 | Thisbiography of a living personneeds additionalcitations forverification. Please help by addingreliable sources.Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced orpoorly sourcedmust be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentiallylibelous. Find sources: "Yuka Honda" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(February 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Yuka Honda | |
|---|---|
 Honda performing with Cibo Matto in Argentina in 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 本田ゆか (Honda Yuka) |
| Genres | Electronic music,experimental,improvisation |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, record producer, composer,remixer |
| Instrument(s) | Piano, keyboards, synthesizers,samplers, guitar, bass,harpsichord, organ, vocals |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Labels | Tzadik Records |
| Formerly of | Cibo Matto,Plastic Ono Band,Dopo Yume,Butter 08 |
Yuka Honda (本田ゆか,Honda Yuka) is a Japanese-American musician who resides inNew York City. She is a multi-instrumentalist (mainly piano, synthesizer, sampler and other keyboards), composer, record producer, and co-founder of the bandCibo Matto.[1][2] Throughout her career, she has collaborated with a diverse array of musicians, includingPetra Haden,Sean Lennon,Mike Watt,Nels Cline,Tricky,Harper Simon,Beastie Boys,Los Lobos,Brooklyn Funk Essentials,Mitchell Froom,Medeski Martin & Wood,Marc Ribot,Yoshimi P-We,Arto Lindsay,Edie Brickell,Vincent Gallo,Luscious Jackson,Dave Douglas,Bernie Worrell, andCaetano Veloso.[1][2]
Honda was born inTokyo, Japan and spent a few years of her childhood inGermany andDenmark.[3] She went to school inAix-en-Provence, France then moved toNew York City in November 1986. She had some classical training in her childhood but never thought that she would become a musician. When she came toNew York, she was writing for aJapanese food magazine.
In 1988 she hit her first stage atCBGB's as a keyboard player withGreg Cohen and Michael Blair. In 1989, she started the band "The Flaming Hoops" with boyfriend, then husband Dougie Bowne, E.J. Rodriguez, andErik Sanko and recorded a self-titled album on which she plays a duet withMichael Brecker. In 1990 she joinedJazz Passengers in their musical play "Jazz Passengers in Egypt", and she appeared in their live albumLive at Knitting Factory. She also joined a live hip-hop band "Rhythm Method", then a funk bandBrooklyn Funk Essentials, but her main focus was the band she started with husband Dougie Bowne andMarc Anthony Thompson, Hope Is a Muscle. In 1992, she playedQueen Elizabeth Hall in South Bank, London, supportingArto Lindsay along withMarc Ribot,Bernie Worrell, andBrian Eno.
In 1993 Honda metMiho Hatori while working with the band Leitoh Lychee.[1] The two formed their own band,Cibo Matto, in March 1994. The unique formation of the band in which Hatori was the singer who sang all the songs in relation to food and love, and Honda was the only instrumentalist where she played live electronics and made the sound of a full band, generated a quick sensation in the city, and they signed the record deal withWarner Brothers before the year was over. In 1995, they recorded their debut albumViva! La Woman withMitchell Froom andTchad Blake. That year they met Russell Simins when they opened forBlues Explosion, and started the bandButter 08 withMike Mills,Evan Bernard, and Rick Lee. Honda produced their self-titled album with Simins. BothCibo Matto andButter 08 released their albums in 1996.
She was in a romantic relationship withSean Lennon from 1996 to 2000 and produced his 1998 albumInto the Sun. The two met when Honda remixedYoko Ono's song "Talking to the Universe" (from the albumRising), along withThurston Moore,Tricky,Beastie Boys andWeen. Cibo Matto invited Lennon andTimo Ellis to join the band as they started to tour frequently. From 1996 to 2000, Honda toured extensively with all three of these projects.
Also in 1996, Cibo Matto worked with the film directorMichel Gondry on their singleSugar Water, a highly artistic music video in the form of a visualpalindrome.
Cibo Matto broke up in the year 2001. Honda's work since then seems to be concentrated more in the downtown New York scene, working with musicians such asDave Douglas,Susie Ibarra,Vincent Gallo,Trevor Dunn,Jim O'Rourke, andJohn Zorn, for whose labelTzadik Honda recorded her two solo albums. In 2003, Honda collaborated withBoredoms drummerYoshimi P-We, under the nameYoshimi and Yuka.
In 2005, Honda worked forHal Willner atExpo 2005 for the3D animation which was directed byRobert Wilson. She also sang on the Dopo Yume albumThe Secret Show.
In 2006 Honda played keyboards on Sean Lennon's albumFriendly Fire and acted as musical director for the supporting tour.
In 2007 she co-producedIrina Lazareanu withSean Lennon. She also wrote songs and recorded withEdie Brickell on her new albumThe Heavy Circles.
In 2009 she worked on Yoko Ono'sBetween My Head and the Sky as assistant producer. She is also credited with mixing the album with Yoko and Sean, and with "Pro-Tools Editing, sampler, e. piano, organ percussion."
In late 2009 and early 2010 she performed as a member of the reformedPlastic Ono Band including concerts in Tokyo and New York, and also appeared as a member of the groupThe Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger. She also performed improvisational shows withMike Watt andNels Cline in the groupsFloored by Four and Brother's Sister's Daughter. During this period she became romantically involved with, and subsequently engaged to, Cline. They married in Japan in November 2010.
In 2011, following an eight-year collaboration withPetra Haden, she produced and performed on the album "Salt on Sea Glass"[4] as a member of If By Yes, a group also consisting of Yuko Araki on drums and Hirotaka "Shimmy" Shimizu on guitar, with contributions fromDavid Byrne and Nels Cline.
Since 2011 Honda has re-collaborated with Hatori for new Cibo Matto material, to culminate in 2014 with the release of the group's first album in 15 years,Hotel Valentine.
Honda lives in New York with her husband, musicianNels Cline.[5]
| |
| Studio albums | |
| Compilations | |
| EPs | |
| Singles | |
| Related articles | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
