Irony-Covered Hearts and Frenetic Hypercuriosity: The Multimedia Work of Yuri Umemoto
After growing up in Tokyo, attending a catholic school, and studying classical music at the conservatory, the multifaceted, hypersocial, hyperactive Yuri Umemoto [
@yuri_umemoto ] made his way into the global music underground. Playing with bands like Felicity J Lord [
@felicityj.lord ], planning collabs with experimental digicore collective NOVAGANG [
@xnovagang ] member prblm [
@port_au_prblm ], or Italian experimental producer edeF. [
@edef_ ], while still being tapped into the classical world by composing operas and string pieces, he says “I’m a fuckboy.” “I fuck musically with everyone—with people from every genre and every world. I want to fuck with everyone.”
In his compositional practices, Yuri combines elements of classical music with anime or internet culture, being strongly inspired by his Christian upbringing, Japanese pop culture, and fashion. There is almost always a female, very stylized voice speaking—as it seems, representatively for Yuri. She talks about his parents who broke up when he was small; how his girlfriend is so different from him; and about his plans and worries. As funny as the music seems on first listen, there is a lot of thought—and at times a lot of sadness—behind it. He uses irony to veil his inner self, “his romantic heart.” Fears of loneliness and intimate pondering about his family or his friends add another layer, making his music appear more rigid and objective.
Right now, Yuri is spending most of his time in the Uffizi rooms of Schloss Solitude, composing new classical pieces, preparing his next DJ set, reading books about irony and photography, chatting a lot with friends online, cooking pasta, and eating Mozartkugeln.
We met up with Yuri at his current residential castle and talked about essentialism, PC Music, wealth, and what it means to be a cultural fuckboy. Parts of these conversations have been edited, combined with text messages, into a full interview that you can read on sabukaru’s [
@sabukaru.online ] website. A link to the full interview is in their bio.
Words by
@opernbauer
Images by:
@johannabommer 
![Irony-Covered Hearts and Frenetic Hypercuriosity: The Multimedia Work of Yuri UmemotoAfter growing up in Tokyo, attending a catholic school, and studying classical music at the conservatory, the multifaceted, hypersocial, hyperactive Yuri Umemoto [@yuri_umemoto] made his way into the global music underground. Playing with bands like Felicity J Lord [@felicityj.lord], planning collabs with experimental digicore collective NOVAGANG [@xnovagang] member prblm [@port_au_prblm], or Italian experimental producer edeF. [@edef_], while still being tapped into the classical world by composing operas and string pieces, he says “I’m a fuckboy.” “I fuck musically with everyone—with people from every genre and every world. I want to fuck with everyone.”In his compositional practices, Yuri combines elements of classical music with anime or internet culture, being strongly inspired by his Christian upbringing, Japanese pop culture, and fashion. There is almost always a female, very stylized voice speaking—as it seems, representatively for Yuri. She talks about his parents who broke up when he was small; how his girlfriend is so different from him; and about his plans and worries. As funny as the music seems on first listen, there is a lot of thought—and at times a lot of sadness—behind it. He uses irony to veil his inner self, “his romantic heart.” Fears of loneliness and intimate pondering about his family or his friends add another layer, making his music appear more rigid and objective.Right now, Yuri is spending most of his time in the Uffizi rooms of Schloss Solitude, composing new classical pieces, preparing his next DJ set, reading books about irony and photography, chatting a lot with friends online, cooking pasta, and eating Mozartkugeln.We met up with Yuri at his current residential castle and talked about essentialism, PC Music, wealth, and what it means to be a cultural fuckboy. Parts of these conversations have been edited, combined with text messages, into a full interview that you can read on sabukaru’s [@sabukaru.online] website. A link to the full interview is in their bio.Words by @opernbauer
Images by: @johannabommer](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6727647020211038722938_0_2af65a2720e4c27c51178de929b160cf.jpg?o=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&h=3143044e03469d9151642a11025db539)
