Freedom of Choice is the third studio album by the American new wave band Devo. It was originally released in May 1980 on the label Warner Bros. The album contained their biggest hit to date, "Whip It".
Utada Hikaru, who is also known as Hikaru Utada and the mononym Utada, is a Japanese-American singer-songwriter and producer. Born in the United States to Japanese parents, record producer Utada Teruzane and enka singer Keiko Fuji, Utada began to write music and lyrics at an early age and often traveled to Tokyo as a result of her father's job. Eventually, a recording contract with Toshiba-EMI was signed and, under the stage name Cubic U, Utada released her English-language debut album Precious in early 1998, but it was a commercial failure. In the following year, heavily influenced by R&B and dance-pop, her Japanese-language debut First Love was released and became an instant success. Backed by the massive success of singles "Automatic", "Time Will Tell", and "Movin' On Without You", the album sold two million copies in its first week in Japan, topped the Oricon charts for six non-consecutive weeks and went on to sell six million more throughout the rest of 1999. First Love eventually became the country's best-selling album of all time.
Polysics is a Japanese new wave and rock band from Tokyo, who dubs its unique style as "technicolor pogo punk". It was named after a brand of synthesizer, the Korg Polysix. The band started in 1997, but got their big break in 1998 at a concert in Tokyo. They create high energy music, fusing conventional guitar music with synthesized and computer generated sound to create a unique mixture of punk and synthpop heavily inspired by the American bands Devo and The Tubes, as well as Japanese bands such as P-Model and Yellow Magic Orchestra. Their song lyrics often consist of Japanese, English, or just downright gibberish. The band has been noted for their extremely energetic live performances and their wild gimmicky outfits, notably their straight-bar sunglasses and trademark orange boiler suits stamped with a simple "P".
Tofu Records was a US record label of Sony Music Entertainment Japan that was launched in 2003 to distribute Japanese Sony artists in the United States, and that closed in 2007. Their first signed artist was T.M.Revolution, and they used the anime fandom community to spread the word. T.M.Revolution's U.S. concert debut at Otakon 2003 was successful, drawing an audience of over 5,000.
Lap of Honour is an EP released on 18 January 2006 as a Japan-only release by British rock band Kaiser Chiefs, though it is available for import. The EP mostly consists of b-sides featured on the single releases from their debut album Employment, plus live sessions and an exclusive remix of "Na Na Na Na Naa". The album cover depicts the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom.
The Summer Sonic Festival is an annual two or three-day rock festival held at the same time in Osaka and Chiba, Japan. The majority of the bands playing in Osaka the first day go to Chiba the following day and vice versa. The line-up contains many Japanese rock musicians from both major and indie record companies, and also international acts. It also operates the festival Sonicmania, with an EDM focus, since 2011. Summer Sonic is an independent festival, owned by Creativeman Productions Ltd.
Splurge is a Japanese-language pop album by Puffy Amiyumi that was released on June 28, 2006 in Japan. It was released in the US on July 25, 2006, after their East Coast Tour.
Kioon Music is a Japanese record label, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Japan.
Hit&Fun is a compilation album by pop duo PUFFY, that was released on February 14, 2007.
Polysics Or Die!!!! is the first greatest hits album by Japanese band Polysics. It is their first release in the United Kingdom, it was later released in the U.S and Japan. The name is likely a reference to the album Music Industrial Wastes〜P-MODEL OR DIE by P-Model, a band whom Polysics is heavily influenced by.
KARATE HOUSE is the seventh full-length album by Japanese band Polysics. "Electric Surfin' Go Go", "You-You-You" and "Catch On Everywhere" were released as singles in Japan. The song "POLYSICS OR DIE!!!!" is structured very similarly to "Jocko Homo" by Devo, who are Polysics' major influence. The song "THE GREAT BRAIN" is a cover of a P-MODEL song, another great influence, from their 1979 debut IN A MODEL ROOM, and the song "POLYSICS OR DIE!!!!" is a reference to their 1999 album Music Industrial Wastes〜P-MODEL OR DIE.
Vola and the Oriental Machine is a four-member Japanese rock band formed by ex-Number Girl and Zazen Boys drummer Ahito Inazawa in 2005. The group is named after the soccer team Vola F.C., which was also the name of the short-lived band formed by Inazawa before Number Girl's disbandment in 2002.
We Are the Physics was an indie band from Glasgow, Scotland. The band drew influences from new wave, pop, indie, and math rock, and has a "B-movie" aesthetic.
Alex Newport is an English record producer, mixer, songwriter, and composer, based in Los Angeles.
Hey! Bob! My Friend! is the debut US release for the Japanese synth-rock band Polysics.
Absolute Polysics is the ninth full-length studio album from Japanese new wave act Polysics, and the last to feature vocalist and keyboardist Kayo before her departure in 2010. The album was released in September 2009 in Japan and in January 2010 in the U.S.
Yuichi Kodama (児玉裕一 Kodama Yuichi） is a Japanese video director. He has mainly directed music videos and ads. He often produces music videos and ads that are strongly connected or "tied-up" to each other, such as Perfume's "Secret Secret" and Morinaga Milk's "Eskimo Pino", or Amuro Namie's songs and Vidal sassoon's ads.
54 Nude Honeys was a Japanese punk rock band formed in 1992, in Tokyo. The band was primarily composed of the bass guitarist and co-founder Vivi, the guitarist and co-founder Kotome and the vocalist Yuri. The band and its membership went through a number of reconfigurations between 1992 and 2007, the year in which the band was disbanded. The group has been jokingly likened to the satirical heavy metal group Spinal Tap, due to the number of different drummers that have been involved in the band over separate line-ups. For a portion of the groups active years a second guitarist, Fumi, was added to the line-up. Since 2001 Fumi is a member of the Japanese synth-pop band Polysics. The band has also been noted for its large cult following status in underground music circles and provocative stage outfits, choosing to dress in all leather.
UK Project is a Japanese independent record label and an artist management company which runs various music labels, artist management agencies and concert venues under its umbrella company.
JPU Records is a British record label formed in 2012, which specialises in handling international releases by Japanese artists. Notable acts on JPU's roster include The Gazette, Band-Maid and Dempagumi.inc.
