Sandii & the Sunsetz

Born to one Japanese and one American parent, Sandii (b. c. 1964) grew up in Hawaii but also spent long periods in Okinawa, Japan. Her husband Makoto Kubota formed Sandii And The Sunsetz in the early 80s and they enjoyed some success in Europe. Immigrants featured David Sylvian as vocalist and co-writer on several tracks and received excellent reviews, Sounds magazine commenting: ‘Perhaps the most perfect, natural and consistent blend of Eastern and Western musical skills.’ The group signed a contract with Madonna’s manager and toured with INXS, David Bowie and Japan. Afterwards Kubota took the band on extended stays in Jamaica, before experimenting with a fusion of Asian styles. However, with both Sandii and Kubota concentrating on other ventures, Sandii And The Sunsetz split up. Kubota produced widely for Japan’s Wave Records (Detty Kurnia, Elvi Sukaesih, etc.) while Sandii continued to release solo albums. These were again produced by Kubota, but few received an international release. The best of their 90s output is inspired by Malaysian and Indonesian indigenous music, including Airmata in 1993. Dream Catcher featured a number of new styles and directions, including dangdut, ragga and rap.