Showing 1 - 25 of 25
Artist: Kei Akagi
Thus far pianist Kei Akagi is best-known as a sideman but his list of credits and versatility are certainly quite impressive. Born in Japan, Akagi lived in Cleveland during a large part of his childhood (from age five-twelve) before returning to Japan. He started classical piano lessons when he was five but was soon also interested in pop and... [+] Read More
Artist: Kei Kobayashi
Artist: Kei Matsumoto
Artist: Kei Miyanaga
Artist: Villagers of Kei
Artist: Kei Sato
Artist: Unsuku Kei
Artist: Kabu Kei Conua Group
Artist: Kei-Te Singers
Artist: Fantastic Plastic Machine
The most producer-driven act in the Japanese pop movement known as Shibuya-kei, Fantastic Plastic Machine was formed by Tomoyuki Tanaka. Though he has the basic stylistic tastes requisite of the Shibuya-kei artist (namely lounge music, bossa nova, French pop and soft rock), Tanaka has more of a club mentality, driven by his long experience as a... [+] Read More
Artist: Dead Heart Bloom
Dead Heart Bloom is the group name for the solo career of singer/songwriter Boris Skalsky, who had been a singer, bass player, and keyboard player in the Washington, D.C.-based band Phaser in the early years of the 21st century. After the breakup of Phaser, Skalsky holed up for six months and, with the help of some friends (drummers Gregory... [+] Read More
Artist: Pink Lady
The female pop vocal duo of Mitsuyo "Mie" Nemoto (born March 9, 1958) and Keko "Kei" Masuda (born September 2, 1957), culling their name from the alcoholic drink, shot to fame in their native Japan in the late '70s after appearing on a Star Search-like show there called Star Tanjo (Star's Birth). After scoring numerous hits -- including a cover... [+] Read More
Artist: Avalon
Lead singer Many Stürner, keyboardist Jens Kuckelkorn, drummer Peter "Ringo" Kei, guitarist Sebastian Eden, and bassist Petra Hasselkuss teamed up in 1992 to form the Germany rock group called Avalon. Some of the original members would depart, and new blood was brought in to fill any spot left vacant, like drummers Ronny Dehn and Jacques... [+] Read More
Artist: Judy & Mary
Judy and Mary are a pop-punk band that scored continual success in the Japanese mainstream music scene throughout the second half of the 1990s. Formed in 1992 by singer Yuki, a squeaky voiced, petulant young girl, and bass player and main writer Yoshihito Onda, the two went through several other band personnel until settling on Takuya (guitars)... [+] Read More
Artist: Cornelius
Japanese pop-noise savant Cornelius was born Keigo Oyamada in 1971; a self-taught guitarist inspired early on by Kiss and Black Sabbath, his musical alias was later chosen as an homage to the Planet of the Apes film series. A product of the same Shibuya-kei bubblegum scene that also gave rise to Pizzicato Five, Cornelius debuted in 1993 with the... [+] Read More
Artist: David Moss
Innovative percussionist and vocalist David Moss has been based out of Berlin since 1991. Improviser and provocateur, Moss' music ranges from extreme to experimental to 20th century, and includes compositions, sound collages, and tough jazz rock hybrids -- as in his Dense Band. Commissioned by New American Radio for the second time in the... [+] Read More
Artist: Natural Calamity
The Shibuya-kei trio known as Natural Calamity is a bit of an anachronism compared to others in the rich Japanese pop scene characterized by Cornelius and Pizzicato Five. The earthy trip-hop blues produced by Shunji Mori and Kuni Sugimoto, plus American Stephanie Heasley's countrified vocals come in marked contrast to Tokyo's many... [+] Read More
Artist: Alice Nine^^
Is a Japanese rock band and part of the country's visual kei movement. It was formed by Shou, Hiroto, Tora, Saga and Nao in 2004 and is signed to the PSCompany label, a sub-division of Free-Will. As of 2007, it has released one full-length record (Zekkeishoku), along with several EPs, singles and DVDs. * Shou (将) – vocals *... [+] Read More
Artist: Ted Mills
Ted Mills is a freelance writer and critic as well as a filmmaker (so he likes to put his money where his mouth is). From 1994 to 1996 he lived, taught, and wrote in Tsuchiura, Japan, where he fully developed his obsession for Japanese indie music, particularly the movement that became known as Shibuya-kei, though he had been listening to... [+] Read More
Artist: Les 5-4-3-2-1
A quite enjoyable addition to the Shibuya-kei stable, Les 5-4-3-2-1 takes its name from a Manfred Mann song and its style from French pop of the '70s and '80s. Lead guitarist, bassist, songwriter, and all-around busy man Sally Kubota formerly played in the Phantom Gift, the short-lived beat-combo revival group from 1987, and is one of the major... [+] Read More
Artist: Asobi Seksu
Bearing a hyper-stylized and glitzy graphic design sense, a pretty and petite Japanese female singer who sings alternately in Japanese and English, and a band name with a hint of nod-and-a-wink naughtiness (it's claimed to be a Tokyo-based slang term that means "playful sex"), Asobi Seksu comes across like the latest Japanese import, the newest... [+] Read More
Artist: DirEnGrey
Kyo – voiceKaoru – guitarDie – guitarToshiya – bassShinya - drumsFormed in Japan in 1997, Dir en grey has had a steady rise to prominence within their home country’s music scene. Having toured in various countries and released four successful albums, Dir en grey has now set their sights on America. Their latest... [+] Read More
Artist: Pizzicato Five
Godfathers of the Shibuya-kei scene, Tokyo kitsch-pop deconstructionists Pizzicato Five originally began taking shape as far back as 1979, when university students Yasuharu Konishi and Keitaro Takanami first met at a local music society meeting. Agreeing to form a band, they soon recruited fellow society member Ryo Kamamiya; their search for a... [+] Read More
Artist: Dymaxion
Dymaxion was the New York-based post-rock project of Jeremy Novak and Claudia Newell, who specialized in fusing playful sound collages with live instrumentation. They often shared Stereolab's retro-futurist obsessions, sampling old sound-effects LPs, robotic voices, and an array of vintage electronics. Most of their songs were underpinned by... [+] Read More
