NEGA interview in Cure vol. 30 (Jan 2006)
Interview Summary
The band started out in December 2004 with just Jin and RAY who recorded an initial demo and distributed to fans on their homepage. Yuu joined around June 2005 and in July they held their first live.
When RAY was looking for a drummer he scouted various live houses with Jin and they took an interest in Yuu. The bassist for the band that Yuu was currently in at the time told them someone from the band was interested in NEGA and when they met up it turned out to be Yuu. Yuu had seen the band’s HP, noted they were from the same area and liked their style.
Jin says the band’s name explores the sides of ourselves that aren’t shown to others in daily life. He says it’s about the struggles we have when we are alone, those parts we keep inside. As for the image associated with the sound of "Nega," he says it’s up to individual interpretation.
The band also talks about their mini album, “THE Faded Film of a Japanese Sadness.” Jin says the protagonist in the lyrics is based off of his own personal experiences and expands from there. The point of view is expressed like a film or movie. The opening track starts with the sounds of a film projector and listening through the album you can visualize the character following their memories on the film.
During this time the band did not yet have an official guitarist and used a support guitarist.
Ray says their lives are driven purely by “raw emotional exchange,” giving the audience total freedom to react however they want. Meanwhile, Jin admits he goes into a completely "unconscious state" when he's performing.
Very intense! I loved this band so much back in the day
