Moon Duo

Outline

Motorik masters Moon Duo is the real life couple Ripley Johnson on guitars and vocals, and Sanae Yamada on keyboards and vocals, who have been grooving away on their mixture of krautrock, psychedelic rock, and synth pop since 2010. The psychedelic haziness in their music is something that Johnson also pursued at Wooden Shjips. Yamada's solo work, on the other hand, focuses on electronic and synth oriented music built on the said motorik grooves. The duo's sound merges their interests and connects those threads quite organically. Johnson, by the way, happens to be a remarkable guitarist who is good at putting together gentle and melodic solos and then do a 180 to deliver a shoegaze style wall of noise in the next tune. Their 2019 album Stars are the Light captures the band in a funkier, dancier mood.

Duo's other projects, like Wooden Shjips or Vive La Void, The Black Angels, Psychic Ills, Lorelle Meets the Obsolete

Ripley Johnson also plays with Wooden Shjips and Rose City Band.

Sanae Yamada releases her solo work under the name Vive La Void.

Ripley Johnson: guitar, vocals
Sanae Yamada: keyboards,vocals