Genre-Bending Influences with the Katayanagi Twins

Words and Photos by Ben Kirilo (he/him) 

Last weekend, the Katayanagi Twins took the stage at Jim Beam Homegrown, travelling all the way from Avondale, Auckland. DJ Fine China and Rain have taken to the stage at some of Aotearoa’s biggest festivals, including FOMO, Festival X, Splore, Northern Bass, RNV, Bay Dreams, Homegrown, Plane Sailing, Britomart Block Party, and Le Currents. The pair take to the decks together and mix sick sets with insane chemistry. We sat down and talked about some of their influences.

I asked them if they could only listen to five artists for the rest of their lives, who would they be? All these artists are unique in their sound, as are the Twins. You can definitely see the genre-bending inspiration that is so essential to their act—blending all kinds of music so the whole crowd is on their feet grooving. 

After some deliberation and about 20 honourable mentions, China made a crazy mix for a top five. 

  1. Deftones: Their number one pick needs no introduction, blending metal, alt-rock, and shoegaze. They’ve been producing quality albums for nearly 30 years now.

  2. Thundercat: Their sound can be described as a neo-soul blend of jazz, funk, and soul. He has had a huge influence in the hip hop scene, working with artists such as Kendrick Lamar and Mac Miller, and has produced three incredible full-length solo projects.

  3. SoFaygo: An emerging artist belonging to the ‘pluggnb’ scene—a unique subgenre of rap that blends R&B, trap, and hip hop that was born from the SoundCloud scene. SoFaygo is a growing name in hip hop, along with similar pluggnb artists such as Destroy Lonely.

  4. Flying Lotus: Flying Lotus is a Los Angeles-based producer that blends hip hop, electronic, and neo-soul jazz. Closely associated with Thundercat, Flying Lotus is another example of an artist that uniquely combines genre and sound.

  5. Tame Impala: Needing no introduction to anyone who has listened to music in the past 5 years, the Australian multi-instrumentalist has been hugely successful with his unique sound that borrows from psychedelic rock, pop, and electronica.

As for Rain’s list of who she couldn’t live without:

  1. Lancey Foux: The UK-based rapper's experimental, avant-garde sound has caught the attention of the Twins. His ability to blend different genres and push boundaries has surely inspired the duo to experiment with their sound and combine more UK sounds.

  2. Frank Ocean: Frank Ocean's introspective lyrics and dreamy R&B sound have had a significant impact on the Twins' approach to mixing different genres of music. His ability to seamlessly blend elements of hip-hop, soul, and electronic music can be heard in the Twins' sets.

  3. A$AP ANT: The Baltimore-based A$AP Mob rapper's trap sound is uniquely dreamy and melodic.

  4. Pierce The Veil: The San Diego-based rock band boasts a signature mix of post-hardcore, pop punk, and metal.

  5. Toro y Moi: Known for his chill electronic sound, Toro y Moi has collaborated with artists like Flume. Tracks like ‘The Difference’ definitely work crowds as the Twins travel New Zealand performing at festival after festival.

If you are looking for some new music to jam while walking up the hill to campus, check these artists out if you aren’t familiar with them! The Katayanagi Twins aren’t done after Homegrown. Just this week, they have been added to the Mardi Gras festival line ups in Queenstown and Ohakune. Make sure to check them out on Instagram at @katayanagitwins. You didn’t hear from me, but they have a top secret announcement later this month!


Ben Kirilo