Kraftwerk Live in Tokyo May 13, 2013

Photo courtesy of Udo Artists News.

Last night Germany's legendary electronic music group Kraftwerk performed their sixth of eight shows at Tokyo's Akasaka Blitz. Their setlist included their eighth studio album "Computer World" which was first released in May 1981. Many believe this to be Kraftwerk's peak period. Kraftwerk is one of the first groups to popularize electronic music and are considered pioneers in the field. Below is a video from last night's performance of their 1974 worldwide hit "Autobahn":


Video courtesy of Peter Jacobs.

Related:

Kraftwerk Live in Tokyo @ NO NUKES

Yun*Chi Releases "Shake You" Mini Album

Via Natalie Tv 4-16-2013

This past week we've had a fairly uneventful letdown in Asian news overall as The Great Eater failed to destroy the United States, Japan and Korea all in one big giant blowhard! I mean come on Kim what's up dude?!?! Oh yeah, we all know you're just so ronery! But don't worry, Ambassador Rodman is "coming again to save the motherf#cking day YEAH!!!"

However, there was one big huge explosion of musical happiness and stunning beauty that went off big time in Japan when our favorite Asobi System singer/songwriter Yun*Chi released her new mini album entitled "Shake You" just the other day. Here she is performing the title track on Nihon TV's new music variety show called Music Dragon ミュージックドラゴン. And, don't worry guys, you don't need to understand Japanese to fall in love with her forever:



See also:

Hardware Girls Idol & Singer Yun*Chi

mishmash＊Julie Watai 1st Album Release

mishmash＊Julie Watai 1st Album Release

Here is a scan of my signed copy of the mishmash＊Julie Watai 1st Album that will be released tomorrow (12-5) at record stores throughout Japan and via the Nature Bliss web store. The standard release includes a music CD with 13 wonderful songs, a colorful 44-page booklet that contains the Japanese and English lyrics to all the songs, exclusive photos of Julie Watai and a 22-page manga comic strip story entitled "My Quarter Note" and a special serial code to download all the music videos from this album. You can preview the high quality music videos at the below links. Indeed, this standard package is quite a unique and special offer for only 3,900 yen (US $47.60).

"But wait! There's more!" There are also some very limited special gift packages that include all of the above plus a tee-shirt, a memo pad, stickers and other items and an individualized recorded voice message from Julie Watai. Some of these are already sold out and, most likely, the standard release package will also be sold out in a very short time. Also, there are some cute character keychains that commemorate this first album release available here. So hurry on over to the Nature Bliss web store and make your reservation now!

mishmash＊Julie Watai is Toyoaki Mishima, Julie Watai and Masu Hiroshi Masuyama. If the standard release package sells out, you can always download this group's popular mp3 songs from Amazon, Ototoy and iTunes.

Related:

mishmash＊Julie Watai Release Go Furby Go

Julie Watai & mishmash* Debut Single "Roll of Love"

mishmash＊Julie Watai 'Veiled by Reverb' 2nd Single

mishmash＊Julie Watai Release 3rd Single

Japanese JR Jingles For Train Lovers

Via shibuyaonthebeach October 9, 2012

For all of you train otakus lovers, we just now discovered an impressive collection of Japanese JR jingles! Featured amongst this set are some classical music tunes that have been done over in pure Japanese Kawaiiology! Here are just a few of those remade vintage melodies:







Now before you ask "WTF Japan?" remember all of these tunes are now in use on a daily basis at JR train stations throughout the nation. But if you really want to experience the full effect, visit the Yamanote Line Music Library to hear all arriving and departing songs for each station on one of the world's most busiest train lines.

See also:

Julie Watai's Furby Toy Video

Hardware Girls Mayu and Eyetaso of Cutie Pai

Korean Kids Sing The Ramones

John Lennon & George Harrison Japan 1966

Here is a rare photo of John Lennon and George Harrison tuning up their guitars backstage in Tokyo, Japan in 1966. From June 30 to July 2 of that year, the Beatles performed five concerts at the Nippon Budokan indoor arena in Tokyo. Of course, all the shows were sold out and the live television broadcasts captured an incredible 60% audience rating. These concerts were the first musical events ever held at the Budokan arena, which was originally dedicated for the competition of traditional martial arts. These landmark shows also inspired many young Japanese to start playing guitars and the biggest ever Japanese rock band revolution soon followed. That movement forever changed the direction of the Japanese popular music scene.

Perhaps the above photo was taken prior to the start of this show:



See also:

David Bowie tribute to John Lennon - 'Mother'

mishmash＊Julie Watai Release 3rd Single

Earlier today, mishmash＊Julie Watai released this slightly NSFW short version of their third single entitled: "Don't Shoot Me. I'm Only the Pin-up Girl". This video features many beautiful Japanese models and attractive gravure idols! Check it out:



UPDATE:The final audio versions of this song are now available on Amazon in English and Japanese. UPDATE: Both the Japanese and English final versions of this song (audio only) are now available on the Ototoy Features website.



Related:

mishmash＊Julie Watai "Veiled by Reverb" 2nd Single

Julie Watai & mishmash* Debut Single "Roll of Love"

North Korean Woodstock Music Festival Photo

Here is a recent photo from the first annual North Korean Woodstock Music Festival as photographed by Jacky Chen of Reuters on June 6, 2012:



XXX Large Size

Actually, this is a music band that greets farmers on Hwanggumpyong Island near the border towns of Sinuiju and China's Dandong City. You can read more on this photo here.

Related:

North Korean Version of "Take on Me"

Visit New North Korea Best Korea!

North Korea Wins World Champion Title!

North Korean Version of "Take on Me"

Unless you've been living in the DPRK, you probably have seen or heard about some kind of strange and funny North Korean videos. Most of the time they feature young kids playing and singing traditional folk tunes or patriotic songs. But now all the way from the Kum Song School in Pyongyang, we have a group of accordion students playing A-Ha's big 80s hit "Take on Me":



This performance is a part of "The Promised Land" project by director and artist Morten Traavik. You can read more about this production at Traavik.info Creative Intelligence Agency and at Barents Spektakel 2012.

UPDATE: Some readers have already written in and Anna from Tokyo wrote: "Didja notice how the phone rang immediately after they finished the song? Probably it was the new Best Kim (aka "The Young-Un" and "Kim Jong Iliberace")



demanding their immediate arrest and incarceration for playing that "foreign devil's music."

We also have an update from the almighty Taro, the lame who says "Japan is always better than Korea! See irrefutable proof":





And, obviously, that is correct as everyone knows that the Japanese are superior to all other humans. But don't forget that Pyongyang North Korea is ‘better’ than Tokyo!

Related:

New North Korean Videos

North Korean TV Segments

David Bowie Comeback Part II

I previously reported on a potential David Bowie Comeback early last year, and now it appears as though it, finally, may happen:


Photo: Tristar/Everett/Rex Features


David Bowie may leave troubled EMI 08 Nov 2011

David Bowie's contract ends in January and he is reportedly in talks with Universal Music and Sony.

David Bowie is reportedly on the brink of walking away from EMI, the troubled UK music group in the middle of an auction, after a 15-year relationship in which the label held the rights to the bulk of his back catalogue including classic albums Ziggy Stardust and Space Oddity.

Bowie's contract comes to an end in January and the Financial Times reports today that EMI have declined to comment.

Bowie is apparently in talks with Universal Music and Sony Music, who hold the rights to his output since 1995. Continued...

See also: David Bowie's "Toy" Internet Smash Hit

David Bowie's "Toy" Internet Smash Hit

Just a few days ago, David Bowie's unreleased album Toy was leaked online:

"A decade after it was shelved by his label, David Bowie's 23rd studio album has been leaked on the internet. Toy, conceived as a reimagining of Bowie's early work, appeared on file-sharing websites this week, with Bowie's reps refusing to comment."

"A week after an Australian man sold a purported copy of Toy on eBay (it sold for £62.98), a CD-quality MP3 version of the album suddenly appeared on BitTorrent, spreading like (ziggy) stardust."

And, as usual, here is another account on how Toy was leaked:

"The album's original uploader goes by the online nickname Brigstow which is a word play on where he comes from - Bristol, UK."

"Brigstow's reasons for uploading "Toy" sound just as unconventional as the site he chose to upload the album on. He wanted to put a stop to what he considered gross exploitation from eBay sellers that were posting "Toy" album CDs for auction starting at as much as $55 per piece."

"Brigstow stated categorically that the upload was based on a bootleg CD he bought, although initial rumors had stated the unknown uploader had bought the CD from Australia via eBay.

"



Well, now it is all on Youtube and here is one of the highlights entitled "Shadow Man":



Listen to all of the tracks on "Toy"

Soundgarden Live in Japan "Fell on Black Days"

Here is Soundgarden performing "Fell on Black Days" live at Club Citta in Kawasaki, Japan 1994:

Deerhoof vs. Evil - The Merry Barracks

Deerhoof just released a new album with this featured single "The Merry Barracks":



See more about this new release here: Deerhoof vs. Evil

Be sure to listen to more tracks at Deerhoof vs. Evil | Global Album Leak

Radiohead in Shibuya Tokyo?

English: Shibuya Hachiko Plaza Friday 6:59 pm

"Radiohead posted a message in Japanese on their Twitter page today giving details to a location in Tokyo ahead of the release of the ‘The King Of Limbs’ this Saturday (February 19)"


Via Radiohead Tweet Coded Message To Fans In Japanese

UPDATE: Radiohead forced to cancel Tokyo event

By Danielle Demetriou, in Tokyo 18 Feb 2011

"Radiohead brought foward the release of their new album after being forced to cancel an event in Tokyo because of police fears over crowd safety.

An enigmatic tweet posted by Radiohead which spread rapidly around the world has resulted in the cancellation of an event in Tokyo's due to the high volume of fans expected to attend.

The message, written in Japanese and posted on Twitter by the popular British band, read simply: “Hachiko Square Shibuya, 59 minutes 18 Friday.”

Continued...

Somehow, I knew that this would happen. Well, to make up for all of this confusion, in addition to the moved-up release of their new album "The King of Limbs", Radiohead also posted a new music video called "Lotus Flower":

"Time in Japan" by The King Hats

Listen to the very cool British post-punk rock group The King Hats' recent single "Time in Japan":

Check out more at The King Hats | Free Music, Tour Dates, Photos, Videos

Coming Soon: "NINGEN GAKKI"

Like music? Thinking of starting a band? Well, very soon from now, you'll be able to move to Japan and BE the band with the new "Ningen Gakki" or "Human Instrument" toy from TAKARA TOMI:

Electric Eel Shock 'Sugoi Indeed'

Electric Eel Shock stays metal, man


CHIAKI NOZU PHOTO


Friday, Sept. 11, 2009

By DANIEL ROBSON

Special to The Japan Times


'I am 'Metal Man,' " states Akihito Morimoto matter-of-factly. "I love heavy metal, and I also studied metal materials and die-cast manufacture at university. So all my life is about metal."

At the live shows of his band Electric Eel Shock, it shows. Coming on stage 150 times a year to their own twisted, tortured version of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man," guitar-vocalist Morimoto and chums Kazuto Maekawa (bass, gurning) and Tomoharu "Gian" Ito (drums, nudity) rock up a sweat, blasting out tight, powerful metal with a fistful of Osaka humor.

Over 10 years of almost constant touring, the band have become one of Japan's best-known musical exports, playing at venues and festivals all over the U.S. and Europe. It's not only their staggering stage show that has earned them a reputation — though watching Morimoto lurch around the stage with his Flying V guitar in his mouth before calling everyone in the audience "bastards" while Gian, wearing nothing but a strategically placed sock, whacks his kit with four sticks and Maekawa lurches into the crowd certainly has its charms. No, it is also the members' unfailing belief in the power of metal, which has seen their albums grow increasingly essential despite their low-budget recording.

Their sixth album, "Sugoi Indeed," is their best to date, a short but sweet bundle of power chords, guitar solos and fierce rhythms. Its songs feature lyrics in English (which Morimoto, with his limited vocabulary, describes as "difficult") and Japanese, and include the aforementioned "Metal Man" as well as garage-rocker "Out Of Control" ("The song's character thinks he loves his girlfriend, but really he just loves thinking of himself as a caring lover," explains Morimoto) and the dark "More," whose chorus contains a subtle warning against wasting food ( "More! More! More! It's gross!").


Continued...

Here is their latest release 'Out of Control' from "Sugoi Indeed":



Note: Having seen this band once before, I can't wait to get their new album. Also check out their awesome video: Electric Eel Shock - Rock & Roll Can Rescue The World

And be sure to visit their official website: Electric Eel Shock

Mass of The Fermenting Dregs - ハイライト

Yes, I have been posting often about "Masu Dore" lately, but, seriously, modern-day alternative rock music does not get any better than this incredible band from Kobe, Japan. Here is a digital YouTube audio clip for their awesome ハイライト ("Highlight") single:




To hear more, check out their Myspace Page And also, be sure to visit the official website of Mass of The Fermenting Dregs

Related posts:


Live Video: Mass of the Fermenting Dregs

Mass Of The Fermenting Dregs Tokyo Concert Review

Mass of the Fermenting Dregs Live Video

Mass of the Fermenting Dregs Promo Video

Eastern Youth - 365 Steps Blues Promo Video

In many countries around the world, Eastern Youth is a very well known and quite popular Japanese indie punk rock trio that sings in various complex styles. Their songs' Japanese lyrics express the helplessness of much of today's younger Japanese generation. This video is a newly released high quality promo version of Eastern Youth's "365 Step Blues" And below the video I have also included both the Japanese lyrics in ROMAJI on the left, and just next to that on the right is an excellent English translation that another Eastern Youth fan/Japanese friend of mine gave me last year. And I just really like Eastern Youth and, especially, this song too! Please enjoy!








You can see more about this very brilliant rock band at their Eastern Youth Official Japanese Website