Legomatrix

lol


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I didn't post anything lately, but next year I'll be back in Japan and buy and borrow many CDs and go to many concerts and lives and and and ... (happy fantasy continues) :D

DJ play in a kindergarten

cute kids!

speaking piano

I'm too lazy to write my blog!
hopefully, see you soon :)

wondering bla bla after reading an interview

I've found the right photo when I googled "hightech player" in Japanese. Just in case you wanna buy :)









Brian Eno's Interview
http://www.timeoutsydney.com.au/thebridge/thehotseat/brian-eno--curator-of-luminous--vivid-sydney.aspx

The interview article was interesting, particularly the following part.

I think that in music there is no history any longer: everything is present. This is one of the results of digitisation, where everybody owns everything: you don't just have your little record collection of things you saved up for and guard so carefully. My daughters have 50,000 albums or something each, but not only that they have albums from every era of popular music history, from doo-wop onwards, and they don't really know what's current and what was done a long time ago. For instance, they were listening to something a few nights ago – some prog-rock thing, I can't remember what it was now – and I said "gosh, I remember when that came out we all thought it was really boring," and she said "what? Is this old then?" [laughs] To her, and many of her generation, everything is equally present so "retro" doesn't really have quite the same meaning.

I know! Additionally when you receive thousands of music data in your HDD from your friends, it's more radical... I don't remember many track and artist names anymore... :-/

Ryuichi Sakamoto's interview about music's direction in future was also good, so I'm wondering whether I summarize it in English... or first of all should I introduce YMO to you guys?

LEGO+Famicom

Yura Yura Teikoku

Today I'll introduce my favorite rock band Yura Yura Teikoku, cus I knew they released albums from Death From Abroad in America lately and go on a concert tour there.



-> Btw the singer of Yura Yura Teikoku drew the pic. He graduated from an art university and so he can draw very good. I have a T-shirt that he drew on. Yay, fangirl spirit!



Yura Yura Teikoku - Hollow me(空洞です) (2007)


Yura Yura Teikoku - Lamé no Pantalon (Lamé Bell-bottoms) (2001)


Short und surreal Japanese lyrics and wonderful melody... I love it.
However, I bought their CDs until 2006, for I encountered Denki Groove after that :D
But I still hope that more people will listen to Yura Yura Teikoku!


Link
Official Web Site (profile in English and live photos)
http://www.yurayurateikoku.com/
Myspace
http://www.myspace.com/yurayurateikoku

mesh-key records + (preview mp3s and videos)
http://www.mesh-key.com/yura.html
mesh-key records on Myspace
http://www.myspace.com/meshkeyrecords

Death From Abroad
http://www.myspace.com/deathfromabroad


Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yura_Yura_Teikoku

Discogs
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Yura+Yura+Teikoku

Last.fm
http://www.last.fm/music/ゆらゆら帝国

TOWA TEI

Towa Tei is a Japanese* house DJ and producer.

While he was an art student, he sent some tracks to the radio program of Ryuichi Sakamoto from YMO.
After that, Towa Tei went to America to study graphic design and eventually debuted as a member of Deee-Lite in 1990.
A song from their debut album "Groove is in the Heart" was No.4 on the Billboard chart in America.
Since 1994 he's worked solo in Japan.

Deee-Lite - Groove is in the Heart (1990)


Towa Tei - I Want To Relax, Please! (1994)

This video isn't original, but I posted it cus you can listen to other early and new works of him on Myspace. It's my favorite track from his first album Future Listening! :)

Towa Tei - 火星(Kasei=Mars) (2000)

I like his PVs too. They're always fantastic!

Btw, lately he collaborated with a glasses company and made super cool sunglasses.
I want them anyhow, but I have to wait for going back to Japan...


Other videos
Towa Tei featuring Kylie Minogue - GBI: German Bold Italic (1998)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzK_xB52NrE
Towa Tei featuring Kylie Minogue - Sometime Samurai (2005)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqC2hiBk8QQ

Geisha Girls - Kick & Loud (2005)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDWqjoPh9tw
Singers are Japanese popular comedian Downtown, which appear on many comedy programs and made a game show Silent Library(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGGDhuQbu4A). Ryuichi Sakamoto from YMO and Tei Towa were producers.


Links
Official website (partly Japanese) +
http://www.towatei.com/
Myspace +
http://www.myspace.com/towatei
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Towa_Tei
*It's written in English and German Wikipedia that he has (had?) Korean nationality, but there is no description about nationality in his official profile and Japanese Wikipedia. Music is beyond nationality!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deee-Lite

Last.fm
http://www.last.fm/music/Towa+Tei
Discogs +
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Towa+Tei

brilliant idea video

SOUR - Hibi no neiro (=tone of everyday)

EVANGELION's mobile phone

This mobile phone by SHARP is for you, who wanna be a member of NERV.
Though I don't find the design stylish and all phones were already bought by manias and those who wanna earn money with it.





Links
ANIME NEWS NETWORK - 20,000 Evangelion Mobile Phones Sell Out in 5 Hours
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-06-05/20000-evangelion-mobile-phones-sell-out-in-5-hours

NTT docomo - Concept Model SH-06A (Japanese)
http://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/product/foma/concept_model/sh06a_nerv/index.html


Btw, I've lived more than a week without Internet since my Internet was stopped. (So I'm writing this at my boyfriend's place.)
It's partly okay. But when I wanna google, check a video on youtube and send documents to my own Email adress in order to save them instead of USB sticks, I always have to sigh and give them up, haha.

Kungfu remixer

When you need Kungfu voices for your tracks, check this out!

skop.com I know where Bruce Lee lives
http://www.skop.com/brucelee/index.htm

Just click PLAY and type something then you'll know how exciting typing actually is!
You can also record what you made, download the program and use it offline.

Silver Apples

They will give a concert in Tokyo on July 3th.

Silver Apples - Oscillations

The song was originally in 1968 released. Awesome!


Link
Official Website +
http://www.silverapples.com/

Myspace
http://www.myspace.com/sapples

Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Apples

Last.fm
http://www.last.fm/music/Silver+Apples

Discogs
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Silver+Apples

Online Audio Workstation "Hobnox Audiotool"

Without money and installing softwares you can make music at the website "Hobnox Audiotool" right now! ...If you know how to use instruments... Otherwise you'll click everywhere in a mess like me ;)

Hobnox - Audiotool
http://www.hobnox.com/index.1056.en.html

Click the link, then you'll see the above photo after a moment.
And double-click one of four buttons (I chose Electro) and wait a second.

After that? Watch this tutorial video and play it!

Have fun!


Link
What's Hobnox?
http://www.hobnox.com/about-hobnox.1062.en.html

Ryukyudisko

Ryukyudisko is a twin techno group from southern islands Okinawa, where Ryukyu Kingdom prospered 500 years ago.
They mix techno with traditional Okinawan music.
There are sadly only few good videos of Ryukyudisko on youtube. But I was really impressed when I watched their performance for the first time at a festival.



Only young brother plays in this video.


Ryukyudisko - NICE DAY feat. BEAT CRUSADERS (2007)

With a japanese rock band. The video is simply fantastic!


Links

Official website (discography) +
http://www.ryukyudisko.com/disco/index.html
you can preview some tracks and read their profile in English.

Last.fm +
http://www.last.fm/music/Ryukyudisko

Discogs
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Ryukyudisko

Yasutaka Nakata

Yasutaka Nakata is a 29 year-old successful music producer, who formed the electric duo Capsule and produces Perfume and many other pop singers lately.
He has high affinity with fashion market.
In fact, he often takes part in events related with fashion and art magazines, produces art direction and styling of Capsule as well as tracks, works with a fashion designer.


Capsule - 空飛ぶ都市計画(Sora Tobu Toshi Keikaku: A Flying City Plan)

294 seconds film in 2005 from Studio Ghibli, which made My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away.



Collaboration with a japanese fashion brand FRAPBOIS, 2008


Capsule - JUMPER
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaAWEAHxhQ4
From the new album MORE! MORE! MORE!, 2008


Links

Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasutaka_Nakata
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsule_(group)

Last.fm
http://www.last.fm/music/Capsule

Discogs +
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Capsule+(4)

CM Awards 2008

Canned coffee BOSS by SUNTORY won the Nittele* CM grand prize.






I also recommend you to watch MIB and Lost in Translation!

*Nittele = Nippon Television (NTV): one of the Japanese private channels

Perfume

Perfume is a J-pop and electropop idol group.

According to Wikipedia, since about 2006 they became popular at first on the Internet and now that they have own TV and radio programs, appear in a commercial and play concerts nationwide.

Electropop idol group was really fresh and original for the people who were fed up with previous J-pop idols and who often listen to electro music.

I like Perfume too. I can't stop listening to, singing and dancing to it once I play it.
At the same time I also find many songs too strong - I mean, they are packed in too much stuff. So I usually do something else when I listen to Perfume.
But believe me, I like them anyway. Even if my friend bends his brows, I'll sing it and dance next to him :)


Perfume - Edge

The song and video is somehow solid, while many other songs are cute like the next video.


3 boys tried dancing to Perfume's One Room Disco

how cute you guys are!


Links
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfume_(group)

Discogs
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Perfume+(2)

Last.fm +
http://www.last.fm/music/Perfume

DJ Scotch Egg

Accidentally I found him when I visited DE-FRAGMENT's website.
DJ Scotch Egg is a Japanese producer of chiptune music based in UK and uses GAMEBOY for music.
Both of his music and style like photos and videos are so cool and funny!
Happy Hardcore / Comedy / Punk are written on his Myspace page, and I think it's right :)



Links
+ means recommend

Official website
http://www.djscotchegg.com/

Wikipedia +
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DJ_Scotch_Egg

MySpace ++
http://www.myspace.com/djscotchegg

DE-FRAGMENT (Japanese label; English profile is below)
http://www.de-fragment.com/EGG/PROFILE.html

Last.fm +
http://www.lastfm.de/music/DJ+Scotch+Egg

CD sales and fanboy

In the japanese daily CD singles ranking, two anime songs took No.1 & 2 on April 24th.
It's surprising, when considering the anime program is broadcasted at 2 o'clock midnight.

The best way not to decrease sales of CDs at least in Japan is maybe producing music for Otaku (fanboy)!

"Supercell" proves it too.
This no-name japanese musician uploads original tracks with Vocaloid-voice in Nico nico douga, japanese video sharing website.
As his first album was out on March 4th 2009 on Sony records, it won up to No.4 in the japanese album ranking and was sold more than 70.000 copies.

In fact, 5 songs of top 10 in the weekly CD singles ranking are related to anime...

cool!

see also the article: Hatsune Miku - Vocaloid (1)

Links
Wikipedia - Otaku: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otaku

Rebuild of Evangelion

Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance will be released on June 27. 2009.
New character Mari (violat hair on the bottom-right corner) apppears in the film.


I can't watch it at the theater cus I won't be in Japan next summer...








A Cruel Angel's Thesis (残酷な天使のテーゼ)

I always sing this song with my friends in karaoke boxes :)

Hatsune Miku - Vocaloid (1)

Have you heard of Vocaloid?

Vocaloid(=Vocal+Android) is a vocal-synthesizing software by YAMAHA that enables users to synthesize singing by just typing in lyrics and music notes.
Swedisch company PowerFX and Japanese Crypton made softwares with it.

I got one of the softwares Kagamine Rin/Len lately and began making songs with it. As soon as possible I wanna post it.

The video below is created by the popular software Hatsune Miku.

My Neighbor Totoro

Both of the software and character in the video is called Hatsune Miku. It became popular because Crypton didn't use any singer as other softwares but a voice actress and secondly it allowed user to use the character freely.


However, you can create only singing voice with Vocaloid. So you must use other programs too when you make complete music. And I recommend to choose Vocaloid that can sing English. My Rin und Len can't pronounce L!


Links:
Vocaloid in YAMAHA's Homepage
http://www.vocaloid.com/en/index.html
PowerFX
http://www.powerfx.com/
Crypton (Japanese)
http://www.crypton.co.jp/mp/pages/prod/vocaloid/

Ribbon controller?

Ribbon controller is a handmade electric musical instrument like a MOOG synthesizer's controller made by Yuichi Onoue.
he plays various instruments including handmade ones.

Yuichi Onoue - Chimakiya


In this video he plays Vietnamese guitar. It sounds comfortable.


Links

Official Site (English)
http://torigoya.main.jp/en_index.html

YMCK

Hi everyone! On this blog I'll write about something funny and Japanese music with my bad English, yay!

Now I'm listening to YMCK.
YMCK is the 8bit pop unit formed by 3 persons. The most prominent feature of the band is the 8bit sound that reminds people old game consoles, which attracts the enthusiastic support from wide range of generations.

-YMCK official web site

I've heard two early albums (sadly now I have only one in my pc) and I like them!
both of music and lyrics are cute and funny; ゲームは一日一時間！(Play video games only an hour a day!) by Rock'n Roll rendezvous
Videos are also cool.
Mal gucken! Have fun!

Magical 8bit Tour - YMCK




Links

official web site
http://www.ymck.net/english/index.html

myspace
http://www.myspace.com/ymck

wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YMCK

last.fm
http://www.last.fm/music/YMCK

Discogs
http://www.discogs.com/artist/YMCK