YOASOBI makes maximalist pop with minimal tech

For music that sounds as complicated as YOASOBI's, the tech behind it is surprisingly simple.

The Japanese pop duo's songs are built to move.

Ayase 's productions pile bright piano melodies over electronic beats and unexpected sonic flourishes, often changing direction before you've had time to settle in.

Then there's ikura 's voice, gliding through even the most densely packed arrangements.

That relationship between music and technology predates YOASOBI.

After spending his teenage years chasing rockstar dreams in a band, Ayase turned to Japan's thriving Vocaloid scene , where a laptop and voice-synthesizing software like Hatsune Miku could effectively turn one person into an entire production studio.

He could compose, produce, and give voice to his songs largely on his own — a practice he continues today.

SEE ALSO: Le Sserafim on tech, style, and staying connected in a digital world When he began working with ikura, the voice became human, but the ambition of his compositions didn't necessarily shrink with it.

Ayase's intricate melodies can sometimes sound as though they were written without worrying about the limitations of human lungs.

Luckily, ikura is more than capable of keeping up.

And yet, the bigger YOASOBI has become, the more compact Ayase's toolkit seems.

When Mashable asked the duo during a Los Angeles press day to name the five pieces of technology essential to making their music, Ayase's list included just five items.

In fact, after naming the first four, Ayase struggled to come up with a fifth.

"I don't really use anything other than these," he said.