Manhattan Portage Black Label, a New York-based bag brand that offers functional items for business professionals, recently held its first "B SALON" event at Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building . This event featured top figures from various fields enjoying talk sessions while sipping drinks.

Held primarily at the brand's directly managed stores, this event, now in its sixth year, featured the masked creative unit "AmPm" as its guest owners. These rising stars of the digital age, who gained global recognition at an unprecedented speed after releasing their work on the music streaming service Spotify, spoke about their creative activities to date and the behind-the-scenes aspects of their work.

AmPm
This masked creative unit was formed by two business owners who run a company that plans and produces design and music. Their debut single, "Best part of us," released in March 2017, surpassed 10 million streams on Spotify in less than a year. It reached number 6 on Spotify's viral chart in the US and represented Japan at Spotify on Stage, the first music live event held by Spotify in Asia. They also participated in the global dance music festival Ultra Music Festival 2017 in Miami and held a solo concert in New York. They have also remixed works by other artists such as Afrojack. http://ampm.tokyo/

—I understand this is actually the world's first talk show, but where do I even begin...? You're both wearing the same rabbit-themed masks, so what should I call you each?
Looking at it from the customer's perspective, I, who am on the left , am "left," and he, who is on the right, is "right."
It's okay if you don't know the real name on the right . You can also just call them "white" and "black" based on the color of their T-shirts (lol).

—Besides your name, how much of your background have you revealed?
To be honest, we've been doing so many interviews that even we're starting to get confused (laughs). Well, actually, I'm 34 years old and from Saitama Prefecture, and he's 39 years old and from Niigata Prefecture. We're both blood type B and married.

—You had a mysterious image because you were wearing a mask, but knowing where you're from and your age makes you seem much more human (laughs). By the way, I heard that Spotify was the catalyst for your popularity. Could you elaborate?

Yes, on the left . We debuted in March 2017 with the single "Best part of us," which ranked 6th in the US and 38th globally on Spotify's Viral Chart.
The viral chart on the right is not based on sales figures for music works, but rather on an analysis of factors such as the number of plays, shares, and reactions on social media. Receiving this ranking led to increased recognition from a wider audience.

—Your debut was about a year ago. Have you been active in music all this time?
No , the person on the left was a freelance designer, and I was involved in music production and event planning, so we were each running separate businesses. Then, at some point, we decided to start a business together. To commemorate that, we thought it would be great to create a collaborative project that combined our respective fields of design and music, and AmPm started as one of those projects.
The encounter itself was about 15 or 16 years ago. Before I started designing, I was working as a clothing salesperson, and actually, the person on the left was a customer. He would bring me gifts, and we would chat at the shop without me selling him any clothes. And then we decided, "Let's go out for a meal sometime."
Left: Back then, I never thought we'd be working together, and I certainly never imagined we'd be wearing masks (laughs).

--I'd like to ask about that mask. It's currently rabbit-themed. I heard it used to be a polar bear.
Yes, the one on the right . There are also two versions of the polar bear mask; the very first one I bought in Ueno during the New Year's holiday. This was before we even decided on the name AmPm, and I was still brainstorming how to develop the project when I found this mask in a general store. That's when I thought, "Maybe we could do something where we wear masks."
The next version is a plush toy type, not a mask. We had just released "Best part of us," and I thought it wouldn't do to use the mask I bought in Ueno, so I had a custom-made plush toy headpiece. There's a person in Japan who specializes in making polar bear costumes. He makes almost all of the costumes used in commercials and at zoos.


--By the way, how much does it cost?
The one on the right costs about 200,000 yen.
The polar bear mask on the left was about 600 yen, so the price has gone up quite a bit, but I've actually only worn it about twice. It's currently gathering dust at the office (laughs).
The rabbit I'm currently using was custom-ordered from a mask maker living in Latvia. The two together cost around 150,000 yen including shipping.


—Does "shipping included" mean you didn't buy it locally and bring it back, but ordered it online?
Yes , by email. It's really convenient (laughs). I've already commissioned this artist for my next mask, and the dog version is already finished. Because this year is the Year of the Dog (laughs).

──Ah, so that was the reason (laughs). What's the first thing you put in your mask collection?
In terms of stability , the one I'm wearing now is the best. I can perform without feeling suffocated. Earlier I said I'd only worn the polar bear costume about twice, but honestly, I almost died (laughs). There's a slit around the mouth where you breathe in, but it wasn't designed with live performances in mind. And one of the times I wore it was in Jakarta in the middle of summer!
That live performance was Spotify's first event in Asia, and it featured amazing artists from all over Asia, making the venue incredibly lively. The sad thing is, the costume wasn't just hot, it was practically useless for visibility. There were glass balls in the eye sockets, but they were curved and I couldn't see properly. I was performing at the venue, but I only realized how many people were there after seeing photos and videos (laughs).
Right: At this time, there was also an incident at the airport on the way back. Spotify, the organizer, gave us a panel with a photo of AmPm on it as a souvenir, and we were supposed to take it home. However, we didn't have anything to pack it with, so we had no choice but to carry the panel as is to the airport. Then, a customs officer said to us, "Hey, are you guys AmPm?"

──So your true face has been revealed!
It seems they knew about AmPm because there were event advertisements all over the town. We even took a commemorative photo together.

--Let me ask you about your production style. You two don't sing in the songs, right?
Yes, on the right . For "Best Part of Us," we used a singer named Michael Kaneko. We also use female vocalists sometimes. I found Michael Kaneko on YouTube and immediately contacted him on Facebook. It was around the time he had returned from America and started working in Japan. He seemed to be struggling because he was confident but not getting the recognition he wanted, so the timing was good. Even now, I check all kinds of social media and video music streaming services to find singers and musicians. I also get recommendations from other people. And now there are many matching sites, so I sometimes search through those as well.


We are the producers and directors of AmPm. We don't actually call AmPm a duo; we call ourselves a creative unit. If there's someone who can perform better than us and fits AmPm's worldview, we're happy to have them play. We have composers, who are known as track makers, create the chords, and if we need a guitar, we call in a guitarist to record. We change the team each time. Of course, I thought that this style might be disrespectful to other musicians, but many people said, "Don't worry about it."
To be more precise , even when we're not on stage. Last year, we participated in the "Ultra Music Festival" held in Miami, USA, and although we were wearing the same masks, the people inside were different. The guy on the "left" wasn't on stage; a DJ friend of ours was playing while wearing the mask.
By the way, I was also at the venue for the 'Ultra' production. And what was I doing? I was a still photographer. And I was also handing out water (laughs).

—What was the audience reaction like at the original "Ultra" in Miami?
The right stage was really exciting. However, afterwards, when I was wandering around the booths in the audience area, I didn't get approached or hugged like in Jakarta. I thought to myself, "I need to become more popular!" (laughs).
After that, I had the opportunity to visit Spotify's office in New York, and I also held a solo performance there. To be honest, I hadn't anticipated creating and distributing music and even doing live performances at this speed, so I'm keenly aware of the need to update my live performances in particular.

—What are your plans for music content in the future?
One thing I'd like to do is, since I've mostly done English songs so far, I'd like to do songs in other languages as well. Looking at the global music market, Spanish and Portuguese are currently becoming major markets, and considering the world's population, Chinese is also a must.
Of course, it's not just about business; there's also the musical appeal, including pronunciation. Japanese dialects can be interesting too. Changing the singer to suit the language might also be an effective expressive technique.

—By the way, Manhattan Portage develops products inspired by the New York style. I heard that AmPm was also influenced by the New York scene.
Before our debut, we went to New York together. That's when we became fascinated with a play called "SLEEP NO MORE," which takes place in an entire old hotel. Instead of sitting in chairs and watching the stage, the audience members follow the actors in their favorite roles, moving around the hotel for about three hours as the play unfolds. We found the concept and method of expression fascinating. That was definitely one of the inspirations for AmPm.


—I heard you're a big fan of Manhattan Portage Black Label bags. What do you think of them?
On the left is my backpack. I actually went to buy a black one, but this beige color was so refreshing that I was drawn to it. I use it quite often. That's because this bag is just the right size for storing my AmPm mask (lol). It has a good depth and a wide opening, so I can easily put in large items. It's perfect for storing bulky masks.
On the right is my black messenger bag. I fell in love with the design at first sight, with its subtle camouflage pattern on the outer fabric. I travel a lot, and there are frequent situations where I need to take out and check documents while I'm on the go. This messenger bag is excellent in those situations as well. Actually, Manhattan Portage is associated with the "red tag." I actually used a red tag bag when I was in high school and college, so it's nice to have a bag that I can carry at this age too.

—If you were to create a collaboration bag, what would you like to do?
Right: Yes, that's right. Since I travel a lot, I want to develop products that thoroughly consider the concept of "travel."
Personally , I believe our creative work and the city of New York are inextricably linked. I think it would be wonderful to collaborate with Manhattan Portage on a song with travel or country as themes. We could also try a Tokyo-based approach and have a session with Japanese or New York artists.

—That's amazing! Finally, could you tell us about AmPm's goals?
As content that expresses the worldview of Right AmPm, we are working on various projects other than music. For example, fashion. Ultimately, we would like to create a theme park as a collection of all of these things.
It's like you can stay overnight and go home in the morning. AmPm stands for AM/PM. It's a word that almost everyone in the world knows. We want to deliver AmPm-style content that everyone in the world can enjoy 24 hours a day, morning and night.


inquiry
Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building , B1F = Men's Bags
03-3352-1111 (main representative)