Yuka Honda

is a Japanese musician who resides in New York City. She is a multi-instrumentalist (mainly piano, synthesizer, sampler and other keyboards), composer, record producer, and co-founder of the band Cibo Matto. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with a diverse array of musicians, including Petra Haden, Sean Lennon, Mike Watt, Nels Cline, Tricky, Harper Simon, Beastie Boys, Los Lobos, Brooklyn Funk Essentials, Mitchell Froom, Medeski Martin & Wood, Marc Ribot, Yoshimi P-We, Arto Lindsay, Edie Brickell, Vincent Gallo, Luscious Jackson, Dave Douglas, Bernie Worrell, and Caetano Veloso. She went to school in Aix-en-Provence, France, then moved to New York City in November 1986. She had some classical music training as a child, but never thought about becoming a musician. When she came to New York, she was writing for a Japanese food magazine.

Career In 1988 she hit her first stage at CBGB's as a keyboard player with Greg Cohen and Michael Blair. In 1989, she started the band "The Flaming Hoops" with boyfriend Dougie Bowne (who she also married), E.J. Rodriguez, and Erik Sanko. They recorded a self-titled album, on which she played a duet with Michael Brecker. In 1990 she joined Jazz Passengers in their musical play "Jazz Passengers in Egypt", and she appeared on their live album, Live at The Knitting Factory. She also joined a live hip-hop band, "Rhythm Method", then a funk band, Brooklyn Funk Essentials, but her main focus was the band she started with husband Dougie Bowne and Marc Anthony Thompson, called Hope Is a Muscle. In 1992, she played Queen Elizabeth Hall in South Bank, London, supporting Arto Lindsay along with Marc Ribot, Bernie Worrell, and Brian Eno.

In 1993 Honda met Miho Hatori while working with the band Leitoh Lychee. as a member of If By Yes, a group also consisting of Yuko Araki on drums and Hirotaka "Shimmy" Shimizu on guitar, with contributions from David Byrne and Nels Cline.

Since 2011 Honda has re-collaborated with Hatori for new Cibo Matto material, to culminate in 2014 with the release of the group's first album in 15 years, Hotel Valentine.

Personal life Honda lives in New York with her husband, musician Nels Cline.

Discography Memories Are My Only Witness (2002) Eucademix (2004) Heart Chamber Phantoms (2010)

w/ Yoshimi P-We Flower with No Color (2003) w/ If By Yes Salt on Sea Glass (2011)

w/ Nels Cline Macroscope (Mack Avenue, 2014) Lovers (Blue Note, 2016)

w/ Dave Douglas Sanctuary (Avant, 1997)

w/ Huntsville Bow Shoulder (Hubro/Grappa Musikkforlag AS, 2020)

w/ Mike Watt Floored by Four (Chimera Music, 2010)

Producer Butter 08, Butter (1996) Cibo Matto, Super Relax (1997) Sean Lennon, Into the Sun (1998) Cibo Matto, Stereo ★ Type A (1999) Maki Nomiya (of Pizzicato Five), "Star Struck" on Miss Maki Nomiya Sings (2000) Miu Sakamoto, "Beautiful" (2000) Martha Wainwright, Come Home to Mama (2012)

Remix Yoko Ono, "Talking to the Universe", Rising Mixes (1996) Medeski Martin & Wood, "Sugar Craft", Combustication Remix EP (1999) HALCALI, "TANDEM-Mutable Chromosome Remix", "Tandem" single (2003)