This quartet fuses pop, punk, funk, electro-beat, a feminist platform, and an obsession with pink into a unique aesthetic—and their sound is an effervescent gas, with serious guitar and bass chops.
Chai is a quartet hailing from Japan that sounds like a cross between infectious bubblegum pop and the Gang of Four. At first glance, their Alvin-and-the-Chipmunks-style vocals, choreographed dance moves, matching stage costumes, and obsession with the color pink is not something you’d necessarily expect all readers of Premier Guitar to dig. But trust, twin sisters Mana (lead vocals, keys) and Kana (guitar), Yuuki (bass), and Yuna (drums) can rock.
Want proof? Check out the YouTube Music Series live performance they did in late 2017, of their song “N.E.O.,” from their debut album Pink. It starts out simply enough, with a focus on high-pitched unison vocals and coordinated hand motions, but soon morphs into seriously churning funk, including a tasteful upper-register bass figure and wah-flavored comping—although it’s actually a Phase 90. The song grooves intensely, and that should be enough to pique the interest of serious listeners, but then comes the breakdown at the 1:30 mark, and out of nowhere they bust into borderline apocalyptic, fuzzed-out, post-punk madness.
Punk, the band’s second release, continues in that vein. It’s smiley-faced pop, but below the surface lurks a bevy of driving bass lines and heavy tones. Check out the bass groove and slick R&B fills on “Fashionista” (they farmed out the mix for this track to award-winning U.K. engineer Marta Salogni), or the crushing, phased power chords in the middle of the album opener, “Choose Go!” Even a synth-heavy song like “Curly Adventure” is propelled by a throbbing bass part—a constant throughout Punk’s 10 songs—and the guitar work is tasteful and precise. Their songwriting is tight, and slick millennial Top 40 informs their overall aesthetic, but they’re a guitar band at heart.
Chai’s idiosyncratic vocal stylings are intentional, and part of a broader cultural statement they’ve labeled “neo kawaii” in Japanese, which loosely translates as “new cute.” That concept—at least in terms of how it’s meant in Japan—parallels with Western feminist notions of self-esteem and positive body image.
“Everyone has insecurities,” the band explains by way of their translator, Rena Tyner. [Editor: Due to a language barrier and the use of a translator, it was sometimes unclear which band member was speaking during this interview.] “The concept is that, in Japan, they have a set beauty standard, which is called, ‘cute.’ Growing up, we didn’t feel like we fit into that, so we created a ‘new cute.’ Anybody who doesn’t fit into what society calls cute—anybody who doesn’t fit into what society says is attractive—can be neo kawaii. It doesn’t matter if you fit into those standards or not; we should all be considered ‘cute.’”
But cultural statements notwithstanding, our focus is music, and for that, Chai more than delivers. They’re tight and can stop on a dime, and seem to interact with each other on an almost telepathic level. (It doesn’t hurt that lead singer Mana and guitarist Kana are identical twins.) Chai’s attitude is loose and improvisatory, but they keep that contained within fixed arrangements and strong songwriting.
Chai was founded in Nagoya, Japan, a city between Tokyo and Osaka, in 2012. The band members grew up listening to J-Pop, which is homegrown Japanese pop music. They liked acts like Tokyo Jihen—a somewhat jazzy-sounding group fronted by vocalist Ringo Sheena—and the popular singer Aiko. As they got older, they became obsessed with Western bands like Basement Jaxx, Justice, Devo, and Brazilian indie-electro-rockers CSS (Cansei de Ser Sexy), which proved transformative. The influence of the latter’s bubbly aesthetic and blend of rock and synth-pop seems especially apparent in Chai.
“Most of our songs, we take from other bands as an influence, but try to imagine what we would do if we were that band,” Chai say. “This is the sound we would portray if we were that band.”
TIDBIT: Although the band recorded their second full-length album in Tokyo, they farmed out the mixes for key tracks “Fashionista” and “Curly Adventure” to top-flight mixing engineers Marta Salogni and Daniel Schlett, respectively.
Kana is Chai’s guitarist. She took piano lessons as a child and that remained her principle instrument into high school. That changed after she, her sister Mana, and Yuna, the band’s drummer, joined a music club in school, where Kana began learning guitar and the three girls came up the musical curve by performing J-Pop covers. “It was kind of like a glee club, but for music,” Kana says. “The teacher who ran the club was a guitarist and I watched him and learned from him. He basically taught me how to read music.” But becoming a guitarist professionally was almost an afterthought, even though it became her main instrument when they started the band.
Yuuki first started playing bass when she joined Chai, which, given her level of proficiency, is remarkable. “I did a little bit of piano when I was in preschool—very young, 4 or 5 years old—and didn’t do it after that,” she says. “I didn’t touch an instrument again until Chai in 2015.”
The group’s debut EP, Hottaraka Series, was released that year, which followed a string of singles and even a 2013 tour of Japan. From the outset, Chai was song-centric, and their rehearsals, even early on, were never jam sessions. Mana came up with melodies, and those melodies were the kernels that blossomed into songs. “The band pretty much started with original music,” Tyner says. “The concept for the band came later on, gradually, but originally it came from Mana’s melodies. She said, ‘Let’s work on this and make it something original.’ And it bloomed from there.”
Over time, that process became more groove oriented. When composing songs, Kana or Mana usually have a rhythm in mind, which they discuss with Yuna. They work with that groove and come up with an arrangement or outline of a song. “Once they have that, Mana sings on her own and decides how she wants it to sound chorus-wise, and Kana figures out the melody,” Tyner adds. “They do the lyrics last.”
“I just play by ear,” Yuuki explains in reference to her bass parts. “Or whatever the girls tell me to do. In general, I don’t think I have a style. Like with my slapping, I don’t have a ‘technique,’ I go by feeling.”
Kana’s instrument of choice is a Gibson ES-335, which she puts through the paces via intensive pop, rock, and funk chops, enhanced by basic overdrive and modulation pedals. Photo by Sara Amroussi-Gilissen
Their songwriting is genre-elastic as well. For example, “Boyz Seco Men,” from Pink, incorporates funk comping, heavy metal crunch, and dissonant keyboard stabs. Although they claim that diversity isn’t intentional.
“It’s not really on purpose,” Chai says. “For ‘Boyz Seco Men’ in particular, we were influenced by CSS and Red Hot Chili Peppers. It was a mixture of those two. We wanted to rock out like a Red Hot Chili Pepper, but at the same time have that CSS melody. It isn’t necessarily planned, but more like, ‘We like these two sounds, let’s see how we can make it work together.’”
That organic approach applies to their arranging and production as well. “Everything is pretty much natural, go with the flow,” they add. “We don’t want to be stuck in one genre, so we try to take different elements of what we’re influenced by, put it together, and somehow make it work. It’s a bunch of different ingredients that we throw in a pot, and whatever comes out, comes out. That’s how Yuuki writes our lyrics, too.”
Guitars
Gibson ES-335
Amps
Fender Hot Rod Deville ML 212
Effects
Ibanez TS808DX Tube Screamer Overdrive Pro
Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion
MXR Phase 90
Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail Neo Reverb
Boss CH-1 Super Chorus
Korg Pitchblack Mini Tuner
CAJ AC/DC Station IV Power Supply
Strings and Picks
D’Addario Nickel Wound (.010–.046)
Custom picks
Basses
Fender Precision
Amps
Ibanez Promethean head
Effects
None
Strings and Picks
D’Addario Nickel Wound (.045–.100)
A stock Gibson ES-335 is pretty much all Kana uses with Chai. “I like the Gibson for the look and the sound,” she says. “I bought it on my own and I don’t play another guitar. The label gave me a Stratocaster, but mainly I stick to the Gibson.” She uses a modest pedalboard that gives her multiple gain stages and minimal modulation, and she plugs into a Michael Landau signature Fender Hot Rod Deville. Although, when touring anywhere other than Japan, the band always rents amps.
Chai’s recorded output sounds polished and tight, although they insist their approach to recording is as laid-back and direct as their songwriting. Most of the tracking is done live, and they try to record in full takes. “We do about five or six takes per song and we can usually get it done in one shot,” they say. “We always play the songs straight through, without stopping. Although when it comes to the vocals, we overdub those later.”
Punk, the follow-up to Chai’s 2017 debut album, Pink, was recorded in Tokyo at Studio Somewhere. It’s a small place and they chose it because of its relaxed vibe. “It’s not a famous studio,” they say. “Other famous musicians haven’t recorded there, but we like it because it has a really good home feel.”
Most of the album was mixed in Tokyo, too, by Shu Imamoto, who also engineered the sessions. The band worked on a few tracks with bigger-name Western engineers to add contrast and color. “Fashionista” mixer Marta Salogni has worked with Björk, Frank Ocean, and Holly Herndon, for example, and for “Curly Adventure” they brought in Brooklyn-based engineer Daniel Schlett (Ghostface Killah, Steve Gunn, DIIV).
Chai is particular about their live sound, and even in smaller venues they spend a lot of time at soundcheck. “Last September we opened for Superorganism in the U.K. and only got about 30 minutes,” they say. “But we started doing headlining shows in the U.S. last year and can now spend over an hour in soundcheck.” Although when playing showcases, like at South by Southwest, that type of focus isn’t possible. “When we have a time constraint, we play Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky’—except that we call it, ‘Soundcheck Lucky.’ If we can do that song perfectly, then we know we can do everything else right. That’s our go-to soundcheck song for when there’s no time.”
The band has been playing stages throughout Europe and the U.S., and the reaction has been consistently positive. “The only place that’s different is Japan,” they say. “American people are so warm and welcoming, they just scream even if they don’t know us at all. We love that about America’s energy. In the U.K., we were the opening act, which could have played a part, so at first they were a little quiet, but eventually they go crazy and wild, too. But in Japan, most people just listen. They watch and they all do the same hand movement—that fist pump, ‘Jersey Shore’ thing. We want to see them enjoy it, which is what we like about American audiences. People dance if they want to dance and do whatever they want to do.” Nonetheless, Japan remains their stronghold, in large part due to the video for “N.E.O.,” which was a viral sensation in the island nation.
Yuuki plays a Fender P bass and is a major part of Chai’s propulsive, percolating sound, laying down core riffs and exploring funk and R&B textures. Photo by Sara Amroussi-Gilissen
When Chai played South by Southwest for the third time this spring, they followed that gig with a string of U.S. dates. They return to the States in July to play the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago. They’re signed to Sony in Japan, although their albums are released in the U.S. by the indie label Burger Records, who were intrigued after seeing Chai’s epic video for “Boyz Seco Men,” which is campy and strongly channels Devo.
With killer chops, an original and recombinant musical personality, and a flair for the visual, Chai is a complete package. Their image is hyperactive and positive, their message is important, and their musicality first-rate. For serious music nerds, they’re a secret hiding in plain sight.
With matching traffic cone hats and uniforms, Chai’s video for “Boyz Seco Men” visually channels Devo, but the arrangement is an interesting mash-up of punk, funk, and pop, with flashes of grinding guitar and popping bass.
MayFly Le Habanero Review
Great versatility in combined EQ controls. Tasty low-gain boost voice. Muscular Fuzz Face-like fuzz voice.
Can be noisy without a lot of treble attenuation. Boost and fuzz order can only be reversed with the internal DIP switch.
$171
May Fly Le Habanero
A fuzz/boost combo that’s as hot as the name suggests, but which offers plenty of smoky, subdued gain shades, too.
Generally speaking, I avoid combo effects. If I fall out of love with one thing, I don’t want to have to ditch another that’s working fine. But recent fixations with spatial economy find me rethinking that relationship. MayFly’s Le Habanero (yes, the Franco/Spanish article/noun mash-up is deliberate) consolidates boost and fuzz in a single pedal. That’s far from an original concept. But the characteristics of both effects make it a particularly effective one here, and the relative flexibility and utility of each gives this combination a lot more potential staying power for the fickle.
“Le Habanero’s fuzz circuit has a deep switch that adds a little extra desert-rock woof.”
The fuzz section has a familiar Fuzz Face-like tone profile—a little bit boomy and very present in that buzzy mid-’60s, midrangey kind of way. But Le Habanero’s fuzz circuit has a deep switch that adds a little extra desert-rock woof (especially with humbuckers) and an effective filter switch that enhances the fuzz’s flexibility—especially when used with the boost. The boost is a fairly low-gain affair. Even at maximum settings, it really seems to excite desirable high-mid harmonics more than it churns out dirt. That’s a good thing, particularly when you introduce hotter settings from the boost’s treble and bass controls, which extend the boost’s voice from thick and smoky to lacerating. Together, the boost and fuzz can be pushed to screaming extremes. But the interactivity between the tone and filter controls means you can cook up many nuanced fuzz shades spanning Jimi scorch and Sabbath chug with tons of cool overtone and feedback colors.
Significantly smaller and lighter than original TAE. Easy to configure and operate. Great value. Streamlined control set.
Air Feel Level control takes the place of more surgical and realistic resonance controls. Seventy watts less power in onboard power amp. No Bluetooth connectivity with desktop app.
$699
Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander Core
Boss streamlines the size, features, and price of the already excellent Waza Tube Expander with little sacrifice in functionality.
Many of our younger selves would struggle to understand the urge—indeed, the need—to play quieter. My first real confrontation with this ever-more-present reality arrived when Covid came to town. For many months, I could only sneak into my studio space late at night to jam or review anything loud. Ultimately, the thing that made it possible to create and do my job in my little apartment was a reactive load box (in this case, a Universal Audio OX). I set up a Bassman head next to my desk and, with the help of the OX, did the work of a gear editor as well as recorded several very cathartic heavy jams, with the Bassman up to 10, that left my neighbors none the wiser.
Boss’ firstWaza Tube Amp Expander, built with an integrated power amp that enables boosted signal as well as attenuated sounds, was and remains the OX’s main competition. Both products have copious merits but, at $1,299 (Boss) and $1,499 (Universal Audio), each is expensive. And while both units are relatively compact, they aren’t gear most folks casually toss in a backpack on the way out the door. The new Waza Tube Expander Core, however, just might be. And though it sacrifices some refinements for smaller size, its much-more accessible price and strong, streamlined fundamental capabilities make it a load-box alternative that could sway skeptics.
Micro Manager
The TAE Core is around 7 1/2" wide, just over 7 " long, and fewer than 4 " tall, including the rubber feet. That’s about half the width of an original TAE or OX. The practical upside of this size reduction is obvious and will probably compel a lot of players to use the unit in situations in which they’d leave a full-size TAE at home. The streamlined design is another source of comfort. With just five knobs on its face, the TAE Core has fewer controls and is easier to use than many stompboxes. In fact, the most complicated part of integrating the TAE Core to your rig might be downloading the necessary drivers and related apps.
Connectivity is straightforward, though there are some limitations. You can use TAE Core wirelessly with an iOS or Windows tablet or smartphone, as long as you have the BT-DUAL adaptor (which is not included and sets you back around 40 bucks). However, while desktop computers recognize the TAE Core as a Bluetooth-enabled device, you cannot use the unit wirelessly with those machines. Instead, you have to connect the TAE Core via USB. In a perfectly ordered world, that’s not a big problem. But if you use the TAE Core in a small studio—where one less cable is one less headache—or you prefer to interface with the TAE Core app on a desktop where you can toggle fast and easily between large, multi-track sessions and the app, the inability to work wirelessly on a desktop can be a distraction. The upside is that the TAE Core app itself is, functionally and visually, almost identical in mobile and desktop versions, enabling you to select and drag and drop virtual microphones into position, add delay, reverb, compression, and EQ effects, choose various cabinets with different speaker configurations and sizes, and introduce new rigs and impulse responses to a tone recipe in a flash. And though the TAE Core app lacks some of the photorealistic panache and configuration options in the OX app, the TAE Core’s app is just as intuitive.Less Is More
One nice thing about the TAE Core’s more approachable $699 price is that you don’t have to feel too bad on nights that you “underutilize” the unit and employ it as an attenuator alone. In this role, the TAE Core excels. Even significantly attenuated sounds retain the color and essence of the source tone. Like any attenuator-type device, you will sacrifice touch sensitivity and dynamics at a certain volume level, yielding a sense of disconnection between fingers, gut, guitar, and amp. But if you’re tracking “big” sounds in a small space, you can generate massive-sounding ones without interfacing with an amp modeler and flat-response monitors, which is a joy in my book. And again, there’s the TAE Core’s ability to “expand” as well as attenuate, which means you can use the TAE Core’s 30-watt onboard power amp to amplify the signal from, say, a 5-watt Fender Champion 600 with a 6" speaker, route it to a 2x12, 4x12, or virtual equivalent in the app, and leave your bandmate with the Twin Reverb and bad attitude utterly perplexed.
The Verdict
Opting for the simpler, thriftier TAE Core requires a few sacrifices. Power users that grew accustomed to the original TAE’s super-tunable “resonance-Z” and “presence-Z” controls, which aped signal-chain impedance relationships with sharp precision, will have to make do with the simpler but still very effective stack and combo options and the “air feel level” spatial ambience control.The DC power jack is less robust. It features only MIDI-in rather than MIDI-in/-through/-out jacks, and, significantly, 70 watts less power in the onboard power amp. But from my perspective, the Core is no less “professional” in terms of what it can achieve on a stage or in a studio of any size. Its more modest feature set and dimensions are, in my estimation, utility enhancements as much as limitations. If greater power and MIDI connectivity are essentials, then the extra 600 bones for the original TAE will be worth the price. For many of us, though, the mix of value, operational efficiencies, and the less-encumbered path to sound creation built into the TAE Core will represent a welcome sweet spot that makes dabbling in this very useful technology an appealing, practical proposition.
IK Multimedia is pleased to announce the release of new premium content for all TONEX users, available today through the IK Product Manager.
The latest TONEX Factory Content v2 expands the creative arsenal with a brand-new collection of Tone Models captured at the highest quality and presets optimized for live performance. TONEX Tone Models are unique captures of rigs dialed into a specific sweet spot. TONEX presets are used for performance and recording, combining Tone Models with added TONEX FX, EQ, and compression.
Who Gets What:
TONEX Pedal
- 150 crafted presets matched to 150 Premium Tone Models
- A/B/C layout for instant access to clean, drive, and lead tones
- 30 Banks: Amp & cab presets from classic cleans to crushing high-gain
- 5 Banks: FX-driven presets featuring the 8 new TONEX FX
- 5 Banks: Amp-only presets for integrating external IRs, VIR™, or amps
- 5 Banks: Stompbox presets of new overdrive/distortion pedals
- 5 Banks: Bass amp & pedal presets to cover and bass style
TONEX Mac/PC
- 106 new Premium Tone Models + 9 refined classics for TONEX MAX
- 20 new Premium Tone Models for TONEX and TONEX SE
TONEX ONE
- A selection of 20 expertly crafted presets from the list above
- Easy to explore and customize with the new TONEX Editor
Gig-ready Tones
For the TONEX Pedal, the first 30 banks deliver an expansive range of amp & cab tones, covering everything from dynamic cleans to brutal high-gain distortion. Each bank features legendary amplifiers paired with cabs such as a Marshall 1960, ENGL E412V, EVH 412ST and MESA Boogie 4x12 4FB, ensuring a diverse tonal palette. For some extremely high-gain tones, these amps have been boosted with classic pedals like the Ibanez TS9, MXR Timmy, ProCo RAT, and more, pushing them into new sonic territories.
Combined with New FX
The following 5 banks of 15 presets explore the depth of TONEX's latest effects. There's everything from the rich tremolo on a tweed amp to the surf tones of the new Spring 4 reverb. Users can also enjoy warm tape slapback with dotted 8th delays or push boundaries with LCR delay configurations for immersive, stereo-spanning echoes. Further, presets include iconic flanger sweeps, dynamic modulation, expansive chorus, stereo panning, and ambient reverbs to create cinematic soundscapes.
Versatile Control
The TONEX Pedal's A, B, and C footswitches make navigating these presets easy. Slot A delivers clean, smooth tones, Slot B adds crunch and drive, and Slot C pushes into high-gain or lead territory. Five dedicated amp-only banks provide a rich foundation of tones for players looking to integrate external IRs or run directly into a power amp. These amp-only captures span clean, drive, and high-gain categories, offering flexibility to sculpt the sound further with IRs or a real cab.
Must-have Stompboxes
TONEX Pedals are ideal for adding classic effects to any pedalboard. The next 5 banks focus on stompbox captures, showcasing 15 legendary overdrive, distortion, and fuzz pedals. This collection includes iconic models based on the Fulltone Full-Drive 2, Marshall DriveMaster, Maxon OD808, Klon Centaur, ProCo RAT, and more.
For Bass Players, Too
The last 5 banks are reserved for bass players, including a selection of amp & cab Tone Models alongside a few iconic pedals. Specifically, there are Tone Models based on the Ampeg SVT-2 PRO, Gallien-Krueger 800RB, and Aguilar DB750, alongside essential bass pedals based on the Tech21 SansAmp, Darkglass B7K and EHX Big Muff. Whether it's warm vintage thump, modern punch, or extreme grit, these presets ensure that bassists have the depth, clarity and power they need for any playing style.For more information and instructions on how to get the new Factory
Content v2 for TONEX, please visit:
www.ikmultimedia.com/products/tonex
Alongside Nicolas Jaar’s electronics, Harrington creates epic sagas of sound with a team of fine-tuned pedalboards.
Guitarist Dave Harrington concedes that while there are a few mile markers in the music that he and musician Nicolas Jaar create as Darkside, improvisation has been the rule from day one. The experimental electronic trio’s latest record, Nothing, which released in February on Matador, was the first to feature new percussionist Tlacael Esparza.
Taking the record on tour this year, Darkside stopped in at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl, where Harrington broke down his complex signal chains for PG’s Chris Kies.
Brought to you by D’Addario.
Express Yourself
Harrington bought this mid-2000s Gibson SG at 30th Street Guitars in New York, a shop he used to visit as a kid. The headstock had already been broken and repaired, and Harrington switched the neck pickup to a Seymour Duncan model used by Derek Trucks. Harrington runs it with D’Addario NYXL .010s, which he prefers for their stretch and stability.
The standout feature is a round knob installed by his tech behind the bridge, which operates like an expression pedal for the Line 6 DL4. Harrington has extras on hand in case one breaks.
Triple Threat
Harrington’s backline setup in Nashville included two Fender Twin Reverbs and one Fender Hot Rod DeVille. He likes the reissue Fender amps for their reliability and clean headroom. Each amp handles an individual signal, including loops that Harrington creates and plays over; with each amp handling just one signal rather than one handling all loops and live playing, there’s less loss of definition and competition for frequency space.
Dave Harrington’s Pedalboards
Harrington says he never gives up on a pedal, which could explain why he’s got so many. You’re going to have to tune in to the full Rundown to get the proper scoop on how Harrington conducts his three-section orchestra of stomps, but at his feet, he runs a board with a Chase Bliss Habit, Mu-Tron Micro-Tron IV, Eventide PitchFactor, Eventide H90, Hologram Microcosm, Hologram Chroma Console, Walrus Monument, Chase Bliss Thermae, Chase Bliss Brothers AM, JHS NOTAKLÖN, two HexeFX reVOLVERs, and an Amped Innovations JJJ Special Harmonics Extender. A Strymon Ojai provides power.
At hip-level sits a board with a ZVEX Mastotron, Electro-Harmonix Cathedral, EHX Pitch Fork, Xotic EP Booster, two EHX 45000 multi-track looping recorders, Walrus Slöer, Expedition Electronics 60 Second Deluxe, and another Hologram Microcosm. A Live Wire Solutions ABY Box and MXR DC Brick are among the utility tools on deck.
Under that board rest Harrington’s beloved Line 6 DL4—his desert-island, must-have pedal—along with a controller for the EHX 45000, Boss FV-50H volume pedal, Dunlop expression pedal, Boss RT-20, a Radial ProD2, and another MXR DC Brick.