Tbilisi-based Japanese experimental duo heavenphetamine released their debut studio album The Sun on A Winter Day in early 2025. We talked to Hiroki and Sara before their Ankara concert at Tenedos Pub on February 28. Now, after numerous delays, we present our conversation to you.
You have been coming to Turkey for concerts a lot, probably because you’re based in Georgia, they are geographical neighbors. Do you like Turkey, or do you simply find concerts here easier to arrange?
Hiroki: Turkey is really complicated, especially in politics. It’s the same as most countries. Turkey for me is really extreme, because the good people are so good, so kind, but bad people are so bad and disgusting. It’s like hell and heaven and this gap is so big, and it’s hard to say if I like it or not. Some parts are really lovely though.
In a world that is getting progressively worse, I feel like part of heavenphetime’s legacy is that you are building your own community. You are constantly on the road, getting to know people and building your own secure, global home.
Hiroki: Yeah, exactly. We are creating a new community that I believe in and yes, that’s one of the purposes of our tour. Of course, we don’t have much money, but we have so many good connections with the good people around Europe, in Ukraine, in Turkey, in Georgia, and many other countries. I’m sure that will help us in a good way. I don’t know when or how, but this community is our insurance.
The title of your first studio album, The Sun On A Winter Day, also reflects your connective spirit. You are making people dance through the dark times.
Hiroki: Yeah, that’s the point. I don’t know the English word to explain this, but it’s a theme of my art, of our songs: The two sides of everything: bad and good, or light and dark. It’s all included in our music. If you find something beautiful, it must have something ugly inside, it should be. So if something is just beautiful, it’s fake to me. The title reflects that concept.
David Lynch would approve that sentiment so much. That’s basically his perspective on life.
Hiroki: Maybe some parts of our art are inspired by him. And we are talking about this in front of a red curtain. (all laugh)
Looks like the Black Lodge, right?
Hiro: Yes.
You recorded your first album with Ukrainian musicians Kira Krempova and Yevhenii Korol. That makes them sort of a part of the band now, but I think that you work more as a collective, right?
Hiro: We toured with them, and we didn’t decide yet how to sort out our relationship. After the tour we had some conflict, and we decided to quit touring. Sometimes we play together with Kira, but with Yevhenii, we are on different perspectives, so we decided to not play together.
How deep are you involved in the synthesizer world, Hiro? Do you have synthesizers other than the Nord you use on stage?
Hiro: We don’t have an easy life style, and it’s impossible to bring another synthesizer into that. I have a small synth called Microkorg in Japan, but I left it there and now I have only one. But it’s enough for me. I’m not a person who can control many things at the same time. I’m more of a fun-loving guy. That’s all I can manage.
In a way, I think it’s better to have less stuff, because if you have the resources to buy everything, when will you learn all of them, right?
Hiro: Yeah.
You perform in a really transformative, hypnotic way. Are there other bands/artists who live performances you find to be transformative?
Sara: I don’t know.
Hiroki: Our favorite band is Primal Scream. Sometimes they are jamming in that way.
Sara: LCD Soundsystem too.
As a band who is constantly on the road, have you ever stopped at a place and thought, “Oh, this could be our permanent home in the future”?
Hiroki: Actually, we thought that in Sofia, Bulgaria. We tried to get a visa there, but we failed, because we didn’t have enough time to prepare. Maybe in the future we will try again. That city was really nice. The size, the people, the food. Everything fits us somehow.
I am happy you didn’t say Turkey. (all laugh)
Hiroki: Turkey is a good place for travelling.
Yeah, but not for living.
Sara: (laughs)
Hiroki: Especially Istanbul. We lived right next to Tokyo. I know about big city life, and it’s so stressful and we are so tired of it. The population and traffic is always chaotic.
Sara: Sometimes we like chaos, but having that everyday is depressing. (laughs)
Which city do you like better, Istanbul or Ankara?
Sara: I don’t really know Ankara. We only visited the university three years ago and here today. We have been here for only 12 hours, so we don’t really know Ankara, we couldn’t really explore it. Maybe next time.
I very recently moved to Berlin. I have conflicted feelings about forming a new life. As Turkey is the country I lived in my entire life, I have so many connections with it. On the other hand, Germany, like most of the world, suffers from a sh.tty political discourse, but for now, it’s a much more livable place than Turkey. That doesn’t stop me from missing my friends and family. To what extent do you miss your own hometown?
Hiroki: My hometown is not exactly Tokyo, it’s more in the countryside. It’s calmer with a mountain, good air and water. Sometimes I miss that, but it’s also very boring. There is no culture. For example, Berlin has a very central culture in Europe, so it’s always fascinating. But yeah, I’m always missing nature.
Sara: It’s kind of a dilemma.
Yeah, moving on to a new chapter can lead to some melancholy toward the past. But I also really like stepping onto new chapters.
Hiroki: Yeah. We like it as well, as you know.
How is your life in Tbilisi going? Would you say you have a more settled life in general right now?
Hiroki: Yes, definitely. Japanese society wasn’t really our style. I love Japan and Japanese food, and I’m proud of the country. But the social pressure is really strong and it’s really hard to live as an underground artist. After we moved to Tbilisi, we didn’t have a proper job. We did only music, so we could use all resources into music, and as you know, we survived, and now we are making some money and we can continue this journey. That’s impossible in Japan.
Let’s imagine we’re at a Musicians Theme Park 100 years from now, where every artist or band featured has their own memorial stone with a certain lyric by them written on it. Which one of your lyrics would you like to see written on heavenphetamine’s stone?
Sara: (laughs)
Hiroki: That’s an interesting question. If I choose from this album, it would be the lyrics to “KEMONO”.
You can check out heavenphetamine’s Bandcamp profile here.
