In June 2014, as Koki Nakano prepared for a concert at the Maison de la Culture du Japon a Paris, he was more nervous than usual. The Fukuoka-born pianist had played countless live shows before, both as a solo artist and with his electro-rock band Gas Law, but this time was different. In the audience to watch his concert was Laurent Bizot, executive producer and founder of highly-respected French independent record label No Format!. The concert would change Nakano¡¯s life, initiating his eventual move to France.

¡°The main reason I headed out to Paris was because of the label,¡± Nakano says. ¡°I¡¯d been a fan of No Format! since I was 18. It¡¯s an organization that invests in original music projects but is extremely selective in terms of artists. I knew my performance had to be flawless if there was any chance of me being signed. My manager arranged for Bizot to come and I put my case to him after the concert. He said my playing was great, but too classical and was, therefore, interested in listening to more of my work.¡±

Nakano, who started playing the piano at the age of 3, sent some pieces he wrote featuring the cello and Bizot again liked what he heard. A plan developed for the Japanese musician to work on an album in Paris with revered cellist Vincent Segal, a man known for his collaborations with a variety of artists, including Sting and Elvis Costello. Before the partnership could form, however, the Frenchman would need some convincing.