SCANDAL Becomes First Band to be on the Cover of British Magazine NEO

SCANDAL, one of Japan’s most powerful all-girl rock bands, will feature on the cover of issue 138 of NEO Magazine in the UK from 12 June 2015, following the successful conclusion of their first world tour, their latest music video Image passing one million views, and the release of two international albums in the last six months through London’s JPU Records.

It’s the first time a band has featured on the cover of the British anime, manga and Asian pop-culture publication since beginning ten years ago under publisher Uncooked Media. Fittingly, SCANDAL has also has their music used in hugely popular anime as Bleach, Fullmetal Alchemist and the latest Pokémon film.

The issue of NEO boasts an extensive six-page interview with the band, including exclusive photos from their sold out show at the O2 Academy Islington, as well as the group’s first time sight-seeing in London, including their homage to musical heroes The Beatles whilst visiting Abbey Road Studios, and rock legends Oasis in recreating the cover of (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?. Two full-A4 posters are additionally included.

Editor Gemma Cox comments; ”NEO 138 is truly an issue dear to our hearts, as it’s the first time in our decade-long history that we’ve featured a Japanese band on the front cover. Asian music is one of our passions at NEO, and we could not think of a better band to celebrate this with than SCANDAL, the all-girl group currently taking the world by storm! Powering through the charts with their latest album releases, HELLO WORLD and UK-and-Europe-exclusive GREATEST HITS, there was never a better time for us to speak to the girls than during their brief stop in London as part of their tour. We hope SCANDAL-fans and music lovers enjoy our extensive coverage in NEO 138.”

SCANDAL’s latest studio album HELLO WORLD is their eighth to be released, and reached number three in Japan’s Oricon Album Chart when it was originally released in Japan from Epic Records, owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. It was SCANDAL’s first album to be released in the UK through independent label JPU Records Ltd. at the start of 2015, and was followed up by an exclusive compilation from the British label entitled GREATEST HITS, which sold out of initial print before release date in May 2015.

Issue 138 of NEO Magazine is available from magazine stockists from 12 June 2015, as well as its homepage www.neomag.co.uk/magazine.

NEO 138 is also available digitally from Google Play, Amazon, Pocket Mags, the iOS App Store and from www.neomag.co.uk/digitalmag/issue/138.

www.scandal-4.com/

www.facebook.com/scandalofficial

www.jpurecords.com/

Win Tickets to See J-pop Boyband GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE This Saturday!

London has had plenty of J-pop acts grace stages across the city throughout the years, from all girl-trio Perfume, to Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, but when it comes to all male pop talent, things have been rather lacking.

All that’s about to change with GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE, the seven-strong Japanese boy band set to hit London’s O2 Academy Islington this Saturday (15 June 2015). The group is related to EXILE TRIBE, a supergroup of talent who collectively had the 9th best-selling single of 2014 in Japan with The Revolution, and the 8th biggest selling album of the year.

JPU Records is proud to give you a chance to win tickets for you and a friend to see GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE live in London, simply take a screen shot of you sharing this story on social media, along with the full name of you and your friend, and email info@jpurecords.com with the Subject Title “GENERATIONS Competition”

We’ll pick winners at 9am on Friday 12 June, so better hurry!

Here’s the latest music video from the group:

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

moumoon and PASSEPIED, Two of Japan’s Rising Talents, Announce Special One-off London Show

Event Name: JAPAN UNDERGROUND presents moumoon x PASSEPIED – JAPAN RISING Warm Up
Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/454371931382680/
Date: Wednesday 13 May 2015 (from 7pm)
Location: The Pipeline (basement), 94 Middlesex Street, London E1 7DA [map]
Nearest Tube/Train: London Liverpool Street, Aldgate, Shoreditch High Street
Entry: £5

Schedule:
7-8pm: Japanese music DJ session
8pm: PASSEPIED
9pm: moumoon
10pm-close: Japanese music DJ session

Two of Japan’s hottest rising talents, moumoon and PASSEPIED have already been selected to represent the best in new talents from Japan at The Great Escape Festival in Brighton between 14-16 May 2015, and now they have announce a very special one-off show in London to warm up for the festival appearance, accompanies by DJ sessions from UK-based Japanese music label JPU Records.

PASSEPIED (www.passepied.info)

Named after French composer Claude Debussy, PASSEPIED have became a sensation in the Japanese music scene since forming in 2009. With their unique music style crafted by keyboardist and founder Narita Haneda, who graduated the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music with a degree in classical music, and illustrations, artwork and music clip animation created by the band’s own vocalist, Natsuki Ogoda. This will be PASSEPIED’s very first performance outside of Japan.

moumoon (www.moumoon.com)

moumoon is a Japanese group formed by YUKA (Vo.) and MASAKI (Gt./Composer). They both grow up with classical music with Masaki playing piano and YUKA playing violin. Their present musical style covers various types of music such as pop, alternative rock, electronica, folk and indie rock with YUKA’s lyrics and vocal adding scenery and a story to Masaki’s sensitive but dynamic melodies. After moumoon was formed, their songs were power played on radio and used in many TV commercials earning them name recognition. Their latest single is also currently being used in hit new anime series Assassination Classroom as its closing theme.

moumoon and PASSEPIED are in the UK to take part in the JAPAN RISING showcase at The Great Escape on Saturday 16 May, where they will be joined by Yosi Horikawa. The showcase is supported by The Foundation for Promotion of Music Industry and Culture (PROMIC) and 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.

Akihabara Kimono Trio to Hold First Overseas Performance at HYPER JAPAN

HYPER JAPAN Festival has already revealed the attendance of visual rockers Lost Ash in its line-up, and now things are set to become a whole lot cuter with the freshly announced arrival of J-pop trio Heisei Kotohime, confirmed for this summer’s event at The O2 in London between 10-12 July.

Heisei Kotohime burst onto the scene from the infamous streets of Akihabara, Tokyo’s capital for all things otaku and electronic. The group combines traditional aspects and sounds of Japan with idol culture. Each member has their own unique and colourful kimono, as well as a specially redesigned version of Japan’s national instrument, the koto.

Catch the girls at their first show outside of Japan exclusively in London at HYPER JAPAN this July. Here’s a special video message they recorded for the event: