Recently resonating with the Thai indie scene, the band ผ้าอ้อม99999 is making strides under their unique banner of “Junk Pop.” After leaving a massive impact at the 2023 “Senko Riot,” we delve into the true identity of a group that chaotically bridges internet culture with the reality of daily life.
– First, please tell us the origin of your band name. The name ผ้าอ้อม99999 is highly unique; how did you decide on it?
ผ้าอ้อม99999: When we applied for Senko Riot, I thought the judges wouldn’t pay attention to an ordinary name, so I suggested using something other than Japanese or English alphabets to stand out. I was torn between Arabic and Thai, but since I love Thai food, I went with Thai, indulging in the delusion that “maybe if we get famous, we can play live in Thailand.” At first, it had no meaning; we just chose it for its visual appearance and phonetic feel.
–Afterwards, you actually performed at the Thai music festival “Maho Rasop” and formed connections with the local scene. Was there a moment when the name served as a catalyst to connect with Thai culture?
ผ้าอ้อม99999: At first, we just wanted to stand out, and we actually planned to disband after “Senko Riot.” But when we decided to keep the band going, we seriously started thinking, “It would be great if we could properly learn about Thai culture and connect with the local scene.” To be honest, I’m not sure if the locals found the name amusing, but I like to think we were chosen because of that initial impact combined with our musical performance.
An Ever-Changing Entity. The Essence of “Junk Pop”
– You call your genre “Junk Pop” and describe it as “positively swallowing up various scattered fragments.” Could you elaborate on this concept of “positivity”?
ผ้าอ้อม99999: The cycle of internet culture is incredibly fast right now; even with a single meme, you can’t keep up unless you understand its context and roots. And those contexts themselves are constantly being rewritten and forgotten.
What we value in our Junk Pop style is enjoying those very contexts that keep shifting and breaking down. Rather than lamenting the loss of context, we embrace the process of it weathering and collapsing. It’s not about denying the roots, but being drawn to memes as “entities whose meanings are constantly changing.”
– You’ve openly acknowledged the influence of internet memes and MAD videos, but what kind of things did you actually grow up watching?
ผ้าอ้อม99999: Video games were banned in my house, so I spent all my time browsing the internet on a laptop I got in my third year of junior high. I loved Nico Nico Douga, 2channel summary sites, and anime heavy on homages like “Sgt. Frog” and “Gintama.” Even now, I still look up their original references. It’s an unorthodox way of discovering things—listening to the remix first and then looking up the original source.
Swallowing the Stress of Real Life: Information Overload and Reality
– I’d also like to ask about your musical roots. Which artists have influenced you?
ผ้าอ้อม99999: I got interested in electronic music after listening to Sakanaction in elementary school. After that, it was DALLJUB STEP CLUB. I was drawn to the mundane gap between them playing club sounds as a band while having lyrics like “The Yayoiken Song.” I’m also influenced by artists like SUSHIBOYS and Dongurizu, where the tracks go hard but the lyrics are just messing around.
– Regarding your music production process, do you decide on a concept first?
ผ้าอ้อม99999: I usually make the tracks first. I’ll think, “This sound reminds me of this, so let’s go with this theme.” For example, I made “Isogashimangmō-mō, Isogashimangmō” when I was struggling as a busy part-timer, thinking, “This is a restless song, so let’s make the agony of a part-time job the theme.” It’s just a “lame reality” where I’d get yelled at, but perhaps that ended up acting in a hip-hop sort of way.
From the Momentum of Senko Riot to a Giant Stage in the Desert
– From “Senko Riot” to the present, how have your ambitions as a band changed?
ผ้าอ้อม99999: That Senko Riot was the first one held since COVID, and the age limit had been raised to 23, so my feeling was just, “It’d be cool if we could gather the oldest guys and win purely on momentum.” But after getting reactions on the internet, our ambitions grew significantly. To cut to the chase, our current goal is to play at Coachella. We want to perform there so badly.
– What was it like working with the legendary engineer, Illicit Tsuboi（イリシット・ツボイ）?
ผ้าอ้อม99999: The tracks I make just have an overwhelming amount of sounds, but thanks to Mr. Tsuboi making the brave choices of “what to keep and what to cut,” we were able to strike a good balance between junk and pop. I feel like it sparked a great chemical reaction.
Cherishing the Absence of Meaning. The “Junk” Symbolized by the Kurimatsu Meme
– I imagine you also collaborate with external creators, such as 3D animators, for your visual aspects. How do you construct your visuals?
ผ้าอ้อม99999: We have meetings, of course, but rather than deciding on specific keywords, we spend more time talking about memes we recently found funny or cultures we like.
– By the way, are there any memes that have left a particularly strong impression on you lately?
ผ้าอ้อม99999: Within what I can say, it would be the meme made overseas where Kurimatsu from “Inazuma Eleven” is roughly collaged.
The pop music of chaos and affirmation painted by ผ้าอ้อม99999. It is like a modern ritual that swallows countless fragments of information and sublimates them into new contexts. Their gaze is directed straight from their part-time jobs in Yokohama to a giant stage in the desert.