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