Akataiyou no Nihon

Akataiyou no Nihon your J-Music Magazine official Tumblr Akataiyou no Nihon is the new platform for Japanese music and those who are keen music fans. We'd like to bring artists and fans closer together as well as we want to support the diversity of J-Rock and J-Pop.

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Shota 5th anniversary Comment 2014

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An Café Photos

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Gallery - Kategorie: Sana Live Tour 2014

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Here you can find the photos from berlin

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CROW x CLASS in Cologne (2014 05 16) and Düsseldorf (2014 05 17)

Which other Japanese rockband had the chance to rock an European audience from 10 to 70 two days in a row? Up to now nobody besides CROW x CLASS, and they surely did a great job both times. The first show was at the Japanese cultural institute in Cologne, the second on the main stage of the Japan day in Düsseldorf as last act right before the firework started. To compare these two shows it is important to know that the first one was indoor and the second open air. Furthermore, the sound engineer of the first show did the better job, as Kurona's – the vocalist – microphone sounded somewhat tinny during the second show. Just the light show of the second performance was way more interesting. Also, the first show took about 1 hour 30 minutes while the second only lasted for 1 hour. So all in all the first concert was the more interesting one, the one that presented the band a lot more effectively. The following is about the concert in Cologne.

CROW x CLASS are quite unique in their concept. Each member of the band is, at it says on their homepage, a professional musician. While their sound is something between rock, metal and Japanese elements, the really interesting fact is that they play it with traditional Japanese instruments such as koto, shamisen, shakuhachi and waidako. Also in their show on Friday they used elements of the kabuki theater,  ... 

you can fin the full live report here

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Yoshiki, 23.05.2014, Tempodrom Berlin

The first thing you noticed upon arriving at the Tempodrom in rainy Berlin was the very diverse audience. Next to several women in bridal dresses were earnest gentlemen and ladies in formal evening wardrobe, another group was marked as X-Japan or JRock fans by their band shirts. You could spot several Yoshiki cosplayers, either in the plain ‘white shirt black trousers’ look he prefers today or in the colourful coats Yoshiki used to wear on stage or in PVs in the early 90s. Especially adorable was a little child, maybe 3 years old, dressed up in a miniature version of the blue ankle long princess coat we know from the PV of ‘Celebration’.  After a slightly chaotic entrance everyone found their seats in the only half sold Tempodrom. The organiser closed the upper part of the venue and placed those who bought tickets for the cheaper seats on spare seats further down.  The show started with a recording of ‘Miracle’ which accompanied video footage of an interview with Yoshiki. He explained how he came to play the piano as well as drums and how those instruments reflect two sides of his life and personality. The interviewer earns some laughs by stating: “I’m glad you don’t do to the piano what you did to the drums”. The large screen on stage....  you can read the full live report here

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CD REVIEW: BIOSPHIA - mini-album 'FIERCE'

BIOSPHIA's first mini-album 'FIERCE' was released on April 2nd, 2014. It comes in only one version and includes 5 new tracks. The album is full of good guitar sounds, played by Reki and May, Shion's catchy drumming, the heavy bass lines from Yuki and for sure Naru's recognizable voice.

The first song 'CRACK' starts with guitar sounds, followed by a scream. The voice changes from melodic singing voice to screaming and back. The song is highlighted by the catchy drum and the instrumental part, where the guitars seem to be the center. Some parts of the song are more calm, Naru is singing with his higher voice and also uses the vibrato. Furthermore the drum is less dominant. In the end of the song there is a lot of growling, while the guitars end the song.

'Sadism', the second song, directly starts with a guitar, followed by the other instruments. Before the singing begins, there is high guitar sound. Naru sings whispery and you can clearly hear the bass. The voice changes....  you can read the full review here

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Interview with 慟哭～doukoku～

AnN: Please introduce yourselves to our readers first. Who are you and how did you get interested in music? Ryusuke: I’m the vocalist Ryusuke. My brother Fumiya plays the guitar and together we are Doukoku. We compose our songs together, but Fumiya’s parts are synthesizer and the arrangement.  Before Doukoku I used to be in another visual kei band, but after their break up I couldn’t find another band which worked out. Instead, I wrote songs. While I wondered how I will continue, my brother learned to play guitar and sent me a demotape of his own. After listening to his music idea we formed a band asap.

AnN: How did you come up with your bandname? Ryusuke: Looking at the name of the bands in livehouses, I realised they all had English names. We wanted to stick out so we decided for a Japanese name with Kanji. It was Fumiya’s idea to chose Doukoku. It means ”A cry of feelings you can’t put into words”. I thought this word is a good link to music.

AnN: You have shortly released your second single. Please tell us something about it. Ryusuke: I wrote ”Tenshou no Hitomi” which was also released with a PV, while I didn’t belong to a band. I already forgot about this song but Fumiya obviously remembered the refrain and arranged it. When I listened to his demotape I was ..... 

you can find the full interview here

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2014 04 04: ADAMS – First Sin tour 2014 in Berlin

What an awesome show! Though it started 20 minutes later than announced all the waiting was totally worth it. How much a band can improve in 8 months.

ADAMS, who played in front of around 60 people this time, were a little distant last year. But on the 4th of April 2014 they rocked their fans. Maybe it helped that it was a very small club. They got in very close contact with the fans. Shota once even got off the stage and played from the bottom, surrounded by his fans.

And they gave their fans a lot to see. With this tour the fanservice seemed more natural than before. First song with that sort of fanservice was the fourth: “DIZZY LOVE” with Shota kneeling in front of Adam, followed by a kiss on Adams hand while he sang “Kissin' in the Dark”. Very much of practising was shown during their eighth song “せせらぎ”, as Adam cuddled up against Shota and Shota was able to put his arms around the other one and still be able to continue playing guitar, while Adam was singing. But the most intense reaction from the fans came, when Shota started unbuttoning Adam's shirt during “Sweet Dreams” and licked upon his chest, just to tell the audience that Adam is very tasty after the song. Later on, while playing the encore Shota also pulled off Adam's shirt completely, which also led the fans (...)

read the full Live report here: http://akataiyou-no-nihon.com/index.php/live-reports/live-reports-2014/453-2014-04-04-adams-first-sin-tour-2014-in-berlin

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Interview with ADAMS

AnN: How come you came to Europe again after just eight months – with a tour this big?  Shota: Our last tour was really short. We wanted to visit the places where our fans already waited for us last time, sometimes in vain. For example Poland, we couldn’t do a concert there last time (The venue was cancelled, editor’s note). So many fans awaited us there and this time, we wanted to finally grant their wish. The tickets were nearly sold out.

AnN: With this many concerts, your timetable is probably really tough. How do you spend your time in the tourbus or in your free time? Adam: In the car, we speak about the next venue. In our free time, we try to gain power for our next gig and talk about our performance there. We don’t have time for sightseeing, unfortunately. We’d really like to, but there just is no time.

AnN: Do you do sports? Adam: No. We also don’t do jogging. There is no time for this.

AnN: What did impress you most during this tour so far? Shota: Definitely Poland (Adam nods affirmatively). As I said, we couldn’t go there last time, so when we were finally playing there, a lot of fans were waiting for us. Of course we will always remember the whole tour and we still have several venues to go to, but Poland was something special. Adam: The Czech Republic was great, too, wasn’t it?  Shota: Yes, the Czech Republic, too. And we (...)

read the full Interview here: http://akataiyou-no-nihon.com/index.php/interviews/interviews-2014/452-interview-with-adams-in-berlin-04-04-2014

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ADAMS "69" CD Review

In the beginning of June, Adams will release their new album “69”. It will contain 12 tracks, including their singles “bittersweet”, “せせらぎ” and “ボクのセイ”. The other 9 songs are new ones that fit in their former style, though it gets a little stronger into rock tunes.

The album starts with the short track “69”, which has a very interesting rhythm at the beginning, though it might be a little bit annoying after some time as it is offbeat and very fast. Luckily it is very short. Second is “GALAXY”, a song that seems to be perfect for dancing along at lives. The rhythm is pretty simple but fast and intense. Over Adam's voice there are a lot of filters and effects, but fans should already been used to that. “せせらぎ”(seseragi), the third song, was already released as single. It is a song in which it is easy to stick to the guitar, that pulls through. Also the solo is nicely done. Compared to “GALAXY” there are less effects used to alter Adam's voice which makes it a little smoother listening to. Next is “HEAVEN”, which starts just with a keyboard, flowly adding rhythm elements. Both Shota and Adam sing in that song, which gives the song more depth. Also that minor scales are used as base strengthens that feeling, together with Adam's clear voice as a counterpoint. A very beautiful song. “White Caress” as next song is a typical rock ballad, which is nice listening to, if your speakers have a strong bass. Adam's voice fits it and Shota's guitar is something worth listening to. After that one “Carry” follows. Here especially the bridge is very interesting listening to, though the refrain is something you have heard a lot of times already from different bands. The song itself has ...

to read the full review click here: 

http://akataiyou-no-nihon.com/index.php/cd-reviews/cd-reviews-2014/414-adams-69-review

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2014 03 26: MIYAVI's SLAP THE WORLD TOUR 2014 in Berlin

To find a start for writing about an amazing live is always difficult. Where to begin? That the show started with 10 minutes delay? Or that MIYAVI was greeted warmly by the audience as soon as he entered the stage?

Both has been used so many times, but it will never catch the moment this show started. It was more like a wave of joy emerging from the fans who did not even care about the slightly ridiculous outfit. Well, this might be due to the fact that they are used to see MIYAVI in strange trousers and funny tops. This time he was wearing pants that seemed to be a pair of shorts with transparent tights beneath together with a white jacket, resembling the ones the matadors wear. The setlist was well chosen, starting with “Day 1” as beginning. Not only that it is a perfect song considering rhythm to rock the audience, it also has a beginning as topic. So thinking it through it was obvious that “Horizon”, a song about the last day, would be the last song before the encore. Great idea. Though the new album that accompanied the tour has a lot of electronic dance elements the main flow of the show were rock tunes, resembling MIYAVI: having his own style and clinging to it, but still changing himself and trying out new stuff.

http://akataiyou-no-nihon.com/index.php/live-reports/live-reports-2014/410-live-report-miyavi-26-3-14-in-berlin

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LOKA back on Tour 2014

This summer is going to get hot in Europe, since none other but LOKA are coming back on tour. They already announced the following dates on their homepage:

http://akataiyou-no-nihon.com/index.php/101-news/411-loka-back-on-tour-2014

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Interview with Vamps

We met K.A.Z. from VAMPS before their concert at the Kesselhaus/Berlin on October 3rd 2013. He answered all our questions about the band, their new album and their Halloween project, even some fun questions. Have fun reading! Thank you very much, K.A.Z. for this great interview!

  AnN: This is your first time in Germany as VAMPS. How was your first impression of Germany so far? And how do you think will it influence your music?

K.A.Z: I think Germany and Japan are very similar. The cities in Germany are very beautiful. I’m here for the first time, but I like Germany a lot.

AnN: I guess you have already answered that question a thousand times but what made you decide to call the band VAMPS? And why do you use vampires as a topic? K.A.Z: We decided for this name because first of all, it is easier to remember than a long one. Besides, Vampires are associated with night and darkness, which match rock music very well.

AnN: K.A.Z., you also play actively in Oblivion Dust. How do you find time to work together with Hyde for VAMPS?  K.A.Z: The program for Oblivion Dust gets released roughly a year in advance, so I have enough time to make a plan for VAMPS. AnN: As “SEX, BLOOD, ROCK N ROLL” was released a few days ago: How are the reactions to the new album so far? K.A.Z: Since we started our tour the same day as the album got released, I don’t know the reaction well yet. But for example in Spain and Paris the fans were really excited.

AnN: The song „Life on Mars” is a David Bowie cover. Why did you choose it to be on your new album, but not “Replay” or “Ahead”?

(...)

here you can read the full interview

http://akataiyou-no-nihon.com/index.php/interviews/archiv/interviews-2013/261-interview-with-vamps

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I-ai CD review

The album "I-ai" released on January 1st this year from the band with the exact same name consists of a total of 11 songs. It is hard to put it into a genre, as they themselves also called it a "best of" their songs so far. It reaches from ballades to very energetic hard-rock and metal. One could say it has an arc like a good story.

The album starts with the first song "EG♂I$M" which has a slow, soft start with Guitar which turns into a more electronic song shortly after. Hiroaki's singing English is partly very hard to understand but the melody of his voice matches the melody of the music perfectly. Yuki's backing vocals are also very well put and he has parts of harder guitar-riffs in the latter half of the song.

"薔 薇 と 蛇 - Album Mix -" (bara to hebi - album mix) is a complete contrast to the first song in terms of when what happens. The song has no musical intro, is very defined by an electronic distorted way of the melody. It is passionate and in the background one can hear a female voice. The fade-out is underlined by piano. One can follow the arc with "NEO JESUS", another (...)

here you can read the full review: 

http://akataiyou-no-nihon.com/index.php/cd-reviews/cd-reviews-2014/374-i-ai-i-ai-albumreview

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Capella Bandbio

Capella is a four-member band, formed in 2010 and also known as 'Kuu' until June 2012.

Line-up:

Vocal: Bon Guitar: Harashima Tsuyoshi Bass: Hajime Drum: Shou

In November 2010 Capella started their musical career by releasing a maxi single named “Kudakechitta sou o kakiatsume kanaDERU wa bokuRA” which included two tracks. They held some lives in June and July 2010, but their first official live was held on 25th November of 2010 at Ikebukuro CYBER.

In 2011 they held a live in January and released the mini-album “Hajimari no oto” in March. Their first tour also started in March 2011 at HOLIDAY OSAKA and lasts until September 2011, when they (...)

read more here: 

http://akataiyou-no-nihon.com/index.php/bands/bands/408-capella

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Interview with heidi.

AnN: Please introduce yourselves to our readers.

Y: Hello, I'm heidi.'s singer Yoshihiko. Nice to meet you! N: I am guitarist Nao. Ko: Hello, it's nice to meet you. I'm heidi.'s bassist Kohsuke.  Ki: Hi altogether, I play drums in heidi., my name is Kiri.

AnN: Your tour is soon going to start. How do you imagine the European fans? Have others told you much about them?

Y: I think the European fans are going to be very energetic, no matter if we play ballads or faster songs. I will surely cheer them on in Japanese! N: The fans will probably react differently depending on the country. But the fans from Europe are said to be especially loud.  Ko: Compared to them, the Japanese fans are probably much more reserved and shy. Ki: They probably are not too different in general. I think the European fans simply feel the music.

AnN: Is there anything you hope for from the fans at your concerts?

heidi.: We hope that everyone (...)

read the full interview here

http://akataiyou-no-nihon.com/index.php/interviews/interviews-2014/401-interview-with-heidi