Artists

farida's cafe

Biography

[farida's cafe]

If a Japanese band epitomized the definition of kikokushijo, or "oversees returnees", it would be farida's cafe.

With members who were born or raised in places as far flung as Egypt and Canada, farida's cafe performs music as cosmopolitan as its members.

The band's melodic, moody but nonetheless passionate music calls to mind the likes of FEED, Radiohead and the Sundays. Singer Rie Sekine sounds much like her favorite musician and fellow Canadian, Sarah McLachlan.

farida's cafe formed in 1997 when Egyptian-Japanese guitarist Andre Sakai participated in a university music circle. The band went through a number of line-up changes before settling on its current membership.

After recording a number of demos, the band released two mini-albums on MIDI Creative, the label where Sakamoto Ryuichi got his start.

Members
  • Sekine Rei: vocal, guitar
  • Sakai Andre: guitar
  • Masa: bass
  • Takahashi Hiro: drums