Japan’s Otaku Idols Dempagumi.inc to Release First International Album and Perform at HYPER JAPAN at The O2 This Weekend

Japan’s alternative idol group Dempagumi.inc has confirmed the international release of their album W.W.D.D. through London’s JPU Records, following their first UK performances at HYPER JAPAN at The O2 on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th July 2015.

Described as “pop… played at hardcore punk speed” by Complete Music Update and “an insane mish-mash of styles… an explosion of joy and creativity” by MTV Iggy. Dempagumi.inc are already turning heads overseas, and now the otaku superstars break out of Tokyo’s Akihabara district to bring their music to an international audience for the first time.

When originally released, W.W.D.D. reached number three in Japan’s Oricon Album Charts, where the six all-girl unit has held huge headline arena shows, including the Nippon Budokan, National Yoyogi Stadium’s First Gymnasium, as well as appearances at Japan’s major rock festivals, despite their pop aesthetics.

A number of tracks on the album have been written by prominent figures in the Japanese rock industry, including Tamaya 2060% of punk group Wienners, NAOTO from popular hip-hop rock act ORANGE RANGE, and anime theme composer and video game music remixer Kenichi Maeyamada amongst many more.

W.W.D.D. on CD will include a 28-page full colour photo and lyric booklet and will be available first at HYPER JAPAN, ahead of its official retail release from 7 August 2015. Digitally, the album is out now on iTunes and will be made available from other digital download and streaming services shortly.

W.W.D.D. TRACKLIST:
01. Dempa na Sekai ~ It’s a dempa world ~
02. Dempari Night [video]
03. Dance Dance Dance
04. NEO JAPONISM
05. FD2 ~Raison d’etre Daibouken~
06. Chururi Chururira [video]
07. Mamonaku, Dempagumi.inc ga Ririku Itashimasu
08. Dear Stage e Youkoso
09. Bari3 Republic [video]
10. Fancy Hoppe U FU FU [video]
11. Lemon Iro [video]
12. Brandnew World
13. Irodori Sekai
14. Sakura Apparation [video]

Pre-order now directly from JPU Records, or purchase in advance at HYPER JAPAN.

Dempagumi.inc online:
http://dempagumi.dearstage.com/
https://www.facebook.com/dempagumi.inc
https://twitter.com/dempagumi
https://www.youtube.com/dempagumiinc

JPU Records Online:
http://jpurecords.com
https://www.facebook.com/JPUrecords
https://twitter.com/JPUrecords

taffy, PASSEPIED, moumoon and Yosi Horikawa in JAPAN RISING Showcase at The Great Escape 2015

FB Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1381477455513705/

Four Japanese artists have been confirmed to perform at The Great Escape, held 14-16 May in Brighton, England. taffy, PASSEPIED, moumoon and Yosi Horikawa will appear at the JAPAN RISING showcase on the afternoon of Saturday 16 May at Queens Hotel, accompanied with a buffet of free sushi. They will perform in front of fans from all over Europe, music industry professionals and media outlets. All four artists will also perform separately during the festival with other international bands.

Held annually in Brighton since 2006, The Great Escape is Europe’s fastest-growing music marketplace and consumer festival. This year, 400 selected artists from over the world will perform at 35 clubs around the city.

JAPAN RISING will present the first UK performances from major-label artists PASSEPIED and moumoon; the former being iTunes Japan’s “Breakout Artist of 2013” and the latter bringing a dose of unadulterated J-pop, whose latest single featured as the opening theme to hit new anime series Assassination Classroom. The special showcase will also be opened by Tokyo shoegaze-pop quartet taffy, while experimental DJ Yosi Horikawa, who was recently part of compilation Nihon Kizuna which raised over £20,000 for earthquake and tsunami relief efforts in Northern Japan, will conclude the proceedings.

The showcase is organised by The Foundation for Promotion of Music Industry and Culture (PROMIC), supported by Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) and coordinated by Japan Underground. It is part of a remit to create overseas showcase opportunities for performers at Tokyo International Music Market; further showcases will follow.

Venue / Time:
Queens Hotel, Saturday 16 May (11:30-4pm) – Entry with festival pass only

taffy: 12:00-12:30pm

taffy is a four piece fuzzy guitar pop band with a female vocal Iris. They are often compared to the Britpop and the Grunge bands from the 90s. Their music is described as art-punk (247magazine) , shoegaze (Buzz), 90’s Britpop revival (NME), highly addictive (DiS) and so on. The band has three albums out already, and has done 4 national UK headline tours so far. And the new EP “Darkle” out on May 4th 2015 includes a song “Young Tines” which was remixed by The Brian Jonestown Massacre.

moumoon: 1:00-1:30pm

moumoon is a made-up term with a French word “mou(soft)” and “moon”: soft moon.
Ever since their inception in 2005, they have continuously gained recognition through their radio live-performances on various networks and had their songs featured in commercials and television dramas. They have taken further steps in their career as they performed in large-scale music festivals and went on their biggest tour to date (16 different areas in Japan) in 2014.
Recently, they have been holding live performances overseas, in an attempt to showcase Japan’s high quality pop songs to the rest of the world.
Also playing: 8:30pm Saturday 16 May @ Brighton Museum

PASSEPIED: 2:00-2:30pm

Formed in 2009 by keyboardist, Narita Haneda. Their name, PASSEPIED was taken from a composition by French composer, Claude Debussy. Ever since their formation, PASSEPIED are causing sensation in the Japanese music scene with their unique music style created by Haneda, who has a classical background, and the illustration/artwork and music clip animation created by the band’s own vocalist, Natsuki Ogoda. Their sophomore album “MAKUNOUCHI-ISM” was released on June 18. In October, the band released “MAKUNOUCHI-ISM e.p” which includes 4 tracks from the latest album “MAKUNOUCHI-ISM” re-recorded all in English on iTunes Stores worldwide.
Also playing: 8:00pm Saturday 16 May @ Komedia Studio Bar

Yosi Horikawa: 3:00-3:30pm

t’s clear that Yosi Horikawa is not only obsessed with music, but sound itself. The Japanese producer consistently incorporates field recordings into his tracks to vibrant effect offering an exciting musique concrete version of electro beat.
He released his first EP, « Touch » on Eklektik Records (FR) in 2009 and his LP « Vapor », on First Word Records (UK) in 2013. He recently performed among international festivals (Sonar, Mutek, Glastonbury etc.). 2011 academy grad, a documentary about him « Layered Memories : Searching For Sound With Yosi Horikawa » have been released on 2014 by RBMA
Also playing: 6:45pm Friday 15 May @ Unitarian Church

SCANDAL Say ‘HELLO WORLD’ With International Album and World Tour

Japan’s all-girl guitar group SCANDAL mark their international debut with a special edition of their sixth album HELLO WORLD, out now from JPU Records, including two exclusive bonus tracks for the CD edition.

Living up to its name, HELLO WORLD will also be supported with a headline world tour, including a show at France’s Le Bataclan in Paris on 25 April 2015 (tickets), London’s O2 Islington Academy on 26 April 2015 (tickets), Germany’s Weststadthalle in Essen on 30 April 2015 (tickets) – plus headline dates in the USA, Mexico, Singapore, Taiwan and a stadium show in Hong Kong.

Since becoming the crowned winners of the New Artist category at the 51st Japan Record Awards, SCANDAL’s momentum has blasted the girls’ cute, pop-punk tunes to the very top of Japan’s music industry. All five of their prior albums have made it into the top five of Japan’s official album chart, and 17 of their singles in to the top 20 Singles Chart – six entering at position five or higher! Their music has featured in a host of popular TV shows and films, including hit anime series Bleach and the latest Pokémon film.

HELLO WORLD sees the girls return with one of their strongest, most determined records to date and sees them collaborate with legendary icon Tetsuya Komuro; “the most successful music producer in Japanese music history” (The Guardian).

SCANDAL – HELLO WORLD. Click for larger version.

HELLO WORLD’ TRACKLISTING
01. Image (view the full music video)
02. Your song
03. love in action
04. Departure (view the full music video)
05. Graduation
06. Yoake no Ryuseigun (view the full music video)
07. Onegai Navigation
08. Runners high (view the full music video)
09. Honn Wo Yomu
10. Kan Beer
11. Winters story
12. Oyasumi
13. Place of life (ft. Tetsuya Komuro)

CD Bonus Tracks:
14. Rainy
15. Nai Nai Night 2014

Download now: iTunes or Amazon MP3 in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain or the UK.
Pre-order the CD from: JPU Records Shop, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.fr, Amazon.de, Amazon.es, Season of Mist (France), Fan (Poland), Music Corner (Poland), CD-soundtrack (Czech Republic), CDON (Denmark), imusic (Denmark), Plastic Head (UK),

SCANDAL is

HARUNA
Lead Vocals / Guitar
[Twitter]

MAMI
Guitar / Vocals
[Twitter]

TOMOMI
Bass / Vocals
[Twitter]

RINA
Drums / Vocals
[Twitter]

SCANDAL online:
http://www.scandal-4.com/
https://www.youtube.com/scandalSMEJ
https://twitter.com/scandal_band
https://www.facebook.com/scandalofficial

JPU Records online:
http://www.jpurecords.com
https://twitter.com/JPUrecords
https://www.facebook.com/JPUrecords

SPYAIR Release ‘BEST’ Album in the UK and Europe from 12 January

Japanese pop-rock squad SPYAIR will release ‘BEST’ on CD and digital formats in the UK and Europe, collating all 14 of their massive hit singles so far, plus two brand new songs! It’s also the first time many of the songs have been available outside of Japan.

Since smashing on to the scene in 2010 with their debut single ‘LIAR’, which also became the theme song to Japanese TV school drama Hammer Session!, SPYAIR have experienced a mighty ten top-40 singles in Japan and had many of their tracks become theme tunes in anime and film; including The Amazing Spider-Man, Bleach and Gintama. All are included on ‘BEST’.

Due to popular demand, SPYAIR were picked up by London’s JPU Records for European distribution, leading to the group’s YouTube channel being available outside of Japan for the first time. There, the official music videos to the songs included on ‘BEST’ have already racked up viewing figures upwards of 28 million.

‘BEST’ TRACKLISTING
01. GLORY (view music video)
02. Imagination (view music video)
03. JUST ONE LIFE (view music video)
04. Genjyou Destruction (view music video)
05. Niji (view music video)
06. Sakura Mitsutsuki (view music video)
07. WENDY ~It’s You~ (view music video)
08. Naked (view music video)
09. 0 GAME (view music video)
10. My World
11. BEAUTIFUL DAYS (view music video)
12. (Samurai Heart) Some Like It Hot!! (view music video)
13. Japanication (view music video)
14. Last Moment (view music video)
15. LIAR
16. Anokoro bokurawa onajimiraiwo

Download from: iTunes or Amazon MP3 in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain or the UK.
Pre-order the CD from: JPU Records Shop, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Season of Mist (France), imusic (Denmark), CD-soundtrack (Czech Republic), Plastic Head (UK), Fan (Poland).

Album teaser:

Hyper Japan Christmas Market 2014 to go Hyper for Japanese Music

With Hyper Japan Christmas Market only a matter of days away, we take a look at what the event has on offer for fans of Japanese music. Taking place between 14-16 November 2014 at Olympia in London, the Christmas Market sees the UK’s biggest J-culture event take a more relaxed approached than it’s massive summer event at Earls Court, focusing instead more on the market side of the event – yet, we’d say that the music line-up is equally, if not more, exciting than the summer’s event. Here’s why:

NeM: Japanese Fusion Band

When: Saturday – 7:30pm
NeM is the combination of five traditional Japanese musicians living in the UK and Italy. Amongst their ranks is shamisen veteran Hibiki Ichikawa – the only qualified teacher of his instrument in Great Britain. The group’s name, NeM, holds the meaning of the sound of Japanese instruments dancing through peoples’ minds throughout the world – at least that’s what the Hyper Japan website says. Personally, we’re a sucker for the koto and can’t wait to hear what they have to offer. They’ll play a special collection of folk songs from all over the world, performed with a distinct Japanese flavour.

Naruto Singer Joe Inoue and Diana Garnet

When: Sunday – 4pm.
Joe Inoue is probably best known in the UK for two of his songs being used in anime: “Closer” was used as the fourth Naruto Shippuden opening song, and “Kaze no Gotoku” was used for a season of Gin Tama. He’s also a regular part of J-MELO, a television programme by NHK World which airs in over 150 countries. You will be able to buy Joe Inoue CDs and merchandise from JPU Records’ booth throughout the event.
He’ll be joined on stage on Sunday with Diana Garnet who recently had her a major debut – the turning point for her was winning the Nihon TV 2013 “Nodojiman THE WORLD” contest.

SIRO-A

When: Friday – 2:30pm. Saturday: 12:00 noon. Sunday: 12-noon.
Tipped as Japan’s answer to the Blue Man Group, this team of techno wizards combine humour, music and live performance into a stage show that is a must to experience. They’re also the longest running commercial stage-show from Japan to ever hit London’s west end. Check out their YouTube channel for a taste of what to expect.

Anna Yano:

When: Every day.
Yano Anna is an Aomoji-kei model affiliated with ASOBISYSTEM, the same management company as Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. She’s also a singer, having combined her work with her love of anime by performing “All Over” and “Shape My Story”, the opening theme songs for Magica Wars and Stella Women’s Academy, Class C3 respectively. Don’t worry, we didn’t know what Aomoji-kei was either, so here’s what MTV81 had to say about it; “Aomoji is basically dressing the way you want as opposed to what society thinks looks good; in other words, it’s about dressing for yourself, and not for what the runway and chain shops dictate… and certainly not to please boys”.

Miyu Koike

When: Sunday – 2pm
Having had her major debut with Victor Entertainment this summer, Idol Koike Miyu will now also be making her UK debut at Hyper Japan Christmas Market. As well as a singer with seven indie singles under her belt, Miyu is also a regular talent on Japanese TV and radio shows. She’s known for her quirky sense of humour and being a something of a “Dojikko” (extremely clumsy) personality. Let’s hope she doesn’t fall off the stage!

Tamashii Taiko Drumming

When: Saturday – 8:15pm
Tamashii perform traditional and contemporary pieces using a variety of traditional Japanese rhythms while the players are allowed to explode into their own unique and colourful solos throughout the songs. The combination of uniformity and the individual freedom of expression is what give Tamashii its strength as a team and character as a performance group. The Group show that Taiko is not merely drumming, but an emotion that the whole body and mind can experience, apparently.

Nihon Buyo and Folk Music

When: Saturday – 2pm. Sunday – 10:30am
Nihon Buyo is a refined form of traditional Japanese dance and has been improved over four centuries. It has its strongest influence from Kabuki Buyo, but it was also influenced by the circular movements and props of Noh and the spinning and jumping expressions of Japanese Folk Dance. While performed independently by specialists, it is particularly known for being the style of dancing performed by geisha.
Make sure you check out the performance on Sunday, as shamisen star Hibiki Ichikawa and enka singer Akari Mochizuki will join the performance.

Of course! JPU Records will be another highlight – visit their booth throughout the event to buy and talk about music! They will also have a very special one-off clearance sale of third-party CDs. A great time to grab a bargain or just try something new.