LOVE SPREAD

The first time I saw Love Spread, the insanely energetic musical collaboration of Ryota Machida and Narumi Iyama, their basic outline seemed sort of familiar. There was something vaguely familiar about the two figures hovering over their respective laptop and home-rigged, glitchy electronics setups, clutching old Playstation controllers and Gameboys, facing one another and glaring, at-the-ready like two Tekken fighters preparing for a brawl. But then everything I expected from an electronica set, even an experimental one, was thrown out the window. - Bedford+Bowery

Their new EP Sayonara Forever, downloadable here, does not disappoint. BLOODY NOSE NORTH PARK opens with catchy glitched-out arpeggiators, pumping up your eardrums for doubled vocals more at home in a hardcore punk song, but somehow a perfect match for the aggressively pulsing synths. Myrtle-Wyckoff starts with a sample of an L train conductor, opening up into delayed shouted vocals and harmonies. The chorus is anthemic, sung in pitch-bent octaves with a quality similar to anime series’ opening sequences. More video game nearly-glitchcore synthesizers bring in #foreveralone, which starts with vocals reminiscent of Hamster Dances of yore. Heavy drums and Narumi’s high vocals enter on top of the synth hook; it’s hard not to headbang and bounce around at the same time (headbounce?). Listen for Ryota’s facemelting guitar solo at 2:30:

SAYONARA FOREVER, one of my favorites, marries a pulsing synth-bass to Narumi and Ryota’s cloying vocals and filter sweeps, a definite dance-pop pleaser. Live, watch Narumi play a lit-up contraption with plastic bubbles straight out of a retro children’s board game that I probably can’t mention for trademark reasons. There’s also a new video for this one, replete with anime art and eerie self-portraits. The video features the pair on a twee outing through Brooklyn, intercut with a wild party of revelers in anime masks. Die some other day (too lazy) plays like a children’s show PSA for euthanization in a Orwellian future – there’s something ominous in the duo’s overly cheerful autotuned voices.

This unique blend of light and dark is where LOVE SPREAD succeeds most: mixing heavy, hardcore drums and vocals with cotton candy synthesizers and cartoon vocals for a product that transcends genre. In some ways, they’re the aural equivalent of the internet; deadly seriousness captured in a satire or meme; bright colors collaged with bleaker ones in an electronic hodgepodge. In Alt+f4, the EP’s last full-length song, the duo’s vocals narrate a dreamlike tale of plastic faces to washy pads and disco beats, dropping into the slightly mocking clincher “I’m about to kill myself”. Glitchy synths take the album into its closer, an all-synth and spoken word soundscape that I can’t spell without special characters. - No Smoking Media

Before hearing Love Spread, someone told me, paraphrasing – “there’s no one else that sounds like them,” it was at a Smoothie Tunes showcase at Babycastles a few months back, every act as eerily quirky as ever. Actually, the duo make me think of a post-bubblegum pop/digital hardcore type concoction, what’s to dislike? Check out their new EP SAYONARA FOREVER below, and a new video for the title track, above… - Tiny Mix Tapes

Today's rookie second place is LOVE SPREAD! New York Japanese to work in Brooklyn, the unit was formed in Ryota and Narumi. Pokemon GO and they that have been reimported in the same timing, topic and play using the game controller, the sound which made full use of the sound effects of the game. Moreover, how this is possible with Japan's first live.
The stage is certain music game, the controller of a certain home for retro game consoles are lined up. Sound effects and trick names were sampled from each of the button immediately, until the cry of that Pikachu is out hear, go intertwined to dubstep and noisy.
Until I thought the Ryota had been speaking in English began to say that suddenly "dancing'd ~" to "BLOODY NOSE NORTH PARK" a little while ago. Facing eye, shake vigorously head them. As response to the momentum, such as Mosh begins, it is perfect reaction from the audience.
The Guardian to be a cover of BECK "Loser" that the paper was praised was something momentum and the thirst for blood is fierce, 80s and unique familiarity of "SAYONARA FOREVER" was also longed. Calling on you to pop electronic sounds such as MGMT and POLYSICS, NATURE DANGER GANG, have combines a nice day! Hardcore / punk elements, such as, here large rookie. I think at first glance a retro seems new their music, it's very happy that most early watch is in Japan. - Fuji Rock Express

First things first: Where does the name Love Spread come from?

o R: Before we decided to start a band together, we were jamming at a rehearsal studio in Bushwick called The Sweat Shop and there was a random “candy man” that I bumped in to. After I bought couple grams of candies from him, I thanked for his service, and he told me “No worries man, I’m kind of a dude that has to spread my love with the homies,” with the most beautiful smile on his face. I ran back into the rehearsing room with candies in my pocket and told the entire story to Narumi. We were like, “spreading love, what a beautiful concept.” “This should be our band name!”



Speaking of Brooklyn, you guys play locally like, a lot. What’s your favorite venue been so far?

o R: Palisades; Ariel is the man. They know how to book a cool line-up; for example, we’re opening for David Liebe Hart in May at Palisades! They (Palisades) are really good at thinking about the balance between acts. It’s not like those “oh, you’re Japanese? Why don’t we book you with some j-pop influenced DJs!”

o N: I always love the Palisades. Some people say Brooklyn DIY venues are dead after the closure of places like 285 Kent and Glasslands, but I always feel like “why don’t you start doing something if you’re upset about it?” So, every time I go to the Palisades, something that inspires me always happens. Also, playing with Kero Kero Bonito there was truly amazing last year! - Smoothie Tunes

fter their set I migrated to Palisades in Brooklyn in order to see Kero Kero Bonito. Unfortunately, I had read the set times incorrectly. I thought they would play at 8, but the showcase itself started at 8:30, with Kero Kero Bonito appearing at 11. A line wrapped around the corner. I managed to see the opener, Love Spread, a duo consisting of Ryota Machida and Narumi Iyama, whose sound sits somewhere between the gridlocked melodic designs of J-Pop and the hypersyllabic assault of gabber. It was thrilling and overwhelming, and they covered Beck’s Loser, recalibrating it to a major key where its changes seemed even more perverse. - The Guardian

If you’re looking for a unique sound from a group like no other, you just found them.

Enter Love Spread, an experimental bitpop project based out of Brooklyn, New York, from creatives Ryota and Narumi. J-pop influenced melodies form the backbone of what can only be described as infectious, high-energy sonic vortexes, the full force of which are felt truly when you have the pleasure of seeing these two play a live show.

With an exploding fan-base in the New York DIY scene and the recent dropping of their first EP, SAYONARA FOREVER, Love Spread is poised for stardom. BTR caught up with the duo for a chat about using video game controllers to make music on stage–because yes, that is a thing! - Breakthru Radio

NY men and women Jer pop unit, such as if make a raid from Brooklyn to the current music scene appeared to Rootscoaster!
2016.05.29
US Brooklyn the activities on base, the duo Japanese've been Nagurikon to J-Pop scene in reverse import electro-pop unit = LOVE SPREAD (Love spread).

But now EP "SAYONARA FOREVER" is also the topic that delivered start on January 28, the sound of self-proclaimed "experimental bit pop" and "post-J-Pop" is, anyway intense. While wearing a strange thrill, such as initial Crystal Castles in catchy is reminiscent of MGMT, in the explosion beat & emo too vocal that has passed through the chip tune-break core, will disconnect butyrate the eardrum of the listener mercilessly.

In addition, such as "pop ◯ down music" and "Gitafu ◯ Kusu", to hack the sound gate dedicated controller of nostalgia given the 100 Mega Shock (obsolete) playing style is to Oxnard our nation, which was changed to a musical instrument, even Spincoaster your co-star of the familiar Kero Kero Bonito live recorded the immediately sold out.
The cover of "Loser" of Beck, Toka that The Guardian paper does not Toka was praised as being "me Hine than Honke!" .... - Spin Coaster (Jpn)

Were you gamers before arcades became a thing?
Narumi Iyama: Yeah, my whole life. My dad was a gamer, so I had five computers, a Neo Geo, and a Super Nintendo growing up. We would use the bazooka controller. Do you remember that? I loved this game Yoshi's Safari; you play Mario riding Yoshi shooting all your enemies with this gigantic bazooka controller. We also had the Konami shooting games at home too.

During the height of your arcade days, how much time would you spend there?
Machida: Well, basically when I moved to Japan, I just stopped going to school. High school there isn't mandatory, and I figured, Well, if I don't have to go to high school I don't have to do middle school either . I always liked fighting games, but in the States, there weren't many professional fighting gamers. In Japan, there was this game called King of Fighters that was huge shit in Japan. So I met up with some pro gamers who played in tournaments and tagged along. Up to today, Capcom vs SNK 2 might be my favorite game ever. My best three characters were Dhalsim, Haohmaru, and King.
Iyama: My favorites were Sakura, Athena, and Chun-Li. - VICE

OVE SPREAD is electro-pop unit according to Ryota and Narumi who are active the Brooklyn of New York, USA as a base. Their new "SAYONARA FOREVER" In addition to the title song, has become a "Alt + f4", "↑ X ↓ BLYRA" that shortcut keys and games, such as number of the command to the title work of all seven tracks entering the personal computer. Now his iTunes Store in early February, Amazon MP3, Spotify, in will also be delivered in such GooglePlay, in public a music video of the title song on YouTube.

LOVE SPREAD himself of the music genre "Post J-pop, experimental bit pop" is referred to as a, produced a music that combines the game music and J-POP. In the live vocals, guitar, in addition to the keyboard, game machine controller and the iPhone, has been performance by making full use of, such as iPad. Further, in the Japanese Film Festival, which was held in New York, "the 9th JAPAN CUTS ~ Japan Katz!" In July 2015, a guest appearance as a player in the North American premiere after-party for the movie "hundred yen of love", of the same movie a starring actress Sakura Ando was also standing on their stage. It should be noted that LOVE SPREAD is after performing the release tour in the United States brought a new work, that of the planning to holding of Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka tour. - Natalie(Japan)