YMCK

YMCK are arguably one of the more popular chip-tune bands in the world. Their songs are composed almost exclusively with the NES 8bit music chip. In fact, the group developed their very own software called Magical 8bit Plug that replicates the same sounds as the original Famicom system on modern-day desktops.

They manage to not only make their songs incredibly fun and poppy, but densely layered and complex. They take a page from the standard jazz handbook and make their songs swing like crazy, while at the same time holding true to their more rigid 8bit roots.

Singer Midori's whispery, smooth vocals coat the jazzy beats in pure pop sugar and add to the band's overall sense of childish playfulness. While other twee bedroom-pop bands might settle for simple song structures, YMCK goes much much further in developing their songs. The main melodies may be simple and catchy, but all of the underlying tracks are rather complex and never settle for the easy way out. They are continuously on the move up and down scales and arpeggios, tracing elaborate constellations through low-fi starfields.

YMCK has had a lot of success playing live festivals around the globe, like the Blip Festival in New York. While their core sound has evolved little over the years, the quality of their recordings and complexity of their songs continues to grow, not to mention their rabid fanbase.

BUY YMCK RELEASES HERE

"Go YMCK Go"



Official Site
MySpace

Members:
Midori - Vocal
Yokemura - Music, Lyrics, Arrangement
Nakamura - Music Video

Albums:
Family Music - 2004
FAMILY RACING - 2005
FAMILY GENESIS - 2008
YMCK SONGBOOK: songs before 8bit - 2008
FAMILY COOKING - 2009

"Magical 8bit Tour"


"Milky Blue"


"Panic Racer"


"Cette Annee"

Yellow Magic Orchestra

Yellow Magic Orchestra were (and still are) a massively influential electro band that formed in the late '70s. They played almost exclusively electronic instruments, including huge analog synths. They were also one of the first bands to recognize the appeal of video game music, incorporating it into much of their style. But unlike what one might expect from a digital-loving electro group, YMO combined the static electro sounds with a heaping helping of funk, disco and rock, injecting more than a little life and humanity into the machinery. One bit of trivia that might put a group like Yellow Magic Orchestra into context is their appearance in the American TV show Soul Train in 1980. They were quite likely the first (and perhaps only) Japanese act to appear on the show, bringing their unique brand of electro-funk to astonished and bemused American audiences everywhere.

In a way, YMO is still together. The individual members Haruomi Hosono, Yukihiro Takahashi and Ryuichi Sakamoto have all gone on to pursue their own solo careers and causes to great success. But the band still finds the time to occasionally get back together for live shows. These shows showcase both the original YMO lexicon and the individual members own music outside of YMO.

As for the original YMO music, it's a little of what you might expect from a very early synth band, namely swirling Moogs and and massive forests of cords, robotic, lock-step beats and obtuse lyrics. Then there are the more tripped out tunes, the experimental passages and the weird sense of humor. Their live shows from that era are mesmerizing. Perhaps described best as a mix between Kraftwerk and Devo who were active at the same exact time, YMO put on a show that was a mix of "dare to be stupid" futurism, cold, calculated programming and a real sense of, again, humanity and life. YMO followed their own path wherever it naturally lead them, and took an entire generation of electo-loving fans with them.

BUY YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA RELEASES HERE!

"Technopolis"



Official Site
MySpace

Members:
Haruomi Hosono
Yukihiro Takahashi
Ryuichi Sakamoto

Albums:
Yellow Magic Orchestra - 1978
Solid State Survivor - 1979
×∞ Multiplies - 1980
BGM - 1981
Technodelic - 1981
Naughty Boys - 1983
Naughty Boys Instrumental - 1983
Service - 1983
Technodon (as YMO) - 1993

"Rydeen"


"Computer Games"


"Tighten Up (Japanese Gentlemen, Stand Up Please!)" (Live on Soul Train)


"Rydeen" (Live 2007)


"Tokyo Town Pages" (Live in London 2008)

Yoshida Brothers

Calling the music of the Yoshida Brothers (Ryoichiro and Kenichi) "new age" would be selling it short, as would "world music" or any other sort of touchy-feely genre. Sure, it has many of the hallmarks of the otherwise vapid offerings the usual fare has to offer, like a focus on one instrument with very specific ethnic and cultural roots. In this case it's the three stringed shamisen. They are much more than a one trick pony, and their intense playing style sets them slightly apart from the usual light-handed folk scene.

While they do in fact play several tunes that would easily find a home in the patchouli scented section of your local music shop, the fact is that for every straight-up folk tune they play, there is another song that totally breaks out of those narrow confines. They often mix up the shamisen's percussive twang with a full band playing either down-tempo dance tunes or all out rock or even blues. Part of this may be due to their relatively young age. They started playing as children and have only recently broken thirty. On their most recent album Prism they even cover a Radiohead song. Whatever the case, their sound is decidedly modern, something those otherwise dismissive of music so obviously Japanese could listen to without worry.

That's not to say they are some sort of revolutionary force. They do ride a very user-friendly road, playing up the instrument's long folk history for all it's worth. They are first and foremost a traditional/folk duo. Much of their music is soothing and nostalgic, with only a few songs ramping up the tempo enough to get the toes tapping. Yet it's a formula that works. The duo has had much success over the years, providing music for a Wii commercial and even touring around the world. They are currently set to tour the US and Canada with no signs of slowing down.

BUY YOSHIDA BROTHERS RELEASES AT AMAZON and CDJAPAN

Rising




Official Site
MySpace

Albums:
Ibuki - 1999
Move - 2000
Soulful - 2002
Frontier - 2003
Yoshida Brothers - 2003
Renaissance - 2004
Yoshida Brothers II - 2004
Yoshida Brothers III - 2006
Hishou - 2007
Best of Yoshida Brothers - Tsugaru Shamisen - 2008
Prism - 2009

Kodo


Live


Live

July Calendar - Yoko Ishida - Anime Expo

July 3-6
Yoko Ishida
Anime Expo
Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA

Source: Anime Expo

May Calendar - Yoshida Brothers - US/Canada Tour

May 14-31
Yoshida Borthers

5/14 El Rey Theatre (Los Angeles, CA)
5/16 Yoshi’s San Francisco (San Francisco, CA)
5/17 Yoshi’s San Francisco (San Francisco, CA)
5/20 Aladdin Theater (Portland, OR)
5/21 Triple Door (Seattle, WA)
5/23 Alix Goolden Performance Hall (Victoria, BC)
5/24 Vancouver Playhouse (Vancouver, BC)
5/25 Enwave Theatre Harbourfront Centre (Toronto, ON)
5/28 HighLine Ballroom (New York, NY)
5/30 Gary and Laura Maurer Concert Hall (Chicago, IL)
5/31 The Cedar (Minneapolis, MN)

Source: J-Revolution

Yogurt Pooh

Yogurt Pooh is one of those bands that, to a baka gaijin Japanophile like myself, will probably always be shrouded in mystery. They are/were big enough to have a couple albums and single make the rounds, yet too obscure for the internet to really grab hold and provide much information about the band itself. Which is a shame, because they are a brilliant band. Blending pretty/dreamy rock songs with an occasional distorted electro edge and a hopelessly geeky, honest image, they are a rare creature. A band that just writes some great songs and performs them perfectly. I really wish the video for "Romance Provider" was still up. Find it!

Yellow Machinegun

A trio of little Japanese women from Osaka who can not only share the stage with the likes of Slayer and Motorhead, but kick some serious ass while doing it? Yes please! Unfortunately there seems to have been very little in the way of new releases in the past couple years, and their official web page seems to have vanished. Perhaps they were just too much metal for one planet to handle? At least they looked happy while peeling the paint off vehicles and rattling out the fillings of fans everywhere. Check out that first video!

Heartache



Spicy Spiky



Climb