Urbangarde アーバンギャルド

Urbanguarde are a Tokyo based technopop group that use bizarre surreal and often graphic imagery touching on social commentary with occasional off handed political amd religious comment. They describe themselves as "Tokyo Virginity Pop" creating music for otaku, virgins, and the mentally diseased people of Japan.


Discography:
2008 少女は二度死ぬ (Shōjo wa nido shinu)
2009 少女都市計画 (Shōjo toshi keikaku)

Links:
Official Website
youtube channel

ゲルニカ (Guernica)

Name after a famous paintin by Picasso the 80s trio of vocalist Jun Togawa, Koji Ueno and Keiichi Ohta where an avant guard group peforming songs in the style of 20s 30s and 40s cabaret and film music with electronic and later orchestral instrumentation


Discography:
1982 Kaizō e no Yakudō
1988 Shinseiki e no Unga
1989 Denrisō Kara no Manazashi

Links:
wikipedia
lastfm

Luna Sea

Luna Sea (lunacy) was a rock group from Kanagawa that started in 1989 when formed by Jun "J." Onose and Shinobu "Inoran" Inoue while they were both at school under the name Lunacy. They later recruited Yasuhiro "Sugizo" Sugihara, Shinya Yamada and Ryuichi Kawamura. This lineup became a constant throughout the bands existance.
 In 1991 the band was discovered by Hideto Matsumoto of the band X-Japan they were signed to Yoshiki Hayashi's independent Extasy Records label. They released their debut album and changed their name to Luna Sea.
 Their 1992 album "Image" made top ten in the album charts and a live video from their "Luna Sea Concert Tour 1992 Image or Real" made number one.
 The next few years provided a great deal of chart success and their populairty spread to other Asian territories such as Hong Kong and Taiwan
 In 2000 after topping the charts with the single "Gravity",

releasing their seventh album "Lunacy" and having the track "Sweetest Coma Again" used in the Japanese version of the James Bond movie The World Is Not Enough the group called it quits. Ryuichi and "J" have since persued solo careers, Sugizo was in the supergroup Skin.
 The band performed a reunion concert in 2007 and has performed sporadically since.

Discography:
1991 Luna Sea
1992 Image
1993 Eden
1994 Mother
1996 Style
1998 Shine
2000 Lunacy

Links:
official site
wikipedia 
lastfm
my space

Puffy (Puffy Amiyumi)

Puffy are the pop duo Ami Ohnuki and Yumi Yoshimura hence the name Puffy amiyumi which they are known by outside Japan to avoid confusion with Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs. They where put together in 1996 by talent scouts for Sony Music and they where given the name Puffy by producer Andy Sturmer. Their first single was the million selling anthemic "Asia no Junshin"

As their popularity grew they began hosting their own tv show Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Puffy and they performed in America in 2000 as Puffy, but changed the name to Puffy Amiyumi after being contacted by lawyers for Sean "Puffy" Combs.
In 2002 they recorded songs for cartoon series Teen Titans and SD Gundam Force and in 2004 they had their own animated series Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi which was show in America on the Cartoon Network, it had american actresses do their voices but featured their music, and a dubbed in to Japanese version was show on tv in Japan.

Discography:
1996 amiyumi
1997 Solosolo
1998 Jet
1999 Fever*Fever
2000 Spike
2002 The Hit Parade
2003 Nice
2006 Splurge
2007 Honeycreeper
2009 Bring It!

Links:
official site
wikipedia
myspace
lastfm

Capsule

Capsule are the electronic and neo-shibuya kei music duo producer Nakata Yasutaka and singer Koshijima Toshiko and where formed in 1997.
 Their first album was released in 2001 and their music has been used on numerous tv programs such as Hello! Morning, and Utawara Hot Hit 10. They have been quite prolific released a dozen albums up to 2010
Here is their dancefloor hit from 2008 "Jumper"


Discography:

2001 Haikara Girl
2002 Cutie Cinema Replay
2003 Phony Phonic
2004 S.F. Sound Furniture
2005 Nexus-2060
2005 L.D.K. Lounge Designers Killer
2006 Fruits Clipper
2007 Sugarless Girl
2007 Capsule RMX
2007 Flashback
2008 More! More! More!
2010 Player

Links:
wikipedia
official site
last fm

Pizzicato Five

Over 16 years or so of existence Pizzicato Five where one of the driving forces of the Shibuya-Kei movement, which incorporated influences of jazz, lounge and 60s pop brought in to a 90s pop and electropop context.
 Formed in 1985 by Yasuhiro Konishi, Keitarō Takanami, Ryō Kamomiya, Mamiko Sasaki, and Shigeo Miyata, Their first single was "Audrey Hepburn Complex" Which was produced by YMO's Haruomi Hosono. Soon after they signed to CBS Sony , but their initial releases where not commercially successful.
 In 1990 vocalist Maki Nomiya joined the group and it was at this time they really developed a sound which fit into the emerging Shibuya-kei movement.
They gained exposure through work on tv themes and their 1993 album Bossa Nova 2001 became a top ten hit.
 In 1994 they had their first releases in America an Ep and album compilation Made in America.

By 1995 the group was simply the duo of Konishi and Nomiya and in February they toured Europe and America
Here's their hit from 1996 "Baby Portable Rock"

In 1997 they had formed their own label called Readymade and released the album Happy end of the World worldwide.
Readymade continued to release material up to 2001 when the group disbanded

Selected Discography:
1987 Pizzicatomania!
1987 Couples
1988 Belissima!
1989 On Her Majesty's Request
1990 Soft Landing on the Moon
1991 Hi Guys! Let Me Teach You
1991 This Year's Girl
1991 Free Soul 2001
1992 Sweet Pizzicato Five
1993 Instant Replay
1993 Expo 2001
1993 Bossanova 2001
1994 Overdose
1994 Made in USA (compilation)
1995 Romantique 96
1995 A Quiet Couple
1997 Happy End of the World
1998 Happy End of You
1999 Pizzicato Five
1999 Playboy & Playgirl
2000 Remixes 2000
2000 The Fifth Release from Matador
2001 Çà et là du Japon
2001 In the Mix

Links
wikipedia
Official Site
Fan Site (Japanese)
discogs
Rate your Music

Sandii (and the Sunsetz)

Sandii (born Sandra O'Neale) first recorded in the mid 70s under the name Sandra Ai. In 1975 she worked as for NHK TV and performed at the World Popular Song Festival and the following year at Yamaha World Popular Song Festival and released her first solo lp.
 In 1976 she met Makoto Kubota and joined his band Sunset Gang as a backup vocalist. She also continued her solo career and released an Lp under the name Sandy O'Neil.
 In 1979 Sandii appeared on YMO's Solid State Survivor album, and recorded her LP Eating Pleasure. At the same time Makoto Kubota cahnged the Sunset Gang to Sandii and the Sunsetz. In 1981 they released the album Heat Scale and followed it up in 1982 with Immigrants
 In 1983 Sandii and the Sunsetz had a top 20 hit in Australia "Sticky Music" and toured there including aa a support act for INXS

In 1985 they released the album La La La La Love. known as Banzai Baby outside Japan, but where unhappy with the lack of foreign promotion. Their Subsequent LPs included and Jamaican Dancehall and reggae influence among other things
After 1990 the band became just known as Sandii as if promoting Sandii as a solo artists. The relases since have been an eclectic range of pop, world music and later Hawaiian songs and Sandii has become involved in Hawaiian Hula culture, even running two schools in Japan on Hula dance and doing a tv show on Hula.

Sandii and the Sunsetz Discography:
1981 Heat Scale
1982 Immigrants
1983 Viva Lava Liva (Compilation)
1986 La La La La Love / Banzai Baby
1987 Rhythm Chemistry
1988 One Love

Links
Sandii official site
Wikipedia
Nippop
Life in Tokyo