes back into digital form and incorporating them, the soft noise creates a somewhat nostalgic atmosphere, which I believe matches the somewhat distorted worldview that is nkn’s overall concept.

Furthermore, the vocal recording took place in the home studio of Koganmaru Satoshi, who lives in Kamata, a city with which Chef has a deep connection, and the photos he took while taking a walk and drinking beer before and after the recording served as the material for the jacket. I believe that Chef’s admiration and interpretation of the city are reflected directly in both the sound and the artwork.

Although Chef has come to an end, I feel that the passing on of this tradition is a reflection of the lifestyle we live, which we cannot live without music.

[Comment from Noni]

I think Michi-san and I are similar in that we’re both shy and can’t speak properly when we’re in a normal state, and that’s why I feel like I was able to talk a lot in this song.
Even if it doesn’t have a strong message, even if it doesn’t lead anyone, my “thoughts” can become music. Because I’m sure that the people who listen to it will complete it in their own way.
This is a wonderful song that taught me that lesson.