Unless something major is announced, this will likely be our final C83 coverage, as well as last post of the year! Wish we could have promoted Birdtune's new nanano album, but KuKuDoDo is always so last-minute when it comes to web updates. Make sure to follow us on twitter for tons of bite-sized newsflash, but you can also check out clix's shopping list for a second opinion.
Zero-Shaft's new Princess Vocal Collection series launched just this past October 2012, but it must be off to a good start since they're adding two new entries this C83! The fourth volume features りこ。 while the fifth is all about 大山チロル. りこ。 (don't drop the dot!) is a regular Zero-Shaft vocalist who's also a part of Plissh and has been making the rounds lately, including two notable appearances on Holic Service's C82 album.
大山チロル on the other hand has been on a couple Zero-Shaft albums, but is mostly known for her roles on KATIMOTTY drama albums alongside the ちぃむｄｍｐ☆ girls (whom she often provides illustrations for). She also happens to have impressive adult game work sheet. Truly multi-talented! Both albums include an original song, a drama track and a cover song (「オハヨウ」 and 「ルーレット☆ルーレット」 respectively).
おロリ... I mean おでんぱ☆スタジオ is back with an eighth single 「おでんぱ☆幼女合唱」. The theme is loli (what else?) but this time with a bit of a holy spin. Guest vocalist 安倍ようこ is back for a second tour of duty, this time as part of the Loli Choir Girls on the first track 「ぐろりあ♪」 Ave Lolia! The second track 「ロリロリ詐欺にご用心！」 has slap bass, piano and a nice fast pace overall. ひろて～ and ベイビー・レモネード keep upgrading their skills song after song, this single is a great example too!
Gotta admit that 「Sweet Girl Avenue」 really took me by surprise! Circle's name is 第二生徒会室 and main composer/producer is あーたん, two names you probably haven't heard of until today. In fact, あーたん and main vocalist 彩 have released a few singles since late 2011, but this album compiles some of these older songs, along with a few new ones and a nice J-Core remix from K_Pst. But guess what? なゆ makes a surprise appearance on 「はっぴぃ☆らぶみぃ☆えぶりでぃ♪」 which seals the deal as far as I'm concerned. For a debut album, it sure scores a lot of points thanks to its great pace, cute vocals and colourful art. Keep going like this!
I recently found out about 木下いちご when I came across her impressive rendition of Lady ななひら's 「爆発！ラブパニック」, after which I began stalking following her every move. 「MoonLight Parade」 is a great debut single, featuring 2 new original tracks including the aptly titled 「いちご電波」. She seems to be actively soliciting voice work, so I wouldn't be surprised to see her pop up on a couple albums at the next M3 and Comiket events.
Something else worth keeping an eye on is CHUCHUろりぷりんせす, a unit she formed with her friend 柘紅実. At this point it's not clear if this is a fully musical project or if some sort of game is involved, nor do they provide any kind of release date. One thing for sure if they definitely got the characters and cute artwork figured out. We'll just have to wait and see!
MilliRobo.beta is a rather new unit featuring マリネ on vocals and 園山モル (aka 盛るP) as composer. They'll be releasing their first mini-album 「ミニロボベータ！」 at Comiket 83, but in fact they've been together since early 2011. At least three of these songs have already been released online, including 「家想要塞メルヘン」 featured below and 「恋人サンディは明後日笑う」 which was featured on beatlogic's splendid (and deeply underrated) C80 album 「シュミックトリガ！ -New wave of A-POP-」.
So it took them two years to put out these 5 songs on disc, but Rome wasn't built in a day. This is outstanding high-quality denpa that is both charmingly aggressive and strangely comfortable. These songs are bound to surprise you at every turn and twist, yet fans of MOSAIC.WAV should feel right at home with this album. On the other hand, this is a bit more chaotic and experimental than most of what's being released these days, so make sure you hit that crossfade with an open mind if you're new in town.
If anything, it's just refreshing to see 盛るP back in business after nearly a year and a half of silence. His first album 『ミクウェーブ！』 (which I'm still trying to get my hands on) was released in June 2011 and his blog hadn't been updated since. I'm also quite fond of 初音ミク artists "crossing" the gap and going with real female vocals, this feels like an evolution to me and others I've discussed this subject with. Hopefully this debut mini-album gets decent support from fans of the genre, because I'd love to see what they can do with a full album!
It's always exciting to receive new albums from existing artists we know and love, but there's nothing like the thrill to discover new ones and being able to support them from the start! Introducing 塩りんご who will be releasing her first single 『こい☆まほ ～恋する魔法少女～』 at Comiket 83 on December 31st 2012. The main inspiration for this budding idol is good ol' "two-dimensional magical girls". Certainly the three available samples give off a joyful vibe, with 「ここわんこＵ・ω・Ｕ」 being particularly heartful. Here's the title track, but make sure to listen to the others!
Things get really interesting when you start digging up a bit more dirt about 塩りんご and her composer 茶柱工房. First of all, she has been performing with the ももいろクローバー copy unit めろめろクローバー for some time (but I'm not sure if she quit to focus on her own career). That's already a telltale sign that this girl knows what's up. She's the "yellow" cutie with pigtails and you can find quite a few live performances online. So, she can also dance quite well and she's not afraid of a crowd! She also has a strong fashion sense, having started her own clothing company ウサギノリンゴ in 2010.
As for 茶柱工房, prior to this single he composed an original "club sound" album 『Be Happy!!』 which was released at M3-2012秋. It sounds like something that would be recommended for fans of t+pazolite and P*Light (honestly I'd like to get my hands on it myself). "Tindharia" almost feels like it belongs in a Cave STG! It's always cool to see hardcore producers bridging the gap with denpa/idol artists, for those of us who prefer a bit more bite with their music.
Clearly this is a strong duo and I'll be supporting them by purchasing the first single! It's not clear if they're after commercial or doujin activities primarily, but I wouldn't hate seeing her sing on a Zero-Shaft album or something like that down the line. On the other hand, this first single is being distributed at the おでんぱ☆スタジオ C83 booth, and she has been performing at 電波はっ☆キュン so it's pretty obvious which fanbase they're after. Let's just hope this isn't the first and last time we hear about 塩りんご!
SHAKING PINK caused major vibrations back in August 2012 with their first single, so a new album four months later is bound to wobble the doujin world with some serious tremors. Introducing 「しぇいきんぐ！」, the hottest must-get C83 item which we'll remember fondly for years to come. Our Goddesses ナナ, ココ and モモ are back with their intentions to invade hearts and brains worldwide through mischivious and infectious songs, with help from talented composers and skilled lyricists. Here's the tracklist and credits:
Honey Bunny My Love
Vocals: ココ＆ナナ＆モモ, Lyrics: 海兎, Composer: nana(sevencolors)
Quite a few things to note: y0c1e got the first track and pumped out an appropriately sparkling tune to prepare listeners to an aural experience. His buddy Child Prodigy かめりあ goes second; we've heard this one earlier this year, but it still sounds fresh and crispy! See below for a related PV. Then ナナ goes it alone with long-time collaborator すみじゅん; this eurobeat flavoured song might bring in a couple of HALOZY fans! U-ji aka 霊長類P is a prolific VOCALOID composer whose creations also sound great when performed by ココ＆モモ.
Good Guy きくお comes next with his distinctive shiny style and just enough drum'n'bass to send your body in a fizzy. You'll then instantly recognize ベイビー・レモネード with his unmistakable groove, this time with extra backbeat. Pretty cool to see him and his buddy ひろて～ making the rounds. Master かたほとり strikes twice with his heavy Megadrive bass, flashy synths and peppy beats. task and nana(sevencolors) gracefully end the album with similar pop-flavoured tracks to cool things down.
The two "voice dramas" are just icing on the cake and will surely contain hilarious scenes over some sweet BGM. The saying "too much of a good thing" doesn't apply here. This is pure musical chocolate for us to gorge on, the only side-effect being that other albums will sound quite bland in comparison. In fact, this one will be very, very hard to top. Can't wait to see what 2013 has in store for SHAKING PINK... ナナ, ココ and モモ lovers, unite!
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the C83 circus! First out of the gates is none other than Lady Nanahira with her second self-produced mini-album 「KEMOLOVE♥」 out on December 31st 2012 (the first one being C82's voice-bending 「ななみっくす!-nanamix-」) This time we are getting five brand new denpa・pop songs full of lovely human vocals, including a very special guest performance by sweet ココ.
Most ななひら CDs have a somewhat wide range of topics, but what's interesting here is that this one is focusing on a very specific theme: Kemono love. Dogs, cats, rabbits and even pandas, bring on the furries she says. The whole character creation vibe reminds me of MOSAIC.WAV, this is actually a pretty geeky record. Those lucky enough to pick up the CD at Comiket will also receive a nice freebie.
The first thing you'll notice when you hold 「KEMOLOVE♥」 in your hands is the lovely cover art by みずは （Megacycle13） but once you flip it over, prepare to be blown away by a quality composer lineup. We're talking Psalm Dreamer 華飯, Old-Timer 雪月ありす, Golden Boy 吉田省吾, Master かたほとり and Child Prodigy かめりあ. Quite the crew... 5 quality tracks for 500円! Fans of ななひら and cute animals, don't miss out!
There's something about エママ... that I can't quite explain. Emamouse's music is some of the noisiest denpa out there, yet it remains somewhat accessible. These twisted tunes can be terrifying or adorable, depending on how you approach them or how you feel on a given day. One of the key aspects of denpa is unpredictability, and the heavy use of non-sequitur here certainly fits the profile. Here are some of my favourite ones, along with select illustrations. For more info on emamouse:
We are way past being fashionably late to the party, but this is one riot that won't stop anyway! On October 25 2012, legendary chiptune composer Chibi-Tech released the single 「Moe Moe Kyunstep」, a two-part epic which features fascinating backstory in lieu of lyrics. It is available in a pay-what-you-want format on bandcamp, which includes "free" if you're so inclined. The fantastic cover art you see above was created by none other than mandichan!
As if that wasn't amazing enough, those of us who missed Chibi-Tech's live Tokyo performance on October 21st 2012 can just watch it online! This insane set features all of chibi's latest hits, visuals by NO CARRIER, plenty of stagedives, sweet boobies, more mandichan art and a dancing maid who pens Persona theme songs for a living. Pure insanity!
If you haven't kept up with Chibi's latest activities, this blog entry will get you up to speed. I still think her 朝からずっしり♥ミルクポット tracks are out-of-this-world awesome (having hilarious titles such as Gaze at my Sour Cream Burrito is a bonus). And if you're just at the starting point, might we gracefully recommend our 2008 interview for reference?
BirdTune and Holic Service are two well-known Osaka-based doujin circles specializing in Touhou arranges, among other things. Most fans are familiar with their music, but what about the man behind the synthesizer? Over the past three years, I've developed something of an obsession over KuKuDoDo (his name is really fun to say, try it out loud) and his strange-yet-completely-natural mixture of denpa and UK New Wave genres.
Not only are his compositions and arrangements unique, he has always had a knack for recognizing talent as well. Over the years he's collaborated with and featured songs from stalwarts such as t+pazolite, かめりあ, リズナ, 実谷なな, 桜ふみ, めらみぽっぷ, ななひら, ゆきまめ, 未来派 and plenty more.
If the names Holic Service, BirdTune, KuKuDoDo, Gumi and nanano don't mean much to you, start by checking out websites for Holic Service and BirdTune, as well as our 2009 "under the scope" feature to discover some of the most original denpa songs out there.
Please note that all following MP3s have been uploaded with KuKuDoDo's full consent.
- How did you start creating music?
I started creating music well before computer software made everything much easier, so I had to get creative. For instance I would chain up multiple beatboxes and synthesizers together. The end result would often be strange sounds, which I tremendously enjoyed. After a while, I eventually turned to a Yamaha MSX PC and gradually made my way up through the generations of music sofware and DAWs.
At some point I decided to form a band in order to release this music and perform it live. A couple records came out of this and I got the occasion to play synthesizer at multiple club events with various genres such as trance, techno and shoegazer. Over time, it struck me how much New Wave had in common with denpa, vocaloid and doujin music in general. That's why I started BirdTune Records in 2007, as it was clear to me that this would become the best outfit for my artistic expressions.
The M3-2012秋 doujincore group import is over, but that doesn't mean we can't report on newly-announced albums! Many of these should be available on online stores in the near future.
First, let's take a look at an exciting new series from Zero-Shaft! "Princess Vocal Collection" sounds like a follow-up to THEiDOLST@GE, which hasn't seen releases since last year's 「My Voice」. Sure enough, it features recurring vocalists, but this time the delivery is slightly different. Instead of a stand-alone album featuring many singers, Zero-Shaft is giving everyone their own single! Pretty cool and not too hard on the wallet at 500円 each. Vol. 1, 2 and 3 feature 天城あくる, ゆきまめ and なゆ respectively, great way to launch the series! Ideally these would be compiled on one disc in the future, until then we'll look forward to the next volumes! ななひら and 桃箱 please!
Speaking of Our Queen なゆ, make way for her grandiose debut album 「なゆきんぐだむ」! She rounded up a bunch of her friends on vocals (such as ななひら and 彩) and enlisted legendary composers (talking bout 吉田省吾, task, しの and Good Guy きくお!!!) to make sure her loyal subjects talk about this one for years to come. Almost every song is a collaboration of some kind, especially the last one which features all singers together! Although it prominently displays the spectacular jacket artwork, the website currently doesn't offer a crossfade. But you know what... I'm not exactly worried anyway! It's a なゆ album, I need this in my life!!!
Update 10/27/2012:Samples are up! Intense and high-quality music as expected!
The seventh (already?) 33.turbo mini-album is titled 「Dempa de Dance」 and it launched with a funny PV! This unit has been ramping up production values lately and as a result, this mini-album feels more focused. 500円 gets you 5 new songs and some seriously sweet artwork. Their website has samples for four of the five songs, so check them out!
Honestly, 藤原鞠菜 is pretty awesome and I feel bad for not mentioning her as often as I should have in the past. She started singing 10 years ago, but these days she's mostly known for her IOSYS collaborations, both on Touhou arranges and TV anime OP themes. Cool! She also did some voice work for... Microsoft, in an Internet Explorer 8 PV. Not cool.
Still, what's really relevant to this site's readers is her original albums with none other than TONAKAI sound works! Yes, 磯村カイ of Love Bullets fame. If you miss the GWAVE unit (they haven't released anything in two years) then you'll love Wisteria Magic. You're in for a treat because they've already released 「キミトマホウノヒビキ」, 「SUPER MARINA WORLD」, 「まりテツ！」 and soon *drumroll* 「SUPER MARINA WORLD2」! By the way, you can order all these albums off amazon.jp in case you miss them at M3.
Here's something new and somewhat mysterious! From circle "りょーかとゆかいな仲間たち" comes their (first?) album 「虹色スペクトル」. It's all very fuzzy, but from what I can gather we have 真泉涼夏 on vocals and this dude 虹関数 composed a few songs. Rainbows everywhere! Kenji (Sound;GEAR) also seems like a close collaborator. In any case, this sounds a bit rough around the edges (in a punk rock kind of way) but very exciting nonetheless! Fast songs, smooth songs, passionate vocals and lovely artwork. 300円 for 7 songs is completely outrageous, must GET!
Watch out, here comes しなもんしゅがー☆! I found out about this self-proclaimed denpa singer sometime ago (maybe even last year) but she didn't actually have any music at the time. Back in July 2012 she released her first single 「裏表シンデレラ」 along with samples on her myspace account. This is also rough around the edges, but honestly pretty damn good! These silly tracks kind of remind me of 33.turbo musically with a bit of とろ美's attitude for good measure. This girl seems like she'd drink anyone under the table, anytime. Wouldn't mind hearing more like this!
This Fall 2012 edition of Music + Media-Mix Market is a bit frustrating for international fans. Wish we could have written this article earlier, but quite a few of these albums were announced in the past two days. Once again, we will be adding Doujincore Import Info tables to each album, but take note that the deadline is October 23rd at 9PM PST! Don't dilly-dally, go denpa-crazy!
The essentials are covered below, but take note that many more offerings are still TBA, including 33.turbo, A.C.T, another Zero-Shaft single and possibly new material from とろ美, Holic Service and/or Birdtune. We'll keep our "denpa watchlist" updated, but feel free to look at similar lists from clixdex and もえぴー. Unfortunately doujincore limits orders to 6 items, so you'll have to choose carefully.
Updated 10/22: 24 hours to go! Not one, not two but THREE new Zero-Shaft singles have been announced. 33.turbo mini-album also has a name: 「Dempa de Dance」 and a price (500￥). A new なゆ solo something (single? mini-album? who cares!!! it's なゆ!!!) titled 「なゆきんぐだむ」 will launch for 500￥ at A-15ab.
Can we just call them veterans at this point? It's only been 2 and a half years since doubleeleven UpperCut released their debut album, but the sheer volume of new songs has been staggering to say the least! Sure, it's been one whole year since their third album "NUMBERS" came out, but that still feels like yesterday since it hasn't left my playlist since! Keep in mind that deUC has also been performing live quite a few times in 2012, so they've been keeping busy.
Somehow, the theme of 「FORCE -Do you like Upper Cut?? 4!!-」 turned out to be Star Wars (at least based on the cover). Actually, "FORCE" probably has to do with all song titles having so many exclamation marks!!!! At 2000円, pricing is a little more expensive than your average denpa CD, but give the crossfade MP3 a quick spin and you'll hear 10 quality songs that definitely belong in your collection. By the way, did you know that a couple of Softhouse-Seal games are being officially translated by MangaGamer? They just released Boob Wars on October 18th, so that's another way to support deUC on their quest for worldwide eroge OP domination!
Whether they're original or touhou arrange albums, you can count on t+pazolite releasing (great) new stuff each M3/Comiket. His latest effort is 「ULTRA CUTiE BREAKiN'!!!!」, a 10-track followup album to 2011's 「cutie breaks e.p.」 (right down to the artwork guy!). As expected of his recent albums, there's a bit of everything on here, from straight-up hardcore to borderline electropop and even a self-remix. Personally I'm glad he seems to have toned down the random rap inserts, but ARM's dubstep-heavy remix of "Sakuramichi Overdrive" might not be for everyone. Too bad there's only one new リズナ track! Still a must-buy.
We all knew this was coming, but somehow it still feels like a nice surprise! ポヤッチオ is back with the fifth installment of the プチリズム series. Most of the staff you know and love is back (ななひら, ゆきまめ twice!, kana, なゆ and more!) but Master かたほとり likes to keep things fresh with new composers and singers. The "imouto-style" is definitely alive and well!
In completely related news, make sure you also procure the latest ななひら mini-album. This time she teams up with her friend ひなうさ to deliver 5 beautiful hyperactive female pop songs on 「女の子あ・ら・もーど」. The opening track by ねぎとろ is particularly powerful, but all tracks deliver a certain dose of intensity. Take note that this is published by a new circle (40より7大きい！) so let's support them and hope for new albums! By the way you can also catch ななひら on しの's second single 「笑顔になる魔法」.
Odenpa's seventh single 「Lolly’sへようこそ！」 is a bit on the short side with just 2 new songs, but they strike again with yet another stellar guest appearance! 春河あかり performs on the first song and the indispensable でぱらじ episode; you may know her better as doubleeleven UpperCut's vocalist! Excellent choice and the crossfade can't come soon enough! The theme this time is an imaginary maid cafe named "Lolly's" which should make for some interesting lyrics as usual.
A new Zero-Shaft album is always reason to rejoice, but they also seem to have the only new ココ song of the event! That's a must-get reason right there, but otherwise, 「ぺろっ！」 is also full of quality material from vocalists such as 彩, りこ。, ののな, ななひら and がきコ. On the backend, a mix of easy-going and hard-hitting music from しの, nmk, むちゃ and former Holic Service/Birdtune collaborator 貿易風.
As soon as the M3-2012秋 list was published, I noticed this new circle "denpa*garden" but I couldn't find anymore info. The cat's now out of the bag, along with a debut CD! 「HEROINES」 is the first mini-album from denpa etude, with ほのか on vocals and ニゴロウ as main composer. The four tracks range from vigorous pop to lovely ballads, with a certain level of mind-control injected in each song. Lyrics are provided courtesy of ちな, らいね and 愛原圭織 (of ちぃむｄｍｐ☆ fame!) so quite the lineup indeed. Strong debut effort, looking forward to more!
Last but certainly not least, we have a new album from underground idolらめる! It just so happens that she was featured here just a month ago, so make sure you read up on her if you haven't already. 「どーぶつどーなつ」 has 7 new songs from composers such as CHEEBOW, Records Booster, y@yama and others. She told us it would be a "sweet" album with many denpa-oriented songs, but we didn't know the whole theme was going to be Animal Donuts! All those saccharine delicacies you see in the video actually come from a donut shop called Ikumimama out in Kawasaki. Tasty collaboration for a sweet album!
When most people think of idols, they think of cute and sweet young girls aiming for mainstream popularity. Some may see them as distant role models, while others think of them as nothing more than models who pose with microphones. Although idols are often cute and moe, "denpa" is not often a word associated with them. I too didn't see much overlap between idols and the world of denpa, so I rarely took notice of idols in general for many years, until at some point, the world of "地下アイドル" (Chika Idols) started to spark my interest, and I realized the world of idols goes far beyond the stereotypes.
"Chika" literally means "underground", which is where you'll have to go digging around to experience the awesomely fun and definitely obscure world of chika idols. (Some prefer other terms like "Live Idol", "Indies Idol" or "Real-kei Idol".) The different kinds of "idols" you can find is almost endless, so you might as well forget most of your preconceived notions about what an idol should be, from performance to looks to personality. Often, people have the negative image that idols hate their "gross" and "kimo ota" fans. Meanwhile, many chika idols aren't afraid to hop in the audience and join in the otagei while waiting for their turn to perform on stage. It's not to say that they aren't ambitious and aiming to be their best, but you get the feeling many of these girls are happiest performing this way: close to fans, in small venues, rather than the distant "star" feeling so often associated with the idol world.
Most chika idols are, like the term implies, quite underground and unknown, so in order to garner up enough funds for lives, joint lives with many artists are the most common way to see them, so even if you are only a fan of one or two artists, you'll become more and more familiar with lots of other artists over time, and feel a strong sense of friendship between their collaborations rather than rivalry.
Here's a few artists who have stood out to me in my relatively short history exploring the world of chika idols:
FICE
FICE is a group that just emanates such a purely WEIRD vibe, it kind of feels weird to apply the term "idol" to them. Going to their lives is like being transported to another dimension - strange music blares as the audience dances in perfect unison to the members on the stage, who include some comical, alien characters in addition to the expected line up of girls in an idol group. Their lyrics vary from suggestive to just outright weird, with songs like コンチ音頭 or even venturing into the world of BL by writing the OP song for Naked Butler.
At first, FICE can be shocking and even confusing, but any denpa fan will quickly pick up on the appeal. Their music is not necessarily cute or moe, but when you look back on their past, you can see how they evolved as a fusion of idol and denpa and culture. FICE was founded in 2001 when 炎 (e-nne meaning "fire") and 氷 (hyou meaning "ice") chose their identities as FIRE and ICE and started performing together claiming to be androids, making their own original music under the concept of "Denpunk", meaning "Denpa" and "Punk" fusion hailing from Akiba. Back then, idols were not particularly popular, and terms like "akiba-kei" idols simply didn't exist. The closest thing was "pre-idols", who were all basically idols seen as having potential for a major debut. They attempted going to these kind of events, but found themselves quite out of place. Being the pioneers they were, they decided, if there isn't a place for us, well, make one! They began performing on the streets of Akiba, renting out karaoke rooms and doing joint lives, and performing in the first budding otaku restaurants. However, their street lives were featured on TV, and soon Akiba's steets became crowded with tons of performers, often with bad manners. Eventually street lives became banned in Akiba, but FICE's impact was already made, and to this day they still routinely hold join lives with other up and coming chika idols, working as performers, event promoters, composers, lyricists... They do it all. And don't forget they also perform with a full band under the name ＦＩＣＥ座ＲＡＩＮＢＯＷ.
FICE is definitely inspirational in the way that they built their own place to belong instead of trying to fit into a pre-decided mold. At their recent 10th anniversary live, they proudly proclaimed they don't plan on stopping any time soon, and are looking forward to their 30th anniversary and beyond.
One of the most unique aspects of a FICE performance is not the performers, but the audience. Split in half between fans in blue shirts and pink shirts, they stand to either side and do slightly different choreography depending on which side they are on. The dances are quite unconventional - one song even has the audience doing squats, push ups, and laps around the venue. Usually when you think of idols, you think of cute girls up on stage basically being worshiped by the audience, but FICE's lives are completely different. Rather than worship or admiration, the feeling is friendship and unity, considering the audience is performing along. It's not about being cool, or even about being cute. It's about embracing nerdiness, weirdness, and DENPA... and it sure is refreshing to take a step out of the real world for a while, forget about society, and step into FICE's fantasy world.
Mixing the world of doujin music with idol music, plus add a splash of cute artwork on the side, and you have Rameru. Her name comes from KyaRAMERU (Caramel), and she is just as sweet as the candy! Maybe you remember her from the doujin circle "caramel paradox" where she teamed up with CHEEBOW in 2008. She also formed the unit "さんせっと…" in 2009, both have since disbanded, but Rameru continues releasing her own solo music at M3, plus performing at numerous chika idol lives. Her music ranges from cute and soothing to funny and denpa. You can really feel the earnest effort she puts into everything, from drawing the album covers to working up the audience at her live performances. One of her best idol buddies is 栗宮まろん (featured later in this article), and they're teaming up for a 2 man live "らめる＆栗宮まろんツーマンライブ～キャラメル☆マロンラテ～" on 10/30 at 大塚deepa! Who out there cares to join me, huh?? In the mean time, you can check out the recordings of their past web show together, まろん＆らめる の 笑っていいかも？
I was first drawn to her CDs while browsing at M3 and the cute cover artwork caught my eye. After a quick sample listen, I snatched up some CDs based on her recommendation of which were the most "denpa". Since then, I'm always looking forward to chatting her up at the next M3 or live event, and we even have done art trades! "Sweet" doesn't begin to describe the kindness! I finally got to see her perform live at J-Geek, and confirmed she is great live in addition to her CD recordings. Denpa, doujin music, and idol fans should all keep their eye on her. Her goal is to become an anison singer, and I'm cheering for her all the way!
Another wacky idol who's attitude is pure crazy denpa. Unlike your average idol who stays up on stage... Metoko-chan (Don't call her "Metro-chan!) isn't afraid to not only hop off stage, but... beat her fans to death?? Is this kindess or not?? Don't worry, it's all an expression of love! Being an actual nurse, her outfit took inspiration from none other than Nurse Witch Komugi-chan, or more recently traditional moe-nurse cosplay, and violence inspiration from Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan. Metropoli V-chan describes herself as an idol who's the fairy of the subway living underground in Tokyo Metro's subway system by day, and working as a nurse by night. She used to go by "Tokyo Metro-chan", based on the idea that subways (chikatetsu in japanese) is underground just like a "chika" idol. However, Tokyo Metro didn't like her using their company name, hence the name change. (Supposedly her current name was suggested by Tokyo Metro's lawyers.) (The "V" is pronounced "Five" for those who are wondering.)
Probably best known for her "unique" way of expressing love for fans by beating them with a giant syringe she has appeared on many variety shows in Japan, bewildering "normals" by exposing them to the wild side of chika idols. Claiming to be born on 7/4/1941 (currently putting her at 71 years old!), her real name and any other personal details are completely unknown. She is quite cute, but she isn't afraid of acting completely weird, dorky, and over the top, charming otaku and frightening normals, respectively. If you're looking for an idol who is the sweet and refined type who has a perfectly trained voice... look elsewhere. Metoko is here to kick butt and make you laugh!
DnS readers probably know her from the occasional doujin music collaboration, but to this date, she's only released one album as far as I know: 撲殺天使ドクロちゃん －メトロちゃんVersion－. The title track is her cover of the iconic Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan OP song, filled with her trademark mix of cuteness, violence, and humor. Check out all the other tracks, and you'll find a pleasent mix of slower, uptempo, even rap songs, all oozing with Metoko-chan's unique character. I surprised myself by getting addicted to the somewhat slower paced "東西線あなた専用車両", which references lots of station and line names familiar to those who ride the Tokyo Metro subway system. The actual sound of the song is somewhat melancholy, but the weird background vocals and lyrical puns make the song quite hypnotic. She also has one single, 「恋は一撃必殺～120％ラブパワー～」, which I haven't managed to get my hands on yet.
Of course, like with most chika idols, the best way to experience her performance is live! For those of you who can't get enough Metoko-chan but can't get to any of her lives in person, check out the other CDs she's been a guest on, and cruise her many clips on youtube to cure (or fuel?) your Metoko fever.
No stranger to DnS at this point, Morinaga Mami aka "Mamipyon" has quickly become one of my favorite artists. Taking inspiration from old school tokusatsu heros, Mamipyon takes the identity of a hero of justice, fighting evil aliens and the like. Her most common opponent is "Tarirariran", the little girl evil alien who is usually seen wearing a randsale backpack and/or bloomers. Tarirariran's "evil" is usually limited to petty crimes such as pretending to cry and then stealing the lunches of school girls who comfort her, but she is Mamipyon's rival none the less. These stories are played out in short drama tracks on CDs, skits during lives, or video productions screened during the costume changes at her lives. (Her mini episode featuring Super Mami and Tarirariran is available on Nico Douga, for a fee.) The best part is, every role, from Mamipyon to Tarirariran, to Tarirariran's masked minions are all played by Mamipyon herself! The humor she injects into these skits is great, and the B-movie grade production values are endearing to anyone familiar with old tokusatsu TV shows. Despite her current career as an idol, Mamipyon's initial goal was to become a seiyuu, and she attended seiyuu school while performing street lives in Akiba, singing her famous "Tornado" song even back then. She also is the leader of the unit TEAM雪月花 (Team Setsugekka) along with 杉田琴美 (Kotomi Sugita) and 桜田麻乃 (Mano Sakurada) and used to also be in the spacey band known as NECOMIMI☆スペースノイド.
Very active in the chika idol live circuits, Mamipyon has some of the most dedicated fans out there, and she is always kind and thankful to all of them. At a joint live with other aritsts, she covertly mixed in with the audience during the finale, and then surprised me by approaching me personally to thank me for wearing her t-shirt and cheering for her. It doesn't get much more personal than that! But of course, the most important thing to me for any artist is their songs and voice, and Mamipyon does NOT disappoint in these areas. I always lament she doesn't have more samples up online to help spread the word of her awesome songs. The PV for Tornado is at least available on nico nico douga now, but I assure you, she is much more than a one hit wonder. Her wild denpa songs are extremely fun to listen to live and go wild with wotagei, but it's just as fun to listen to her cute voice and wild music on headphones at home. Mamipyon really is the whole package when it comes to a DENPA idol.
Another chika idol aiming to be a seiyuu, this cute and talented girl sings lots of great covers of Momoi Haruko, Karen Girls, and others while proudly proclaiming her love of denpa songs. Unfortunately, she doesn't have a dedicated homepage, only a blog, so finding out info is a bit difficult. As far as I can tell, she hasn't released any CDs, just a DVD which appears to be more gravure focused than music. Her one original song I've tracked down, "UP TO ME", sounds quite promising, and anyone who covers Momoi songs is worth checking out in my book. I'm looking forward to her 2 man live on 10/31 with Rameru to become more familiar with her, as I've only seen her live once so far.
Their music isn't denpa style, but from their wild visual-kei style to their tradition of passing out tequila shots and chugging the rest of the bottle in the crowd, this group offers a unique experience you aren't going to find anywhere besides a chika idol live. Yui Kanan and Minori Takei's wild style is certainly a far cry from idols who could create a scandal by drinking alcohol. They love both cosplay and visual kei style, mixing up cute, cool, feminine, and masculine. Another unique factor is they have performed overseas quite a bit and put effort into connecting to their fans around the world online. Any of our readers see them at Japan Expo or any of their other overseas appearances?
This contrasting pair of Shibuya gal 『立花さな』 and Akiba-kei moe voice girl 『はるかぜらんらん』 are regulars in the chika idol world, evident when you attend their lives and the entire audience starts dancing in unison to their complex para para dances. Known for their sexy outfits, they are notorious for going on stage in a costume with no skirts, just bare shimapan. They were even stopped by another performer as they walked out on stage who hurridly warned them, hey, you guys forgot to put on your skirts!!
Photo via 綾川ゆんまお's blog. From left to right: 立花さな、綾川ゆんまお (Collaborator, not a member of noisy), はるかぜらんらん.
ゅん((・∀・))ゅん (yun((・∀・))yun)
Self proclaimed denpa artists, I am eager to track down some more info and experience more of their lives, as I've only seen their brief guest performance at FICE's 10th anniversary. Another blue and pink combo who isn't afraid to mingle with the crowd in their otagei antics, going by the names of 白湯 (Paitan) and 天空みりん (Amakara Mirin).
You might be wondering at this point, WOW, these artists sound so amazing, why haven't I heard of them before?? Where can I hear / see more?? And this is where the downside of chika idols comes into play. Most of them run on a shoestring budget, working other jobs to support their idol career. Online promotions for the most part are very low priority and limited to a personal blog and twitter account, and maybe if you're lucky, a few poorly shot live videos. Online PVs, song samples, online ordering, purchasable song downloads, all are few and far between, which can make it quite exhausting to follow multiple artists, especially for those outside of Japan. I personally really hope that more chika idols learn from the doujin world, who strangely are often even better than most pro artists at promoting themselves online, understanding the value of videos, samples, and easy to navigate sites in addition to personal blogs. (Even if doujin music is still annoyingly difficult to order for those overseas, usually their online presence is good at least.) It's easy to see how effective good online presence can be when you look at how far Dempagumi.inc has come - full or short size free PVs on youtube, live streaming of concerts, itunes downloads, effective use of social media... We can only hope other artists see their success and follow in their footsteps. But one thing is for sure, if you are looking for a fun slice of otaku culture you can't find anywhere else, make sure to check out some chika idol events next time you visit Japan, you won't regret it.
Any readers have any chika idols on their radar they'd like us to check out? Let us know if there's anyone you'd like to know more about, and of course, comment on their blogs, twitters, and such to let them know they have fans across the globe!
Back in December 2010, we had the tremendous pleasure of running a short-but-sweet interview with Lord Tenkomori, a very popular composer and arranger in the world of denpa (but also known for his drum'n'bass skills, among other genres). Since then, he's been involved with about a half-million fantastic doujin projects, but just as importantly he released his first major album 「ニコ生モラルハザード」 in September 2011, which appeared on our top 3 underrated albums of 2011. It's a must-own and no denpa fan should be without it!
Well less than a year later, he's back at it with a second major album! 「人畜無害」 features 初音ミク on vocals and was released on June 27th 2012. It includes 15 tracks as well as a bonus DVD full of animated features! Even more exciting, one of these tracks is a MOSAIC.WAV remix of modern classic 「お断りします」... it just screams kayapi!
This is but one of the six videos included on the bonus DVD in glorious full HD. There is also one for the title song, but most fascinating for gaming nerds is 「アストロ トルーパー」 which we'll be discussing shortly... in our second さつき が てんこもり interview!
- First of all, congratulations for your explosive musical career so far.
I really couldn't have done all of this without all my fans, listener and collaborators. Of course, denpa no sekai has always supported me!
- What achievements are you proudest of so far?
Now, that's just impossible to choose! For sure, this latest release 「人畜無害」 is extremely important to me. As of late, my VOCALOID creations must be infallible.
- Let's talk about your 2011 album 「ニコ生モラルハザード」 on which you teamed up with three nico-vocalists. Despite the fact that you never worked with these girls before, you managed to match their different personalities to your songs. For instance Hamar is rougher and so 「魔法変身! 顔面ランドスケープ」 has many explosive parts, even gunshot sound effects. Although the end result sounds very natural, how hard was it to perform this combination of personality and composition?
Well, the buzz about this album has quieted on the Internet, but I really appreciate reading your deep interpretation! Since the girls have different personalities, it wasn't hard to write matching songs. It helps that I was already a fan before we even started working together, so it was not very difficult for me to compose individual theme songs.
The main concept of the album was Nico Douga and live broadcasting in general, but I always enjoy parodying the Akiba and Club cultures, this is often the backbone to many of my songs. Overall, meeting everyone and recording each song was a most pleasant experience!
- Do you think you will work with them again, particularly みかりん*? She was a very natural fit for your songs, although ゆづか姫 was also fantastic on 「UniUni SunSun」.
Careful what you wish for, you just might get it! There may or may not be a new project underway. I can't divulge anymore information at the moment, but everyone should follow my twitter account @tenkomori for the latest updates!
- When I asked you about 「人畜無害」 back in January 2012, you told me about a surprise PV for hardcore otakus and fans of retro shooting games. Now we can talk about 「アストロトルーパー」 which is chock-full of references to games such as Gradius, Zero Wing, Cho Aniki, Mega Man, Space Harrier, Xevious, Space Invaders and many more!
Actually, 「アストロトルーパー」 is playful criticism about featherweight otakus. Go hard or go home! Choosing the STG genre for a parody of retro games just felt like a natural fit for the topic.
- You once told us MOSAIC.WAV is one of your major source of inspiration, so how does it feel to have them remix one of your songs?
I'm always happy to work with other artists, but this is special. Let's just say I have been a MOSAIC.WAV fan for almost ten years! As for the collaboration... there's jealousy in the air and at this point, I fear for my life.
- After all these years, you finally produced your first eroge OP theme song 「占勇！魔界ブロードバンド」 with none other than 綾瀬理恵 on vocals (AKA 白沢理恵 from ave;new). To be honest I'm surprised it took you so long!
Needless to say, this was very exciting work for me. This song has received very good feedback from music fans and eroge critics overall. I really want more game studios to notice me, so let's just hope this opens the door to more!
- Thank you so much for your time and I think I can speak for your fans around the world when I say we wish you the best success with 「人畜無害」.
Well, in fact I should have answered this interview months ago, but I gotta tell you... it's all SEGA's fault! I've been power-levelling in their new MMORPG Phantasy Star Online 2 on a daily basis. 電波の世界 should sue SEGA for this delay!
I will never stop spitting out denpa songs. Thanks for your support and keep in touch!
Addendum: Congratulations to Lord Tenkomori for getting his song "Netgame Addict Sprechchor" included in SEGA's 「初音ミク -Project DIVA- f」
This should be the last of our Comiket 82 preview posts, given that the event is just around the corner and that the Doujincore Group Import deadline is dangerously close. In true 電波の世界 fashion, we'll cram this entry with as much music as you can shake your paypal account at! Won't somebody think of the artists?
Let's start things off with a very special album. Beatlogic's 「eLekSoNicRusHeRRRRRR!!!」 was just announced a couple days ago, but it's already made a lasting impact on yours truly. I've played that crossfade a good dozen times and it's just as impressive each time! cello's debut album not only contains some fucked up electro-denpa, it tastefully crosses into hardcore punk rock on quite a few tunes. There has been some punk-ish denpa in the past, but nothing as intense as this. This dude's skills are truly outrageous! Not to mention the utterly sick cover, and a low price point of 500 yen.
As a reminder, you might also want to invest in his first published compilation album 『シュミックトリガ！ -New wave of A-POP-』 which was released exactly one year ago. His one track there was a clear sign of things to come, but you'll also get to enjoy some bitching かめりあ and ぶっちぎりP tracks.
Is SHAKING PINK poised to become the next big thing in the world of virtual idol units? It's a little too early to say with just one single under their belt, but damn did ポヤッチオ assemble a dream team or what? We're talking ココ, ななひら and 桃箱 on vocals! Absolutely mind-boggling, but let's just hope they won't stop their sudden invasion at two songs. Well, they really only have one true original song, since the third track was already released by Master かたほとり in the past.
The second track comes from Child Prodigy かめりあ who delivers yet another stunning 萌え電波 concoction that is perfectly suited for SHAKING PINK. The first track is an intro, likely some amusing drama between the three splendid vocalists. At this point, all we can hope for is that this turns into more than just a one-off side-project, but until then we'll cheer on these ladies of denpa as they strive for the top!
Good old regular ZERO-SHAFT kinda remind me of おでんぱ☆スタジオ in a way... you can always count on them for something new! This time, they managed to announce their latest album before the event, which is always helpful when you're a import-dependant barbarian gaijin living 10,000 KMs away from Tokyo Big Sight. Mild sarcasm aside, their latest effort 「なつぴよ」 is as impressive as always, featuring an array of 20 vocalists and just as many staff members.
At first glance, these 13 songs might seem a little more mature, falling more in line with 「Zero-Shuffle」 than the previous "ちびロリっ！" albums. Rest assured, there's plenty of なゆ, ななひら, がきコ, ゆきまめ and りこ。 on these tracks! They're also backed by top-of-the-line composers such as task, 遥風啓司, しの and more. So what are you waiting for? Order this already, you know you want to!
Can we go three album previews in a row without mentioning how awesome ななひら is? Not today we can't! Fans of her vocaloid alter-ego will be delighted to hear about this new C82 mini-album 「ななみっくす！-nanamix-」 which features voices from both ななひら and 春歌ナナ!
All five of these brand new tracks were crafted by the following gentlemen: Master かたほとり, Child Prodigy かめりあ, Lord さつき が てんこもり, U-ske and 吉田省吾! The songs all sound energetic, but Satsuki's is particulary hard-hitting. What's more, track #3 「ロリングボール！」 has backup vocals from なゆ、桃箱 and りこ。 (be still my beating heart!) For more 春歌ナナ goodies, don't forget about 2011's 「なないずむ！」 which is still hot stuff.
Our Benevolent Queen とろ美 has deemed it fit to bestow us with another memorable album! If you feel like the above preview sounds familiar, that's because 「astromyu」 is entirely composed by おでんぱ☆スタジオ regulars ベイビー・レモネード (4 first tracks) and ひろて～! Remember that she recently provided guest vocals on one of their albums... don't know about you, but we're certainly loving this give-and-take attitude!
The five songs here are pretty straight-forward denpa, nothing pretentious or genre-bending. Just some good old とろ美 for what ails you. As usual, she provides her own cover art and this space odyssey themed jacket is certainly one for the ages. Until you can get your grubby hands on this album, download the crossfade MP3.
Last but certainly not least, akiba-pop giants MOSAIC.WAV will release their 8th single 「七三値≪ななみね≫ぱすかはダイスを振らない！」 on August 10th 2012, which is the first day of Comiket 82. Because this is a commercial release, we can't provide you with doujincore details. However, don't despair! The single has been made available for purchase via cdjapan which is as reliable as they come.
This new release marks the debut of character creation Nanamine Pasuka, who just won't roll the dice! As usual you can download short versions of all songs from the official Sham Studio website, including lyrics and various art samples. かやぴ's latest songs involve glitch, swing, honest-to-goodness chiptune and a return to space-pop. Yes, we keep saying this, but these are some of his best creations yet! Musically speaking, the guy has shown no signs of slowing down, still a genius, probably always will be one. Mi~ko is obviously getting more and more confortable as time goes by, unafraid to try new things but very much aware of her fanbase's needs. All signs point to another memorable MOSAIC.WAV single!
There are still many more albums worth your while (check out the denpa watchlist to your right), not to mention all the awesome J-Core (if you're into that) and various doujin games. What do you think, is this one of the best Comikets yet? What's on your list?
We've been following Forest Pireo's activities for the past couple years, so we're in a good position to judge their progress. Let's just say this: they've never been this focused on denpa songs! Their 21st touhou album 「Perfect Pretty Phantom」 is an absolute C82 must-get, to be treated with the same respect that the プチリズム series commands.
In fact, given the high-quality pedigree behind this album, you might want to think of it as a "東方プチリズム". Just try to wrap your head around this mindblowing list of composers: Master かたほとり, Lord さつき が てんこもり and his friend y0c1e, Good Guy きくお, circle mainstay ふなこし, 雪月ありす aka Mel-motherfucking-Seeds and finally... the elusive 未来派, waking up from hibernation every other Forest Pireo album!
If this list of hot studs doesn't do it for you... here come the girls!!! Of course Princess ななひら is on top of the list with four songs, being attached to ふぉれすとぴれお primarily. Then we have one of my personal favourites なゆ (can't get enough of her!) as well as みぃしゃ, kana, Nimo, 月葉 and the oh-so-lovely 桃箱. With so many all-star artists together on the same disc, you're sure to get your money's worth.
Just check out the samples for yourself and witness the luscious soundscapes and sugary vocals. But there's one more mind-blowing aspect to this album: Master かたほとり and 桃箱 came up with the ultimate denpa song title... 「DENPA NO SEKAI」! Based on ZUN's 「フォールオブフォール～秋めく滝」, this is certainly an interesting coincidence... or is it??!? We'll just leave it at that!
Normally めらみぽっぷ gets to sing at least one song on those Forest Pireo albums, but notice how she's absent from 「Perfect Pretty Phantom」? That's because she is getting her own solo album 「FRAN×POP」, also set for release on August 11th 2012!
We've been fans of hers for some time, probably since her appearance on Holic Service's legendary 「エネルギー冷麺 お受験せんそ→」 (even though her career was well into swing back then) and she has many notable songs on Innocent Key's discography. She seems to enjoy switching styles, anywhere between bubble-gum pop, rock and the occasional denpa song. Her voice reminds me of KOTOKO in some ways and she can definitely hit a variety of ranges.
These six new songs will be a treat to her longtime fans of course, but 東方 and longtime Forest Pireo fans will likely be interested in the album anyway. Most songs are guitar-driven and the opening track 「紅魔機神フランドール」 earned itself a hot-blooded superhero-themed PV! Go Go Merami Rangers!
