Luminous Orange

Last updated

Luminous Orange
Origin Yokohama, Japan
Genres Alternative rock, shoegazing, dream pop, bossa nova, lounge
Years active1992–present
Labels
  • Cream Cone Records
  • Friendly Science Enregisterments
  • Trattoria
  • Tone Vendor
  • Zankyo Record
MembersRie Takeuchi
Past membersKazuko Sakamoto
Mieko Okazaki
Kaname Banba
Tarow Nisawa
Website www5a.biglobe.ne.jp/~luminous/

Luminous Orange is an alternative rock band formed 1992 in Yokohama, Japan. [1] The band has evolved from an all female group to a solo project headed by composer, singer & guitarist Rie Takeuchi.

Contents

History

Luminous Orange was originally conceived as a four-piece girl band [2] by Rie Takeuchi in 1992 after being inspired by a Pale Saints concert. [3] The group has often been categorized as alternative, dream pop, [4] and shoegaze. Because of their appearance on Cornelius' label Trattoria Records  [ ja ] they are also considered as Shibuya-kei. [5]

In 1998, the band released the Puppy Dog Mail EP on former Pale Saints member Ian Masters' label Friendly Science Enregisterments. [6] The title track from the EP subsequently appeared on a compilation released by Trattoria. [7] That same year, Takeuchi made an appearance on Friendly Science Orchestra's Miniature Album, which was awarded Single of the Week by NME. [8] [9] The following year, Luminous Orange released the mini album Luminousorangesuperplastic, which drew praise from Shutoku Mukai  [ ja ] of Number Girl. [10] The band went on to release a maxi single in 2000 under the similar title of Luminousorangesugarplastic. [11]

By 2002, the band had become Takeuchi's solo project [2] with guest musicians. That same year brought the release of the band's album Drop You Vivid Colours on the Tone Vendor label. The album was described as being "far more richly produced, with multiple layers of sound giving it a texture and depth that previous albums lacked." [12] Hiroko Kawakami of the band Caucus cited the album as one of the records which influenced her. [13]

In 2004, Luminous Orange played at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York. [14] The band returned to America in 2006, playing at SXSW in Austin, Texas. [15] They performed again at the festival the following year. [16]

Luminous Orange's next album, Sakura Swirl, was released in 2007. In addition to being released in Japan, it also had distribution in America, Europe and Australia. The album featured contributions from Ahito Inazawa  [ ja ], Hiroyuki Tateyama, Noritoshi Esaki and M. Fujii. [17] Ian Masters provided lyrics as well as vocals and musical saw to the track "Silver Kiss". [18] Masters joined Luminous Orange at two of their concerts that same year. [19] That July, the band played two concerts in Taiwan, including an appearance at the Formoz Festival. [20] [21]

In 2009, Luminous Orange released the compilation album Best of Luminous Orange on Zankyo Record  [ ja ]. [22] Takeuchi explained that the label had asked about recording a new album but as Inazawa was busy with Vola and the Oriental Machine, they weren't in a position to do so. [23] She thus saw an opportunity to re-release earlier tracks that had become more difficult to obtain. [24]

The following year saw the release of Songs of Innocence, Luminous Orange's first original album in about two years. [25] Guest musicians on the record included Takehito Kono of Lagitagida  [ ja ], Kensuke Nishiura  [ ja ], Ahito Inazawa, Christopher McGuire and Katsuya Yanagawa. The songs on the album were noted as combining "the overwhelming feeling of feedback and thunderous roaring, the persuasive and cool rhythms with beautiful melodies" [26] as well as having odd time signatures and "mysterious melody lines with unexpected developments." [27]

Luminous Orange released the digital single "Tigerlily Mixolydian" in 2013. [28] The next year, the band released their seventh studio album, Soar, Kiss The Moon, on Parallelogram. The album was described as incorporating jazz and samba rhythms as well as numerous guitar overdubs. Some of the instruments were noted as being recorded in live houses and old storehouses. [29] Among the guests the album were members of the Yoshida Yohei Group, who contributed wind instrument parts. [30]

Members

Current supporting musicians

Past members

Discography

Albums

EPs

Compilation(s)

Related Research Articles

<i>Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise</i> 1987 animated film by Hiroyuki Yamaga

Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise is a 1987 Japanese animated science fiction film written and directed by Hiroyuki Yamaga, co-produced by Hiroaki Inoue and Hiroyuki Sueyoshi, and planned by Toshio Okada and Shigeru Watanabe, with music by Ryuichi Sakamoto. The story takes place in an alternate world where a disengaged young man, Shirotsugh, inspired by an idealistic woman, Riquinni, volunteers to become the first astronaut. The film was the debut by the studio Gainax, and the first anime produced by Bandai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japanese pitch accent</span> Japanese language feature

Japanese pitch accent is a feature of the Japanese language that distinguishes words by accenting particular morae in most Japanese dialects. The nature and location of the accent for a given word may vary between dialects. For instance, the word for "river" is in the Tokyo dialect, with the accent on the second mora, but in the Kansai dialect it is. A final or is often devoiced to or after a downstep and an unvoiced consonant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GO!GO!7188</span> Japanese rock band

Go!Go!7188, also known simply as Go!Go!, was a Japanese rock band with influences spanning from surf rock to punk rock to J-pop.

<i>Dasoku Hokō</i> 2000 studio album by GO!GO!7188

Dasoku Hokō (蛇足歩行) is the debut album by GO!GO!7188, released in 2000. The album was reissued in 2012 as part of EMI Music Japan's EMI Rocks The First series. The band has stated that the title, literally translated as "useless walking," has no meaning behind it. The album cover features a dekotora.

Akiko Noma, best known as Akko, was the bassist, back-up vocalist, and lyricist of GO!GO!7188. She has also released two solo albums under her maiden name Akiko Hamada. She sings, writes lyrics, and composes music. After getting married in October 2006, she changed her surname from Hamada to Noma (野間).

Kazushige Kirihata is a Japanese former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He started his career with Kashiwa Reysol and played the majority of his career for the club, before spending two years on loan at FC Gifu. He retired in January 2023 after a 16 year professional career and took up a coaching role with Criacao Shinjuku.

<i>Another Game</i> 1984 studio album by P-Model

Another Game is the fifth studio album by P-Model.

Marika Kouno is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Tokyo. She was affiliated with the agency Mausu Promotion before becoming affiliated with Aoni Production. Debuting as a voice actress in 2013, her first main role was in the 2015 anime television series Seiyu's Life! as Rin Kohana. She and the other main cast members of Seiyu's Life! are also members of the music group Earphones. She is known for her roles as Yua Nakajima in Hinako Note, Yumina Urnea Belfast in In Another World with My Smartphone, Mahiro Oyama in Onimai, and Silence Suzuka in Uma Musume Pretty Derby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JO1</span> Japanese boy band

JO1 is a Japanese boy band formed through the first season of Produce 101 Japan by Lapone Entertainment, a joint venture between Yoshimoto Kogyo and CJ ENM. The group is composed of eleven members: Issei Mamehara, Ren Kawashiri, Takumi Kawanishi, Shosei Ohira, Shion Tsurubo, Ruki Shiroiwa, Keigo Sato, Syoya Kimata, Junki Kono, Sukai Kinjo, and Sho Yonashiro. The group is the first permanent Produce 101 winning group.

The year 2020 in Japanese music.

The year 2021 in Japanese music.

Aju Makita is a Japanese actress.

The year 2023 in Japanese music.

The 1987 debut work of anime studio Gainax, Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise, written and directed by Hiroyuki Yamaga, has generated critical response from diverse sources in Japan and internationally, including major newspapers, film journals, newsweeklies, fan polls, film directors, anime industry magazines, film encyclopedias and reference books, television network executives, and science fiction authors. Among anime directors, Hayao Miyazaki, Mamoru Oshii, and Hideaki Anno have remarked upon the film's impact and influence.

Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise, written and directed by Hiroyuki Yamaga, was the 1987 debut work of anime studio Gainax. While in creative terms the film was described by its executive producer, president of Bandai Makoto Yamashina, as "pure moviemaking" and having been made "without compromise", its marketing and release plans, under the advertising department of its distributor Toho-Towa, were outside the control of Gainax, and both Gainax and Yamashina acknowledged continuing clashes over these aspects; approximately half of the 800 million yen spent on the film was allocated to advertising and distribution rather than on direct production expenses.

During the production of Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise, the 1987 debut work of anime studio Gainax, the only member of its main staff known to the general public was its musical director, electronic music pioneer Ryuichi Sakamoto, who had recently overseen the soundtrack to the top Japanese box office hit of 1986, Koneko Monogatari. Sakamoto and his assistants from Koneko Monogatari, musicians Koji Ueno, Yuji Nomi, and Haruo Kubota, composed 47 pieces of background music for Royal Space Force in a process that involved using "keywords" given by film director Hiroyuki Yamaga, examining the film's storyboards, making arrangements based on early "prototype" compositions, as well as composing several new original pieces of music as the project developed. 15 of the arrangements would be featured on the film's original soundtrack album.

Gainax's 1987 debut work, the feature film Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise, was a pre-digital anime, requiring that its animation cels and background paintings be photographed onto movie film. The actual scenes in the completed work were created through this cinematographic process, involving for some shots as many as 12 different layers of cels, backgrounds, and masks designed to selectively illuminate portions of an image. Special photographic techniques were employed in multiple scenes to express particular optical or motion effects. Assistant director Shinji Higuchi, a veteran of the film crew's earlier live-action amateur works, assisted on the photography of Royal Space Force as well; Takami Akai commented that the filmmakers' live-action experience influenced their thoughts on the perspectives and compositions used in scenes, not out of an attempt to "emulate" live-action but to seek a realism in anime, a medium where "the camera doesn't really exist."

During the production of Gainax's 1987 debut work, Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise, director Hiroyuki Yamaga and his assistant directors Takami Akai and Shinji Higuchi had limited or no experience in professional animation. Yamaga had directed an episode of the 1982-83 TV series Macross as well as the amateur Daicon III and IV Opening Animations, for which Akai had been an animator and character designer. Higuchi's filmmaking experience was in live-action special effects; Akai and Yamaga remarked that he brought interesting ideas and techniques to the project because he did not "think like an animator." Only the third of the assistant directors, Shoichi Masuo, had worked extensively in anime on a professional level; Masuo would express Yamaga's abstract directives to the animators in concrete terms.

Gainax's 1987 debut work Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise was the first project on which Hiromasa Ogura served as art director; although later noted for creating much of the aesthetic behind the influential 1995 film Ghost in the Shell, Ogura himself in a 2012 interview regarded Royal Space Force as the top work of his career. Working from Yoshiyuki Sadamoto's color scheme and Takashi Watabe's architectural drawings, Ogura then gave a "a sense of life" to the aesthetics of the world setting of Royal Space Force through background paintings created by himself and a staff of 16, including future Studio Ghibli art director Yōji Takeshige, whose first work in the anime industry was on the film. The film's writer and director, Hiroyuki Yamaga, sought to avoid using what he regarded as the usual visual symbolism of anime, and instead wanted Royal Space Force's art direction to express specific times of day and night; Ogura attempted to convey Yamaga's verbal instructions in graphic form.

Ihojin is a song written and composed by Saki Kubota, and first performed by her. The song was first released as a single on 1 October 1979. That recording sold more than 1.4 million copies and reached number 1 in the Japanese singles chart. The song was used in the "Silk Road" television commercial for Sanyo.

References

  1. ↑ Martin, Ian. "Luminous Orange Biography". All Music . Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  2. 1 2 Tanizawa, Chihiro (20 July 2016). "邦楽オルタナティブ好きなのにルミナスオレンジを知らないのはもったいない". Basement-Times (in Japanese). Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  3. ↑ Thornton, Tom (20 February 2007). "Austinist Interviews SXSW: Luminous Orange". Austinist. Archived from the original on 20 January 2008. Retrieved 24 November 2024. It was nothing other than a Pale Saints gig which truly inspired me to form this band 15 years ago.
  4. ↑ Beets, Greg (23 February 2007). "Japaniversary". The Austin Chronicle . Retrieved 1 September 2024. You wouldn't want to eat a Luminous Orange, but this Yokohama quintet whips up a perfectly ethereal concoction of 4AD dream pop by way of shibuya-kei.
  5. ↑ "特集：渋谷系". Tower Records Japan Online . 10 August 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  6. ↑ "Friendly Science Enregisterments". Institute of Spoons. Archived from the original on 21 February 1999. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  7. ↑ "TRATTORIA MENU: 174". Polystar Records (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 23 April 2004. Retrieved 7 December 2024. フレンドリー・サイエンス（英）からリリースされた7インチから、コーラスもルミナスな1曲を収録。
  8. ↑ "Miniature Album, by Friendly Science Orchestra". Bandcamp. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  9. ↑ "Single of the Week". NME . 3 October 1998. Archived from the original on 7 October 1999. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  10. ↑ "ルミナス・オレンジ / luminousorangesuperplastic - CDJournal". CDJournal (in Japanese). Retrieved 7 December 2024. ナンバーガールの向井の推薦コメントがついたルミナスオレンジの新作。
  11. ↑ "レア曲も収録！luminous orangeが残響からベスト盤発表". Natalie (in Japanese). 31 August 2009. Retrieved 7 December 2024. 本作には、2000年にトラットリアから発売され近年入手困難だったシングル「LUMINOUSORANGESUGARPLASTIC」や、1998年に英国で発売された限定7inchアナログ「Puppy Dog Mail EP」といったレア曲も収録。
  12. ↑ Martin, Ian, Drop You Vivid Colours - Luminous Orange | Album | AllMusic, AllMusic , retrieved 7 December 2024
  13. ↑ Tanaka, Takashi (June 2010). "コーカス". Cookie Scene. Archived from the original on 16 July 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2024. コーカスはこれからも成長していくと思いますし、未知の可能性を秘めていると思っています。最後に、好きな、あるいは影響を受けた個人的ベスト・ディスクを挙げて頂けますか？ 枚数を制限しないときりがないと思うので、5枚で！... 川上宏子的ベスト・ディスク5 ナンバー・ガール『School Girl Bye Bye』ルミナス・オレンジ『Drop You Vivid Colours』突然段ボール『成り立つかな？』暴力温泉芸者『Que Sera, Sera』モデスト・マウス『This Is A Long Drive』
  14. ↑ "CMJ Music Marathon 2004 - Siberia". CMJ Network. Archived from the original on 5 December 2004. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  15. ↑ Sawyer, Terry (17 March 2006). "Music Day 1: Dream Pop and Dance Disasters, PopMatters". PopMatters . Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  16. ↑ "south by southwest festivals + conferences". SXSW . 2007. Archived from the original on 20 March 2007. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  17. ↑ "[luminous orange] 約4年半ぶりの新作が世界流通決定". Natalie (in Japanese). 11 May 2007. Retrieved 8 December 2024. luminous orangeがニューアルバム「Sakura Swirl」を7月にアメリカ、ヨーロッパ、オーストラリアで発売… 今回の作品では竹内の他にサポートメンバーとして、VOLA & THE ORIENTAL MACHINEのアヒトイナザワ、Emileやswarm's armで活躍する舘山裕之、toddleの江崎典利、そしてCa-Pや魔太郎定食など数々のバンドを率いる藤井真生が参加している。
  18. ↑ "[luminous orange] 約4年半ぶりの新作が世界流通決定". Natalie (in Japanese). 11 May 2007. Retrieved 8 December 2024. この「Silver Kiss」には、竹内が敬愛する元Pale Saintsのイアン・マスターズが作詞、ボーカル、ノコギリでゲスト参加。
  19. ↑ Thornton, Tom (20 February 2007). "Austinist Interviews SXSW: Luminous Orange". Austinist. Archived from the original on 20 January 2008. Retrieved 24 November 2024. Afterwards we will tour some places in Japan, and in Kansai, Ian Masters will join us again to play some songs (including Pale Saints) as we did in January.
  20. ↑ "[Buffalo Daughter] 台湾ロックフェスに日本人多数出演". Natalie (in Japanese). 2 June 2007. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  21. ↑ "EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT - Taipei Times". Taipei Times . 27 July 2007. Retrieved 16 December 2024. If you miss Japanese band Six o' Minus Saturday at Formoz, you can see them Monday at The Wall (這牆), along with Luminous Orange and Yndi Halda.
  22. ↑ "レア曲も収録！luminous orangeが残響からベスト盤発表". Natalie (in Japanese). 31 August 2009. Retrieved 16 December 2024. luminous orangeが残響レコードから11月4日にベストアルバム「Best of Luminous Orange」をリリースすることが決定した。
  23. ↑ Kaneko, Atsutake (4 November 2009). "Luminous Orange インタビュー | CINRA". Cinra (in Japanese). Retrieved 18 December 2024. それで実際新作を録ろうと思ってたら、その時にドラムを叩いてくれてたイナザワアヒト君がVOLA（＆THE ORIENTAL MACHINE）の方が忙しくなってできなくなっちゃって。
  24. ↑ Shiina, Muneyuki (15 October 2009). "Luminous Orange('09年11月号) - インタビュー". Rooftop (in Japanese). Retrieved 16 December 2024. 竹内：『Sakura Swirl』の日本盤を出す辺りから「新譜を出したいですね」という話はしていたんです。そしたら電話がかかってきて「いつ録音します？」って（笑）。でも、アヒト（・イナザワ）くんが抜けて、すぐには録れそうにもなかったので「ベスト盤はどうですか？」とお話させて頂いて。廃盤になっていた音源もあったので良い機会だなと思ったんですよ。
  25. ↑ Sato, Kazumichi (4 April 2010). "ルミナス・オレンジ、満ちゆく覇気と躍動感". BARKS (in Japanese). Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  26. ↑ Kageyama, Chihiro. "ルミナス・オレンジ『Songs of Innocence』（残響）". Cookie Scene. Archived from the original on 16 July 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2024. 「Sea Of Lights」や「Untold」などのソリッドで、フィードバックや轟音の持つ圧倒感と、リズムの持つ説得力と格好良さに綺麗な旋律が融合した曲や、「Autumn Song」や「Violet」などの、透明感のある竹内氏の歌声と、タイトなリズムに様々な打ち込みの音色とギターの紡ぐ浮遊感の隙間から印象的に響く日本語の歌詞（個人的にこの歌詞が凄い好き）の曲など、バリエーション豊富であっという間に引き込まれてしまうアルバム。
  27. ↑ Ito, Yosuke. "Songs of Innocence / Luminous Orange". Skream!. Retrieved 29 December 2024. シューゲイザーという括りで語られる事の多いアーティストだが、不協和音や変拍子を駆使しながらも今作は電子音を新たに取り入れながら、DEERHOOFを彷彿とさせるような展開の読めない不思議なメロディ・ラインで新たな発見を僕らに与えてくれる。
  28. ↑ "ルミナスオレンジが新曲「Tigerlily Mixolydian」を配信限定でリリース". ototoy.jp (in Japanese). 10 January 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  29. ↑ Amano, Fumiaki (November 2014). "Soar, Kiss The Moon / Luminous Orange". Skream!. Retrieved 1 January 2025. ライヴハウスや古い蔵などを録音場所として利用したという緻密に編み上げられた多彩なリズムと、その上を漂う透明感のあるメロディとノイズが絡み合う構築美。
  30. ↑ Watanabe, Yuya (2 December 2014). "Luminous Orange 『Soar, Kiss The Moon』". Mikiki (in Japanese). Retrieved 1 January 2025. 通算7作目となる本作は、ジャズやサンバを踏襲した変幻自在のリズム・ワークと、幾層にもオーヴァーダビングされたギター、さらには吉田ヨウヘイgroupのメンバーによる管楽器もフィーチャーされた[The seventh album under Luminous Orange name features a fully symphonic sound, incorporating jazz or samba-based protean rhythms, overdubbed multiple guitar parts and wind instrument arrangements by the members of Japanese rock band Yoshida Yohei Group.]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.