Dimmu Borgir is a Norwegian symphonic black metal band from Jessheim, formed in 1993. The name is derived from Dimmuborgir, a volcanic formation in Iceland, the name of which means "dark cities" or "dark castles/fortresses" in Icelandic, Faroese and Old Norse. The band has been through numerous lineup changes over the years; vocalist Shagrath and rhythm guitarist Silenoz are the only original members who still remain.
Samurai Champloo is a 2004 Japanese historical adventure anime television series. The debut television production of studio Manglobe, the 26-episode series aired from May 2004 to March 2005. It was first partially broadcast on Fuji TV, then had a complete airing on Fuji Network System. It was licensed for North American broadcast on Adult Swim, and for commercial release first by Geneon Entertainment and later by Crunchyroll. It was also licensed for English releases in the United Kingdom by MVM Films, and in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment. A manga adaptation was serialized in Monthly Shōnen Ace during 2004, later released in North America by Tokyopop the following year.
Loudness is a Japanese heavy metal band formed in 1981 by guitarist Akira Takasaki and drummer Munetaka Higuchi. They were the first Japanese metal act signed to a major label in the United States. Loudness subsequently released twenty-six studio albums and nine live albums by 2014 and reached the Billboard Top 100 during their heyday as well as charting on Oricon dozens of times. Despite numerous changes in its line-up, leaving Takasaki as the sole constant member, the band continued their activities throughout the 1990s, finally reuniting the original line-up in 2000. This incarnation released a further seven albums until November 30, 2008, when original drummer Munetaka Higuchi died from liver cancer at a hospital in Osaka at age 49. He was replaced with Masayuki Suzuki.
The Dark Horse Years 1976–1992 is a box set of albums by the English rock musician George Harrison. It was released in 2004 and comprises most of the singer's output on his Dark Horse record label. The set contains Harrison's five studio albums from Thirty Three & 1/3 (1976) to Cloud Nine (1987), with bonus tracks, and his 1992 live album Live in Japan, which features a special SACD remix in addition to its original mix. The six albums were also made available as separate releases. The set's eighth disc, a DVD titled The Dark Horse Years, includes promotional videos of Harrison's singles from the 1976–88 era and footage from his 1991 Japanese tour. The box set was followed by the 2014 release of The Apple Years 1968–75, which compiles Harrison's output on the Beatles' Apple Records.
Five Deez is an American hip hop group from Cincinnati, Ohio and a part of the Wanna Battle collective, which also includes DJ Hi-Tek, Talib Kweli, Rubix, and Lone Catalysts. The group consists of members: Fat Jon the Ample Soul Physician, Pase Rock, Kyle David, and Sonic. Fat Jon currently resides in Frankfurt, Germany; while Pase Rock lives in New York, with Kyle and Sonic remaining in Cincinnati.
Jun Seba, born Jun Yamada, better known by his stage name Nujabes, was a Japanese record producer, audio engineer, DJ, composer and arranger best known for his atmospheric instrumental mixes sampling from hip hop, soul, and jazz, as well as incorporating elements of trip hop, breakbeat, downtempo, and ambient music.
Gamera: Guardian of the Universe is a 1995 Japanese kaiju film directed by Shusuke Kaneko and written by Kazunori Itō, with special effects by Shinji Higuchi. It is the ninth installment in the Gamera film series, serving as a reboot of the franchise, and is the first entry in the franchise's Heisei period. The film stars Tsuyoshi Ihara, Akira Onodera, Shinobu Nakayama, Ayako Fujitani, and Yukijirō Hotaru, with Naoki Manabe and Jun Suzuki portraying the giant monster Gamera, and Yuhmi Kaneyama playing Gyaos.
Metaphorical Music is the debut studio album by Japanese musician Nujabes. Released in 2003, it offers a combination of hip hop and instrumental jazz, and features artists like Shing02, Substantial, Five Deez and Cise Starr. Despite the fact that the album has contributing vocals from several artists, it is roughly classified as a breakbeat album.
Shingo Annen, better known by his stage name Shing02, is a Japanese hip hop recording artist, record producer, activist and investor. He was described by Patrick Neate as one of the Japanese emcees who "has addressed important issues from Japanese ethnicity to sexual exploitation to the education system."
American VI: Ain't No Grave is an album by Johnny Cash released posthumously on February 23, 2010 on American Recordings and Lost Highway Records. Its release was three days before Cash's 78th birthday. The tracks were recorded during the same sessions as American V: A Hundred Highways (2006), which took place during the final months of Cash's life. The album debuted at #3 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 54,000 copies in its first week. Upon its release, American VI: Ain't No Grave received generally positive reviews from music critics.
Male Bonding were an English indie/noise rock band. Sub Pop released their debut album, Nothing Hurts, on 11 May 2010 and the follow-up Endless Now on 29 August 2011. The group disbanded in 2015 and posthumously self-released their final record, Headache in 2016.
Modal Soul Classics II is a tribute compilation album dedicated to the Japanese music producer Nujabes. It is produced by various artists including Uyama Hiroto, Five Deez, Pase Rock, Calm, Zack Austin, Specifics, and clammbon. It's the first album released by Hydeout Productions since Nujabes' death. It's a tribute album mainly from artists who worked with Nujabes on the previous albums. The album contains for the most part cover versions and remixes of Nujabes songs. The photograph on the cover is from Japanese photographer Ota Yoshiharu.
Douglas Appling, better known by his stage name, Emancipator, is an American producer and DJ based in Portland, Oregon, United States. He launched his music career by self-releasing his debut album, Soon It Will Be Cold Enough, in 2006 while he was a college student. He has released eight studio albums, two live albums, five EPs and three remix collections. He also founded his own record label, Loci Records, in 2012 and formed a live band called the Emancipator Ensemble in 2013.
[Ricky Lascaze] is an American Hip-Hop DJ and producer from Brooklyn, New York who records under the name DJ Ezasscul. For a brief period of time he was a member of the rap group Supreme & Eaze with, Missouri rapper, Supreme Sol. DJ Ezasscul is also founder of the independent label Jazzy Peace Records.
Stanley Robinson, known as Substantial, is an American hip hop recording artist from Prince George's County, Maryland. He now operates out of Virginia.
Brandon George Dickinson, better known by his stage name Lil Bibby, is an American rapper and record executive. Beginning his career in 2011, Bibby released his debut mixtape, Free Crack in 2013. The project was followed by Free Crack 2 (2014) and Free Crack 3 (2015) before he signed with Dr. Luke's Kemosabe Records, an imprint of RCA Records. However, he released no studio albums under the label. He then shifted focus onto expanding his record label—Grade A Productions—in 2017, through which he has signed commercially successful acts including fellow Chicago native, rapper and singer Juice Wrld, as well as Australian rapper and singer the Kid Laroi.
Force of Nature is a hip-hop DJ and production duo from Tokyo, Japan. The group is composed of members Ikuzumi Kitazawa, known by his stage name KZA, and Kento Sasaki, known by his stage name DJ Kent or The Backwoods. Known internationally for their DJ work as well as their production, the duo is also credited as part of the production team that scored the music for the anime series Samurai Champloo.
Luv(sic) Hexalogy is an album collaboration created and finalized posthumously by the Japanese producer Nujabes and Japanese hip hop artist Shing02. It is a jazz hip hop album that incorporates latin jazz/soul samples and drum beats to create the instrumentals. The scratching was performed by various DJs and the vocals/lyrics were created by Shing02.
The music of the 2004 anime series Samurai Champloo, created by the studio Manglobe, was produced by a team of four composers drawn from the hip hop musical scene. They were Shinji "Tsutchie" Tsuchida of Shakkazombie, Fat Jon, Nujabes and Force of Nature. The musical direction was chosen by series creator and director Shinichirō Watanabe as part of his planned blending of hip hop culture with the anime's setting in the Edo period, additionally incorporating contributions from guest artists. The opening theme "Battlecry" was performed and co-written by Shing02, while the various ending themes were performed by Minmi, Kazami, and Azuma Riki. The final episode's ending theme was "San Francisco", licensed from the rapper band Midicronica.
HarukaNakamura, is a Japanese composer, producer, pianist, and guitarist who lives in Tokyo. Across his music career, Nakamura has worked with the likes of Nujabes, Aimer, and Ichiko Aoba, among others. Nakamura started his professional music career by uploading music to MySpace. He is now signed to the Singaporean label 'KITCHEN. LABEL'. He has composed for brands like The North Face as well as for television and anime, including Hikikomori Sensei, Trigun Stampede, and the film adaptation of Look Back.
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