Music Corner EX: Yamato

Yamato is an impossibly highly skilled DJ and producer, who has redefined the boundaries of CDJ mixing who got his start in 2011.  Just two years after his DJ debut, Yamato took first place in the burn WORLD DJ CONTEST 2013 JAPAN competition, which was sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company. Soon after, during the burn STUDIOS RESIDENCY global contest held in Ibiza, Spain, he was selected by the late superstar DJ Avicii to co-star at the burn YARD in Budapest festival in Hungary, becoming the first Japanese artist to perform with Avicii. Since then, Yamato has been a fixture at clubs and large festivals in Japan and around the world.

Yamato’s outstanding skills with a Pioneer CDJ deck are an incredible sight to behold – if you’ve never seen him perform live, check out a video on YouTube to see this master at work. The video “CDJ-2000NXS2 & DJM-900NXS2 Performance”, which stars Yamato and was produced by Pioneer DJ Global to promote its 2017 model deck, has racked up 13 million views on YouTube. Watching Yamato perform on four CDJ decks and manipulating a wide array of controls and effects at lightning speed, you’ll be astonished by his deft abilities – before you know it, you’ll have lost yourself in the beat, and the 4-minute video will be over, ready for you to cue it up again.

In February 2021, Yamato was asked by Pioneer DJ to create a series of videos with tips and tutorials on how to improve your DJ technique, using Pioneer’s most advanced CDJ model, the CDJ-3000. The series, titled Yamato - CDJ-3000 DJ Tips, is published weekly on Yamato’s YouTube channel, running every Friday for 10 weeks from February 12 through April 16 2021.

But Yamato’s talents extend beyond performing as a DJ. In March 2021, his song “Blaze” was used in a promotional tourism video aimed at attracting visitors to the city of Nagoya. The track incorporates the sound of the taishogoto, a traditional instrument that is sometimes call the ‘Nagoya harp’, into a high-tempo dance tune, fusing the tradition of yesterday with the sound of tomorrow.

Since 2019, Yamato’s tracks “Level One” and “Level 2” have been featured in Konami’s arcade game beatmania IIDX. “Level 2” was so popular that it ranked in the trending chart on Twitter in Japan – yet another glimpse of the many talents of this unique electronic musician. While “Blaze”, “Level One” and “Level 2” have not yet been released to download or stream, but check out Yamato’s YouTube channel to experience his unmatched DJ skills in action!

Be sure to check out the Yamato’s official website, Twitter, and Instagram, along with the DJ performance of his track “Autumn” below!

Music Corner Week 75: ank

ank is a three-member rock band that got its start back in 2015. Holding onto the theme of “Enjoying every day, will all your mistakes and regrets of the past, as a hint to live your present straight”, this is a group that looks to break the norm by creating songs that tear down the wall of genre. 

They look to do so by having high energy melodic compositions amazingly paired to vocalist and bassist Mayamiki’s relaxed and comforting vocal range. This along with lyrics done by drummer Ogo eases the listeners into a nostalgic bind of bands of yesteryear. Songs like “New Punk” and “ださいうた” (“Dasaiuta”) really hype up the composition with this get up and do anything energy that just screams of bands of the mid-10’s. One of the things that Mayamiki does well is the skill of not having her vocals overpower the melody and make it seem like both need one another to jive, so to speak, which unfortunately not many bands of late have been able to accomplish too much.  High energy tracks aren’t all what ank have in their arsenal, as tracks like “ぼくのしあわせ” (“Boku no Shiawase”) show a softer and more emotional side to Mayamiki. Which shows, when need be, the band can mix it up as well.

Currently ank has released two EPs, そこには思いっきり愛があるからな (Sokoniwa Omoikkiri Aira Arukarana), and たまんない人生だった (Tomannai Zinseidatta), in 2017 and 18 respectively, and three singles which were all released in 2020. They also have two mini-albums datsu and 生きることは、音楽 (Ikiru Koto wa, Ongaku) in 2015 and 16 respectively, along with an album, いききっちゃおうぜ (Iki Kicchaouze), set to released on April 14.

Be sure to check out ank’s official website, Twitter, and Instagram, along with the music video for their track “New Punk” below!

ank stars Jiiko (Guitar/Chorus)

Ogo (Drum/Chorus)

Mayamiki (Vocal/Bass)

Music Corner Week 74: Vaundy

Vaundy is a singer, songwriter, and producer who got his start in 2019 by posting his music on YouTube. His first single “Tokyo Flash” garnished music acclaim on social media within the first two months of its release, it hit over 1 million views while “Fuka-Koryoku” also hit over 1 million views in just a month! Not only does Vaundy create his own music, he also directs the visuals for his works such as music videos and artwork. Vaundy has a unique music style as he goes beyond the boundaries of genres. His lyrics and vocals both captivate listeners.

Vaundy’s debut single “Tokyo Flash” captured me with his smooth vocals that flow with the use of jazzy piano cords, the beat of the drums, and an illustrious guitar riff all combine and make for the perfect track. “Soramimi” drew me in with the opening keyboard then goes right into Vaundy showcasing his rap skills then flows right into his vocals. The back and forth between rap and vocals in “Soramimi” and the unique composition make it hard to pinpoint a style as Vaundy shows he can go beyond the genre. In his latest (solo) single, “Yuukai Sink”, Vaundy slows it down with a mid-tempo mellow track. The use of piano in “Yuukai Sink” mixed with Vaundy’s smooth vocals automatically pulled me in. The chorus of the track picks up but it still keeps that mid-tempo relaxed feeling.

Vaundy currently has one album titled Strobo, eight digital singles with his latest being “Yuukai Sink”, and a collaboration song with Aimer “Chiyuugi”. Check out Vaundy’s official website, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and the music video for “Yuukai Sink” below!

Music Corner Week 73: the engy

the engy is a four-member rock band out of Kyoto that formed in 2014. The group consists of Kouji Yamaji who is the lead vocalist and guitarist. The bass is played by Shusaku Hamada, while Yuto Sakai operates the drums. Kyosuke Fujita is the last member of the group who plays the keyboard and guitar as well. The band released its first EP titled “the engy” in May of 2017 which was independently produced. The band released two vinyl singles in 2018, the first one titled “Say it” and the second one titled “All about”. 2019 proved to be a big year for the band, they started off by dropping two digital singles, the first was “Touch Me” which released on June 12th and the second was “Still there?” which dropped on August 28th. On October 30th of 2019, the engy made their major debut with Victor Entertainment by the release of their mini-album Talking about a Talk. the engy currently has two mini-albums and eight singles/EPs. 

The engy has a very distinct style that really sticks with the listener. Yamaji has nice smoky vocals that he brings to each track, and some of the songs feature his rapping skills such as their song “Hold us together”. Their song compositions incorporate a wide range of genres from soul, hip-hop, and electronica. All the songs have a distinct and unique sound. “Hold us together” was a surprising track that I wound up really enjoying. It’s only two and half minutes long but in that time it has a striking composition that really pulls in the listener. 

the engy has kicked off the new year with a bang by dropping their song “Sleeping on the bedroom floor” and they show no signs of slowing down. All of the latest news for the group is posted to their official website, plus their Twitter. Lastly, be sure to check out their song “Hold Us Together” posted in the video below.

Music Corner Week 72: 7ORDER

7ORDER is a seven member multimedia project started in May of 2019 by Kentaro Yasui, Yuma Sanada, Shoki Moroboshi, Myuto Morita, Keigo Hagiya, Aran Abe, and Reo Nagatsuma. With the motto "Making Happy moments together," the boys will share irreplaceable moments with their fans through activities in various genres such as music, theater, art, and fashion.

Originally starting as a stage project, the group moved on to the music industry with their first single in March of 2020. All the members harmonized perfectly with each other and are like a well oiled machine, matching groups like Color Creation and King & Prince in terms of range and vocal prowess. Tracks like “Sabaoflower” and “Girl” show how amazing each member is with their range and covers what the other members can't. Songs like “LIFE” also show they aren’t just a traditional idol group by playing the entire track with various instruments. The boys also match the ongoing trend of male idols showing off amazing dance choreography that matches even most Johnny’s groups. 

7ORDER has released two singles, one digital (“Sabaoflower”) and one physical (“GIRL”) that were both released in 2020. They have also dropped an album titled ONE that was released in January of 2021. Be sure to check out their official website along with their Twitter and Instagram. As we look forward to what the future has in store for the project, be sure to check out the music video for “LIFE” below!