Axis Neptune Sets a New Tune for Blue Note

Ana Padilla Fornieles | Apr 24, 2023 10:01 am | Add a comment | 115 reads

Let’s test your knowledge of venues in town, dear reader. Which age-old, world-renowned franchise of jazz clubs blessed Beijing in 2016 with a most stylized branch at the site of the former American legation over at 23 Qianmen East Street, Dongcheng District, adding up to an exclusive list of locations in Tokyo, Nagoya, Milan, Waikiki, Napa and São Paulo?

For sure, we’re talking about the Blue Note Jazz Club. An impressive, mostly underground creation by Chiasmus Partners. Inc., with an intimate atmosphere featuring a simple, yet effective material palette and delectable cocktails, if only on the pricier side – well worth it, though, if the music’s that good. And, with Axis Neptune about to take over the Blue Note stage on Apr 25, the (indie) music is bound to be excellent.

I love me a written meet and greet with the musicians. So, sit down with me for a chat with British producer and Axis Neptune original founder, Josh Cotterill. You’re going to want tickets for this soiree.

Hey Josh, nice to talk to you! Axis Neptune sure has come a long way since its inception as your own solo project back in February 2020…
A long, long way. I mean, just the date of creation should give you some hints. I recorded “Reasons”, the whole first album, in my bedroom in Wangjing. We think that Axis Neptune has this very powerful, yet introspective sound – and maybe that’s where the introspection started, hah. I’ve been producing music for a long time, but it was all for the drawer; an ongoing self-betterment effort, if you will. I lacked the confidence to sing my own songs on stage.

Then, Covid struck and I found myself living alone and away from my then girlfriend for an extended period of time. I’m sure you will relate to me when I say that in this moment in time, when the world seemed more distant and less real, I found myself reassessing my former fears and insecurities. And, I also found myself drawing sketches and conjuring names for this project that was pulsing in me. Why Axis Neptune? Blame my love of astronomy, I guess, and my memories, too. Neptune is blue, much like the ocean I grew up ten minutes away from up until my late teens. Everything felt very organic, very smooth. I had no expectations, no specific plans. Things just sort of happened, as they do.

Not that I like playing favourites, but for that debut album, one of the singles, “Cherry Red”, was actually chosen as BBC Introducing’s Pick of the Week. They ended up inviting me to perform for a live session that we had to film in Hainan, because logically I was stuck in China. That was a first for BBC Introducing, and a very special memory for me.

What a ride. And, nowadays you’re four guys and increasingly known in the local music scene, too. Give us a refresher on the current looks of Axis Neptune, please.
It’s nothing short of a privilege to develop Axis Neptune together with a brilliant bunch: keyboardist David Yang, guitarist Hikmat Yakha (aka Binoy) and drummer Patrick Waldron. It’s funny, because honestly we are all simultaneously very different yet very similar people. David was the first to join the band in mid-2020, straight back from Sweden.

We’d been talking a lot and he told me he liked my album, so I invited him to practice with me. Well, now I was the one who was impressed with his taste and meticulousness in sound. The man’s also notorious for being ice-cold calm onstage. Hikmat joined next. He is a bit of a sensation in Beijing as a lead guitar powerhouse, and as soon as he expressed interest to join Axis Neptune, I said yes. We both look at guitar and music in quite the similar way. Oh, and we both love skateboarding even though we both suck real hard at it. Well, okay, Hikmat’s better.

And as for Patrick, our amazing drummer —he takes music very, very seriously. And, I really respect him for that. That’s the most remarkable thing we have in common. Then again, we’re also both British.

Our music is this medley of indie rock, electronic, pop, R&B and soul music that we’ve kept unfolding in our latest releases — “Solar”, “Wild and Broke” and “Let Me Go”. We hate predictability; we love captivating the audience.

I hate predictability too [haha]. But in all seriousness, I am fairly impressed and awfully curious; how did you guys manage to secure a performance at a venue like Blue Note Beijing? You’re bringing quite the striking chord in comparison to their usual offerings, after all.
The honest answer to this is that Yoko, my amazing agent, is the one to thank. She really believes in our music and has helped Axis Neptune reach these wonderful venues. I will say, I reckon we are actually quite the ideal fit for a space like Blue Note. Our music features quite a lot of jazz elements. In fact, if you listen to my songs with a discerning ear, soon enough you’ll realize they’re made up of jazz chords, ha, ha.

I really can’t wait! But, meanwhile we must close this blog post. So, let’s look forward to the future. What’s in store for Axis Neptune?
You know, this question connects with the previous one in that we feel that it’s also our efforts and hard work gradually getting us in all sorts of exciting directions. And, we plan to stick on to that. We’ve been gigging like madmen and working our collective ass off. In fact, we just came back from our first tour of Yunnan province. We’re about to release our second album this summer, and then – we’re going to tour the UK!

Axis Neptune’s gig is happening on Tuesday, Apr 25 from ‘til at Blue Note Beijing at 23 Qianmen East Street, Dongcheng District. (东城区东城区前门23号). Tickets are RMB 180 with one drink included. Scan the QR code in the poster or below to book.