Being a musician was a natural career choice for Yasutaka Nomura. Not only does he love what he does, but he is exceptionally good at it. He has a formidable career at only 24 years of age, working around the world, showing international listeners what he is capable of. As a professional musician, playing both guitar and bass, he is extraordinary.

Originally from Japan, Nomura has made music in many different genres, in many different countries. He has impressed in the United States audiences in progressive rock/fusion trio Mammoth, Indie Rock/Alternative band Smokey Lenses, and Alternative/Progressive Rock band Squanky Kong. However, it was when playing Guitar with Voodoo Kungfu, an Extreme Chinese Folk Metal band, where Nomura’s international presence truly took off.

“It was great being in Voodoo Kungfu. Everyone in the band is very professional and serious about music but also easy-going and open minded. They are all at least 10 years older than I am but I think we got along very well. I had such a fun time with them on the tour,” said Nomura.

Voodoo Kungfu’s music is a mixture of Extreme Death Metal and Chinese, Mongolian Traditional Music. It was definitely something Nomura had never heard or seen before, making working with the band even more intriguing. He liked the songs and their performance style.

“When we play shows, we play with the backing tracks behind. Those tracks are mostly made of orchestra instruments with some Asian traditional instruments which make the whole atmosphere dark, oriental, and epic. I think it helps us play and perform better because it gets us into the right mood,” said Nomura.

Nomura and the band went on a European tour with Orphaned Land, Imperial Age and Crisalida. They played 18 shows in 11 countries. They performed in the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Holland, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Belgium, and Denmark.

“Touring in Europe had been one of my dreams since I started playing music. It was such an amazing experience and definitely an unforgettable event in my music career. I cannot wait for the next one hopefully with more countries and cities,” said Nomura. “These bands were all amazing and the members of the bands and staffs were all such cool people. It was such a fun tour.”

The band also received many awards. This list includes: 2006 World Battle of the Bands – Chinese Championship, 2006 World Battle of the Bands – World Runners-up, 2008 Metal Battle of China – Chinese Championship, 2009 MIDI Awards – Best Metal Performance Nomination, 2010 MIDI Awards – Best Metal Performance Nomination, 2011 MIDI Awards – Best Metal Performance Nomination, 2011 MIDI Awards – Best Live Performance Nomination, 2011 MIDI Awards – Best Male Rock Vocal Nomination, 2011 Mao Livehouse first annual awards – Best Metal Band, 2014 MIDI Awards – Best Live Performance. The unique Asian sound makes the band stand out.

“I tried to imitate the sound of Asian traditional instruments on guitar such as guzheng and shamisen. Also in guitar solos, I used some Japanese traditional scales, such as In scale, Yo scale, and more, which fit very well in this kind of oriental sounding music,” said Nomura. “We also use the Asian traditional percussion “Dagu” in live shows. I love the sound of it. It sounds huge and epic. It also makes me recall my childhood, because in Japan, we always have people to play it in festivals. (Japanese call it “taiko”.) Because of it, playing with “Dagu” feels very special to me. I feel very related to the sound.”

Nomura was asked to join the band by the singer Nan Li, who had just moved to LA and was looking for band members to start playing live shows. Nomura was friends with the drummer that was joining the band and he introduced Nomura to Nan, knowing his talent. After a few meetings, Nan asked Nomura to join the band.

“Yasutaka is very quick at learning tunes and has an ability to arrange them effectively and creatively. Working with him is very smooth and also inspirational. He has an outstanding technique and stage presence. He is also a great improviser, using the traditional Japanese musical scales. That makes Yasutaka very unique as a guitarist,” said Li.

Besides Li, Nomura is the only person in the band that is from an Asian country. This understanding of Asian traditional music, the musical influence he has from the culture and his childhood, and even his appearance are very important for the sound and the image of the band. Nomura also believes Li’s vocals truly capture the sound the band aims for, and compliments his guitar work.

“I really like the way Nan sings and performs. He uses a lot of screams, growls and throat singing techniques from Mongolian traditional music. His voice and singing is just very intense. I can confidently say that there is no one else that can sing like him. Also, he writes all the music for this project, he has an outstanding song-writing skill as well,” Nomura described.

This is evident on Nomura’s favorite Voodoo Kungfu song, Born on June 4th. It starts with insane vocal scream, and then has a lot of fast chugs and riffs with odd meters that are fun for Nomura to play. Also, the chorus part is very melodic and epic with orchestral sounds.

“I love songs with this kind of dramatic changes. It’s not just a fun song to play but also a great tune to listen to.

Voodoo Kungfu will be releasing their newest album later this summer. You can find out more information by following them on Facebook.

Be sure to also check out Nomura’s YouTube, Instagram, and Soundcloud