Hi guys! It's been a while, but I'm back to feature the upcoming denpa related music releases for C86!
This entry is only the first in a series to feature what's on the way!
Albatrosicks triumphantly returns after 2 whole years of silence with their 10th album, "DEKKAINO". And don't forget, they're also doing a live performance on 2014/09/15! The crossfade sounds promising.... This is gonna be a big one!
Kurimiya Maron is no stranger to DnS, (At the very least, you should remember her track on HOTO-graffiti, or maybe from her teaming up with らめる for Love Live cover group ラブライバル) but since her CDs are mostly only sold at her lives, they have been pretty hard to get a hold of... But she WILL be attending C86! Check out track 4 "Secret☆Diary!!" Word has it らめる will also be there to help sell the CD! If she brings her other CDs, make sure to check them out, in particular 追憶のフリューゲル is recommended if you already heard 仮想現実のシューティングスター.
Toromi brings us a children's music themed CD of self proclaimed denpa songs. Any Toromi CD is pretty much a must have so be sure to check it out! ベイビー・レモネード once again takes over the arrangement / composition duties on this one, with the other tracks by "the usual" あいかわらずな.
Also, although it's not a CD, any fans of Toromi's awesome music are probably also fans of her awesome artwork. She's also releasing an original manga, 「ササクレ」, so why not pick it up too?
Another Puchirizm release, another set of masterpieces from our favorite composers and vocalists! On the composer line up, we've got さつき が てんこもり, U-ske, かめりあ, 柏木るざりん, まろん, and of course かたほとり.. and more! Joined by the lovely voices of kana, 片霧烈火, 桃箱, なゆ, ココ, ゆきまめ, まめこ, miko, なつき/ねこめ/ほたる（ of おでんぱ☆スタジオ）, and ななひら (of course!)
ちぃむdmp☆ is back with their 7th full album, and usual it's packed with goodness, with lots of great composers backing up this super duo. 山下航生 of double eleven uppercut, まろん, かたほとり, オワタP... and more, of course!!
A deadly denpa duo that's definitely gonna leave a mark on denpa history! Composer かめりあ and vocalist ななひら provide every track on this album, with old favorites, new tracks, and remixes. Loving the album art too! What else is there to say? Get it!
ave;new's Sakura Saori is back with a new manga - and a new bonus CD to go along with it. It's time for the summer time adventures of her mascot, Chiwakura-san, and the manga comes bundled with a lullaby CD. Sakura Saori herself is proving the composition and arrangement too! Plus she'll also be selling a cute keychain of Chiwakura-san!
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!
Here at Denpa no Sekai, nothing makes us happier than helping spread the fun of denpa and moe music all around the world. For many of us fans, this will eventually lead to making the great pilgrimage to Japan itself, and taking part in awesome live idol and DJ events. However, for many of our readers, this might also seem like a big leap into an unknown world. Do you want to get to know Japanese otaku culture and mingle with the local fans, but you just don't know where to start? You are in luck, such an event has just been created: J-Geek! (And for those of you already well versed in the culture, don't worry, the guest lineup and great price is already enough of a draw! Maybe you can even be an ambassador and help teach other visitors!)
The first J-Geek event takes place on 3/8, a bit short notice for those flying in from other countries, but don't worry, there are more events to follow! Being the day before Miku Thanksgiving Day, this one will have a Miku theme, complete with cosplaying bartender girls.
The event is organized by Saeki Kenzo, who our readers most likely know as the producer of Shiraishi Nagomu (白石なごむ)'s album, and organizer of the famous TOgether idol live events which have featured Momoi Haruko, MOSAIC.WAV, Dearstage girls Dempagumi.inc, Afilia Saga... The list goes on. However, he also has a long history in the music industry as a vocalist and lyricist, check out his facebook profile for his full story in English!
Also, if there is anything you are curious about or would like to see in upcoming events, please sound off in the comments and I will pass them on to the organizers! They want to hear from you!
The biggest draw of the lineup this time to Denpa no Sekai readers no doubt be Morinaga Mami (森永まみ), who readers of our twitter may know by now as an up and coming "DEMPA-KEI milky Idol." Cute style and crazy songs, she's got it all! You also may know her from her band, "necomimi spacenoid" (necomimi☆スペースノイド), or when she took part in the Moe Purin auditions hosted by Inoue Miyu (井上みゆ).
Want to see her in action? Watch her twitter for when she'll do her next NicoNama broadcast, or check out the many videos on youtube!
Another name that might be familiar to our readers is Momochi Minami (桃知みなみ), probably the most famous anime face kigurumi idol / DJ in the world?! And yes, she is actually a girl for all you jaded doubters out there! Our Momoist readers will know her best from being a repeating guest on Momoi Haruko's NicoNama show, and also appearing on the Nico / TV show "Dream Creator" with her. And don't forget Legend Of Face, the band where all members retain anonymity by hiding their faces. (Though Momochi claims she's out of place in that group since she shows her face!) Other members include the infamous denpa princess miko, and the "trap" guitarist Tissue Hime.
As a DJ, she focuses on anime songs and idol songs, and shows off her skills in dance and otagei. When she debuted, she only communicated through gesture or the use of a wipe off board (using her cute armbands to wipe it clean), but now she's somehow gained the ability of speech.
Also in the idol line up is the appropriately named "twin tail", an idol group of two twin sisters, Kisida Eriko (岸田恵里子) and Kishida Rina (咲岡里奈). They perform separately as well.
Although they aren't touted as a denpa group, check out this cute and fun song, 「だぁ～い☆キライ！」performed by 咲岡里奈 with 池田彩.
Introduced as a "FUSHIGI-KEI petit-avant-garde Idol", denpa fans will be pleasantly surprised with the cute voice and wild style of Kurimiya Marron (栗宮まろん).
Unfortunately, she suffers from "hard to google name" syndrome, so my searches for live videos have failed. Best I can give you is this interview:
DJ Captain Mirai (キャプテンミライ) will also help bump up the Miku theme by playing lots of vocaloid songs. Besides being a Vocaloid producer, he has his own solo music career too.
The famous DJ Kazu (DJ和) will also be stopping by to show his renowned skills as an anison DJ. He's released a number of anison mix CDs, his most recent being J-アニソン神曲祭り [DJ和 in No.1 胸熱 MIX].
Check out in a QB costume, doing an interview with Momochi, complete with English subtitles. Just don't be tempted to make a contract.
Ready to come visit? Here's what you need to know:
Location: Shibuya SECO
Time: 19:00 open, 23:00 close
Price:
Door Price: 2000 yen (+1 drink)
Facebook reservation price: 1500 yen (+1 drink)
Cosplayer Price: 1000 yen(+ 1 drink)
(For the unfamiliar, +1 drink means you must also buy a drink ticket, usually 500 yen.)
If you're coming, don't be afraid to hit me up on twitter if you wanna hang out! Even if you're not coming, feel free to send any questions or suggestions too!
