BOOM BOOM SATELLITES is, if you could imagine it, is exactly the right word to describe their musical direction. A combination of fast electric vibes and rock, they’ve paved the way for electronic rock in Japan since 2000, with projects including work from Appleseed, Vexille, and now the anime Xam’d: Lost Memories. But more than anime and film, they’re known for their amazing live performances, which when coupled with artists like Moby and Underworld, makes for a truly unique experience.

Inspired by grunge and punk, take a look into the mind of Masayuki Nakano and Michiyuki Kawashima through our exclusive interview after the jump. Or better yet, take a sample from their newest album, Exposed, already out for digital distribution.

NYT: Your music is often called “dance rock.” Is one of the two elements more important to the other and how do they play a role in creating your unique style of music?
BBS: It doesn’t have to be particularly dance or rock. In Japan, both rock and dance music are 100% imported forms of culture. Thanks to that, we were exposed to many genres from the US and the UK, as well as being part of a generation that experienced the peak of grunge and the U.K’s Manchester Movement at the same time. This openness influenced us to view rock as part of dance music.

NYT: The new album is relatively short at 42 minutes, with each song flowing into each other nicely. What was the thinking behind making a shorter, succinct album?
BBS: When we were making LPs, our album was about 50 minutes long and enjoyable as a piece of art by listening it through. We are in a time where the individual songs are more important and albums are made with that in mind. In the midst of all that, we are still trying to create a perspective through an album as a whole. It is against the times, but we think it is the best way to do it.

NYT: You helped composed the soundtrack for Appleseed, which was a pretty popular movie here along with the movie’s main theme song “Dive for You” which BBS made. What was the impact of working on a project like Appleseed for BBS and how did it affect creating music for a project like that?
BBS: Appleseed was a film that used unique visual techniques, so composing a song for that was exciting, but we were also nervous since it was our first experience. We are honored to contribute music to such a unique world view. Influenced by the quality of the film, we were pushed to perfect the music.

NYT: You are both Japanese, yet you sing in English - why?
BBS: There aren’t many Japanese artists who work outside of Japan, but from the beginning we had the intention of working in Europe and America, so we wanted to sing in a common language. Listening to foreign artists is why we started playing music in the first place, so when we decided to create our own music, singing in English was our natural option.

NYT: The single for the new album, “Shut Up and Explode” is the theme for “Xam’d: Lost Memories,” the first title being released on PlayStation Network’s video download service - how did you get involved with this project and what are your thoughts on doing the theme song for another anime?
BBS: The director knew about us from before, and he personally wanted us to compose the opening theme. Since we have done several theme songs for animation films before, we were worried if our image is becoming a band that only does animation themes. But when we saw the story line, character design and the trailer, we decided to go for it.

Interview by Hilson Reidpath @ NYT
Translation by Kenta Yonesaka