10 Japanese acts that would have been way way better choices than AKB48 for the Wreck-It Ralph soundtrack

I just saw that the super-creepy Japanese pop act AKB48 is on the soundtrack for the video game themed animated film Wreck-It Ralph*. While I suppose it should come as no surprise that such factory processed mega-sleaze could manage to shlerm its way onto the soundtrack (we are talking about Disney here after all), it does send this fanboy into something of a tailspin. Because for God's sake, there are exactly ONE ZILLION better Japanese acts to choose from for this sort of fun, nostalgic, vibrant love letter to video games. (I'm assuming most of that. Haven't seen it.)

So I took two seconds and wrote a list of the first ten acts I could think of. HERE IT IS, in order of relevance and everything, just in case you get bored of listening to incredibly awesome music halfway through like a moron who deserves total junk like AKB48 forced into your slack jaws and down your bloated food-chute.

*Looking up the correct punctuation is the beginning and ending of the research I did for this post.

#1 Sexy Synthesizer



If you get 15 seconds into this and don't know why it's number one then stop reading and smash your damn fool face into a brick wall until it's nap time. COME ON. Sexy Synthesizer is amazing and uses a handful of Namco arcade game sounds in just about every song he writes. Including Galaga which is the best game ever made. Disagree? See above advice.

You can hear his entire ROCK album below.



#2 Plugnet



THIS IS THE COOLEST CHIPTUNE ALBUM EVER CREATED. Why? LISTEN TO THE RAPPING OH MY GOD. Oh, and it should be obvious unless you're a dummy but Sexy Synthesizer had a hand in its creation. GOT MORE SPICES.

#3 Omodaka



OK, so we've been pretty spastic right out of the gate. Maybe what you'd expect. And then BOOOOM. Omodaka. That's right, funk-tastic chip driven funky funk courtesy of a Stevie Wonder bass line and some wickedly weird traditional folk singing layered over the top. If Disney really wanted to blow people's minds, THIS would be playing through Wreck-It (I'm too busy to bother with the Ralph and more) non-stop.

#4 YMCK



"Y! M! C! K! Let's go! Let's go! *clap clap* Y! M! C! K! Let's go! Let's go! *clap clap* Y! M! C! K! Let's go! Let's go! *clap clap* Y! M! C! K! Waaaaaaaa!"

I rest my case. (They also built their own chiptune software.)

#5 Perfume



I mean come on, it's called "Electro World" for crying out loud. And Perfume is HUUUGE. And waaay less creepy than those dead-eyed AKB slaves. Much more family-friendly and all that. And the bass line rules my soul.

#6 The Aprils



Alright, if the over-the-top commercialism is getting to you, then The Aprils are here to wash it away with a blissful wave of super duper cute synthpop. Absolutely non-ironic and just plain happy. All in a way only Japan can pull off. This should be the ending theme to every happy animated film, in my totally factual analysis.

#7 Halcali



Remember when people made good, clever videos? This is one of them! And it has blurred out Super Mario Bros in it! And it's an amazing song! COME ON GUYS JEEEZUS! AKB48? Really? When THIS IS A THING THAT EXISTS???

#8 Capsule



Screw Tron. THIS is what living in a video game from the 2000s would sound like.

#9 Floppy



Sorry if I fell off the chiptune tip for a second there. Back on track! Floppy brings a more rock/punk/weirdo vibe to their tunes. A nice foil to all the happy crappy girls, am I right? Look, we can all get along because chiptunes!

#10 Polysics



BECAUSE I WILL NOT REST UNTIL POLYSICS RULES THE ENTIRE WORLD. Because reasons, that's why.

So there you go. Take your stupid factory-pre-set J-pop and CHOKE.

Calendar 2010 - Omodaka - Live Stream

Bit of a different calendar post here. Just got word that electro-chiptune master Omodaka will be playing a show in Japan on Friday, June 25th. The cool thing is that sabaco radio will be live-streaming it on USTREAM.

Omodaka will be just one of a handful of artists playing. The show runs from 7pm-11pm in Japan, so that's 5am-9am Central time in the US. So make sure to set your bookmarks and alarm clocks now!

Omodaka / Far East Recording (沢瀉)

Omodaka and Far East Recording are both names used by one Soichi Terada.

Soichi has been producing a wide variety of electro/techno music since 1989. Browsing through his extensive discography is much like taking a lesson in electro history. He started out like many others in the early 90s with bare-bone, sample filled dance tracks. He gradually shifted into jungle/drum and bass territory with his "Sumo Jungle" series of albums. Much of his music featured bossa rhythms and other more sophisticated elements, propelling his tracks slightly further than the usual stagnant underground house and jungle tracks.

He continued to evolve his sound into a much more lively house realm, pushing the vocal element to the forefront. With his "Monkey Turn" single, he fused his older jungle style with a new, vocal-centric sort of cyber-house, with its robotized traditional style Japanese vocal track. After that he jumped straight into a Daft Punk style of upbeat house tracks with more traditional Japanese folk vocals courtesy of Kanazawa Akiko (I highly recommend checking out the video diaries on her site.) He also slowly incorporated the current trend of using modern/retro 8-bit sounds, eventually creating songs made entirely of vintage video game music tracks. While these songs would be great on their own as instrumentals, the addition of Kanzawa's anachronistic traditional vocals makes for a truly unique mix.

So far Soichi has released only one full album and two EPs featuring his new sound under the name Omodaka. The album CANTATA No.147 is basically a collection of singles (including his excellent version of Bach's Cantata No. 147.) The Favorite Games EP is a natural evolution, pushing the vocals to the bleeding edge and even including some acoustic guitar among the retro-bleeps. Plum Song follows suit, with the same pop sound with a bit more experimentation mixed in.

Omodaka has made a very strong showing at live shows in America. As part of the otherwise all-girl Japan Nite tour, Omodaka has wowed audiences with his odd stage show featuring recorded video of Akiko singing and his own version of shrine-maiden clothing, compete with a spooky mask.

With the amount of attention his work is getting, and (perhaps) more notably the excellent videos that accompany much of his music and a growing number of high profile remixes for the likes of Ram Rider, YMCK and Perfume, we can be sure that we'll be hearing (and seeing) a lot more from Omodaka / Far East Recording in the future.

BUY OMODAKA RELEASES AT AMAZON, HEARJAPAN AND ITUNES

[Photo by Ace0fClub5]

Kokiriko Bushi



Far East Recording
Power of Terada
Twitter

Major Releases
Omodaka - Plum Song EP (2010)
Omodaka - Favorite Games EP (2008)
Omodaka - CANTATA No.147 (2006)
Far East Recording - SUMO JUNGLE GURANDEUR
Far East Recording - SUN SHOWER REMIXES
Far East Recording - NEWS AND OLDIES 1996
Far East Recording - FAR EAST RECORDING 2
Far East Recording - FAR EAST RECORDING

Plum Song


Yosawya-san


Kyotei Zinc (video mix)


Kyotei Daiski


Cantata No. 147


Fortunate 1 Mark


Live


Live @ Holy 8bit Night 1/4


Live @ Holy 8bit Night 2/4


Live @ Holy 8bit Night 3/4


Live @ Holy 8bit Night 4/4


[update 4/28/10]

Calendar - Japan Nite US Tour 2010 [update]

Japan Nite - SXSW
March 19 (Fri)
Elysium - Austin,TX
with: Chatmonchy / Omodaka / Red Bacteria Vacuum / Dolly / OKAMOTO'S / JinnyOops! / Riddim Saunter

Japan Nite - US tour 2010
March 21 - 27

with: Omodaka / Red Bacteria Vacuum / OKAMOTO'S / JinnyOops! + more bands

March 21 (Sun) New York @ Bowery Ballroom (also with Chatmonchy)
March 22 (Mon) Cambridge, MA @ T.T. The Bear's
March 23 (Tue) Chicago @ Empty Bottle
March 25 (Thu） Seattle @ High Dive
March 26 (Fri) San Fransisco @ The Independent (also with Chatmonchy)
March 27 (Sat) L.A. @ Viper Room (also with Chatmonchy)

Source: Japan Nite

Review: OMODAKA - Plum Song EP

Big news! OMODAKA has just released a new four song EP called Plum Song.

Is it any good?

Check out Japanator for my full review, as well as links to listen, watch and buy.

Videos of the Week 11/1/09

OMODAKA "Plumb Song"


What a way to start a new month! Here's a new video from OMODAKA for "Plumb Song." As usual, it's pretty incredible. Also, it might be very slightly not safe for work, but you shouldn't be wasting time watching videos at work in the first place! Anyway, this video is pure neon eye-candy. Make sure to watch it in HD if you can. So, when is OMODAKA going to release a DVD? Hmmm?!

Hit the jump for more of this week's video picks!



Moja "High Speed"


Here's a great, moody, DIY video from the two piece rock band Moja. The very dark, black and white treatment perfectly fits the music, and the chaotic camera work matches the chaos of the band.

Electric Eel Shock "Metal Man"


After you watch this video, there's no doubting the thrill of a live Electric Eel Shock show. Not only will they rock your face off, but check out the drummer! Not every has the courage to wear nothing but a really, really, really long sock.

Usotsuki Barbie "Konai Insects"


Here's a somewhat random pick from Usotsuki Barbie. There's no much going on here, but when you're band is already pretty weird, you don;t need to worry about adding much. And hey, dancing girl. What more do you need?

Dazzle Vision "Metsu"


If you're unfamiliar with Dazzle Vision before going into this one, then you're in for a treat. Oh look, the singer looks like your standard J-pop idol. OK, so this is going to be a cute pop some about cake. Guess what? You're wrong.

That's it for this week! See you next time!

OMODAKA T-Shirt

Awesome.

Videos of the Week 9/6/09

Omodaka and 6%DokiDoki Shop Girls


Starting off this week, here's a look at what you may have seen at the recent Japan Girls Live event on the west coast. Omodaka took the stage along with some of the girls from 6%DokiDoiki. This isn't from that exact event, this is from something previous to that. But still, it's pretty cool!

If you want to see something from the US show, hit the jump for more!


Omodaka and 6%DokiDoki Shop Girls


OK, now this is the intro to the show on August 17th in LA. Seeing this makes me pretty bummed that I missed out on it. Anyone reading this who managed to get out and see the show?

School Food Punishment "Futuristic Imagination"


Over on Twitter, @kurogane made a request to see this one from School Food Punishment this week, so here it is! SFP seem to be rockin' a little harder with each single they put out. I kind of like their softer stuff more, but this is certainly a catchy song and a prefect anime track!

Jemapur "Maledict Car"


Here's a slightly older one from Jemapur. It really reminds me of the stuff they showed on the old MTV series called Amp. Lots of old-school experimental techno and early glitch stuff. This one feels like a cross between Coldcut and Autechre. Kind of makes me want to dig out all of my old records and dust them off.

Kanye West vs Utada Hikaru "Love Lockdown (Passion Remix)"


This is one I posted over on Japanator a few days back. This is a mashup featuring both the audio and video from Kanye West and Utada Hikaru songs. It's done by flipb01tamidles. Pretty cool stuff! Flip has ton of other mashups, so check out the Japanator post for more links.

That's it for this week! See ya next time.

September 2009 Calendar - Omodaka / Peelander-Z - Anime Weekend Atlanta

September 18-20
Omodaka and Peelander-Z

Sep 19 "Anime Weekend Atlanta" (AWA) - The Renaissance Waverly Hotel 2450 Galleria Parkway Atlanta, GA 30339
Sep 21 "Silverlake Lounge" (Free) 2906 Sunset Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90026

Source: Anime Weekend Atlanta (Thanks to Phil for the tip!)

August 2009 Calendar - Japan Girls Nite - California Shows

August 15-17
Japan Girls Nite Tour - California
-Tsu Shi Ma Me Re
-Noodles
-Red Bacteria Vacuum
-Omodaka

Aug 15 - @ PEACE PLAZA MTV IGGY STAGE - 12 noon to 6 pm - FREE SHOW - Japantown
Aug 16 - @ YOSHI'S - San Fransisco - show start 8 pm
Aug 17 - The Roxy Theatre - West Hollywood

Source: Japan Nite

Omodaka, Yoshida Brothers and Pistol Valve on Al Jazeera TV

In another very rare news post, I bring you word of the extremely cool show called Playlist from Al Jazeera TV. In the clip above, you can see (in English!) profiles on Omodaka, Yoshida Brothers and Pistol Valve.

You can check out Part 2 with even more bands after the jump.

Someone really needs to get something like this togehter for America. Gee...I wonder who would be crazy enough to do that...

Thanks to Rody from denshiongaku.com for sending in the tip!

Japan Nite Review/Photo Blitz on Japanator

Actor, photographer and, most importantly, Japantor reader Ace0fClub5 went to the Japan Nite gig in LA a while back. He came back battered, sweaty and with a fist full of amazing photographs like the one above. That's Omodaka helping out singer Akiko Kanazawa.

You can check out his full review, along with tons of up close and personal photos here. You can check out a few extra Japan Nite photos, as well as Ace0fClub5's larger photo collection here.

March Calendar - Japan Nite 2009 - USA

March 22-29
Japan Nite 2009
Featuring: Detroit7, SA, Sparta Locals, FLiP, and Omodaka
with: Grapevine, The Emeralds and Asakusa Jinta and more!

3/20 Fri Japan Nite 1 @ SXSW Austin TX
with: FLiP/ Dirty Old Men /HONEY SAC/ SPARTA LOCALS/GRAPEVIE/detroit7

3/21 Sat. Japan Nite 2 @ SXSW Austin TX
with: Stereopony/SpethialThanks/The Emeralds/SA/Asakusa Jinta /quaff

3/22 sun NY @ Bowery ballroom
with: detroit7/SA/SPARTA LOCALS/FLiP/Omodaka/
+GRAPEVINE and ASAKUSA JINTA

3/23 mon Cambridge /MA @ T.T. The Bears
with: detroit7/SA/SPARTA LOCALS/FLiP/Omodaka +THE EMERALDS

3/24 tue Chicago @ Empty Bottle
with: detroit7/SA/SPARTA LOCALS/FLiP/Omodaka/

3/26 thu Denver @TBA
with: detroit7/SA/SPARTA LOCALS/FLiP/Omodaka/

3/27 fri Seattle @ High Dive -
with: detroit7/SA/SPARTA LOCALS/FLiP/Omodaka/
Opening ban: The Slants

3/28 sat SF @ Independent
with: detroit7/SA/SPARTA LOCALS/FLiP/Omodaka/

3/29 sun LA @ Knitting Factory
with: detroit7/SA/SPARTA LOCALS/FLiP/Omodaka/

Source: Japan Nite

Otaku USA Magazine #10

It's time again for another issue of the best Japanese pop-culture magazine in the West, Otaku USA Magazine!

Issue #10 (February 2009) is out now. In it I have a review of the very very cool anime series Ghost Hound. If you're into anime that's very far away from moe and cute, squeeky magical schoolgirls, then Ghost Hound is the show for you. It's very slow, atmospheric and very creepy.

The really big news is my exclusive interview with the amazing electro master OMODAKA! We even have a photo (possibly the first ever?) of the man behind the machines (and the mask!) I had the chance to talk to him at length and learn more about Soichi Terada's past and just what exactly Omodaka means to him. If you've been entranced by his music and the videos, then you will not want to miss the interview. I'm a huge fan, and it was an honor to have the chance to talk with him.

If that's not enough, I also have reviews of Omodaka's albums, and the chip-tune Christmas album Holy 8-Bit Night + compilation on the website.

Of course there is much more than a few pages of music. There is a huge feature on Gurren Lagann, a ton of manga reviews, an interview with Yoko Ishida (not by me) and, gasp!, a positive review of Dead Space!

Otaku USA really is the best collection of all thing pop/Japan/otaku out there. Oh! They just dropped the price as well! Now it's only $5.99 per issue! You can't go wrong, people! I really hope you can check it out. If you do, please, by all means let me and the staff know what you think. We really do listen to you.

Thanks!

New Omodaka Video: Asadoya Yunta (安里屋ユンタ)

I just received word of this, an awesome new video for "Asadoya Yunta" from Omodaka!

This one is a bit less fun and a bit more serious and arty, featuring some really interesting typography from Kentaro Fujimoto and directed by Yoshiyuki Komatsu (did I get that right?) of Power Graphixx. It reminds me a little of the video for Autechre's "Gantz Graf." (But just a little.)

The video fits well with Kanazawa Akiko's floating vocals backed by the glitched-out beats, all set in a cyber no-scape of various geometric shapes. Omodaka seems to enjoy bringing these traditional folk tunes back to life. This one is a little more abrasive and experimental then most of his other stuff, but I think the unique interpretation really works well.

If you're interested, here are a couple more videos featuring a traditional take from Rimi Natsukawa, and a really cool jazz version from none other than Ryuichi Sakamoto!

Thanks to the enigmatic pa for the tip!

Rimi Natsukawa


Ryuichi Sakamoto

The Power of ZB vs. the Power of Terada!

OK, I'll admit that this is a silly post, but, if you'll excuse me a second...

That pic above is from Omodaka's blog Power of Terada. How awesome is that?!

It turns out that they used my English bio of Omodaka on the site, and have now given me a direct shout-out on the main page. This is very cool!

I have some even more awesome Omodaka news, but it will have to wait for a bit. Rest assured that you'll be the first to hear about it here on ZB's A-Z, so stay tuned!

Thanks to Rody and Terada-san for all of the great music and support!

Japanator Radio 39

Welcome to another action packed, stomach clenching thrill ride from Japanator Radio!

This week we've got new singles from The Pillows and Scandal, some more new music from the new Midori album, and more traditional/8-bit mash-ups from the one and only Omodaka.

There's a whole lot of rock awaiting you just beyond that download link. Strap on your blast shield and get ready for deliciousness!

DOWNLOAD EPISODE 39