Exclusive Interview: AKITA Reveals New Details On Recent Album For The Night

AKITA, the funk band hailing from Southeast, has finally unveiled their long-awaited third album titled, For The Night. Renowned for their exceptional blend of diverse musical genres, the group once again presents a lively and exhilarating listening experience for their devoted followers. This impressive record comprises eight tracks, including “Now or Never,” “Bet,” “Magic Market,” “Shine Down,” and “Tiger Claw,” in addition to their most recent release, “The Way It Is.”

For The Night was a year in the making, as the band revealed during our brief conversation. With seven members, each bringing their unique musical knowledge and skills to the table, AKITA’s songwriting process was a collaborative effort. 

To celebrate their first full-length project, the group also confirmed that they are to release the album on vinyl, and they have promotional plans for a Southeastern tour with stops in several states.

Read the full interview below.

For The Night is finally out, how long did it take for you to complete the album? When you go into the studio, do you have a clear vision of what you want the record to sound like, or do you let the creative process guide you as you go?

We prepared for the album for about a year by writing 18 songs from which we narrowed in on our best 8. From there we spent 3 full days at Echo Mountain Studio in Asheville, NC which was a blast. We prepared and rehearsed all of our individual parts before coming to the studio which allowed us to relax and enjoy the experience. From there we all listened to the recordings and bounced ideas off each other on what details could be added to really make the songs pop.  This included a mix of percussion as well as layering the horns and vocals in specific places.

What was the inspiration behind the title track “For The Night” and how does it fit into the overall theme of the album? 

The keyboard riff reminded our singer, Ade, of  Luther Vandross’ Never Too Much which has that late-night, club vibe. The lyrics and feel of the song are a representation of AKITA’s view on life. After a long week of working and the stress of life, it’s time to “grab the rhythm and ride.” We pour an energy into this song that inspires having a good ass time and letting loose.

How do you combine diverse sound elements to create a lively atmosphere in your music? Can you describe the songwriting process for the album and how it differed from your previous works? 

The diversity of musical knowledge, skills, personalities, and influences from our seven members is our biggest advantage, yet our biggest challenge in the songwriting process. We typically start with a riff or line one member came up with and build on it through a long process of ideas and decisions on what sounds best. This album also featured three other artists which added unique elements of violin, flute, and female vocals.

Can you talk about the significance of releasing the album on vinyl and how it enhances the listening experience? 

Since this was our first full-length project, it felt like a bit of a celebration by pressing it on vinyl. Several of us enjoy the experience of listening on vinyl and we’ve always wanted to hear music we were a part of coming off the turntable. Vinyl also provides our fans with a long lasting, unique piece of artwork that can be relished.

Do you have any promotional plans for the album and what events or performances fans can expect in the near future?

In celebration of the album we pushed our tour locations farther into the Southeast to include stops in FL, AL, TN, VA, NC, SC, and GA. To prepare for the tour we ran a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for a bus and our fans came through smashing our goal! Of course the bus broke down on us but is in good hands at the shop, preparing for our next leg of the party. Two fans who supported our Kickstarter chose the option to join us on the bus for a leg of the tour, which will be an awesome personal experience.

Are there any specific artists that you would love to collaborate with in the future? And, if you could choose any musician or band to tour with, who would it be and why?

Touring/collaborating with Vulfpeck or Lettuce would be such an awesome experience. Damn we love their music and it would pair so well with our sound. Both bands have been a huge inspiration to AKITA and that definitely comes out in our music.

When it comes to your live performances, what’s your preparation process like? How do you ensure that your shows are the best possible experience for your fans?

We typically focus on two things before a show, preparation and stage performance. We practice quite relentlessly to ensure we can let loose on stage and have a great time. As far as stage performance we love adding fun moments for the audience such as t-shirt launchers, a rotating platform for our keyboardist Tomi (we call it Tomi’s Turner), and a flaming trombone.

Listen to the full album here: