Gakuto Kajiwara Announces Livestream of First Ever Solo Concert!

Doko ka no Kimi ni Jacket Cover

Popular voice actor-turned-vocalist Gakuto Kajiwara, who plays leading roles in multiple top anime shows, released his first ever mini-album “Doko ka no Kimi ni” on October 20, 2021. Now he has announced that he will follow the release with his debut solo concert, which will be held on his birthday: Sunday, November 28, 2021. The concert will be broadcast on livestreaming platform Zaiko and available to view from all around the world. While the mini-album’s title translates roughly as “To You, Wherever You Are”, the concert is titled 1st ONE MAN LIVE “Koko ni iru Kimi ni”, which means “To You, Right Here” – fitting perfectly with the themes of the mini-album.

Kajiwara commented, “This is a collection of songs that shine when you hear them for yourself in a live setting. I hope to be able to touch the audience deep inside and leave something behind.”

Streaming tickets are on sale now from the link below. The concert will be held on November 28, from 14:30 Japan Standard Time, which is 21:30 on November 27 Pacific Time. Click here for tickets and further information, including the full schedule.

Vintage Ayumi Hamasaki Remixes by Trance Pioneers Ferry Corsten, Rank 1 and Push Available to Download and Stream for the First Time

Cyber TRANCE presents ayu trance 2 -COMPLETE EDITION- Jacket Cover

The classic Cyber TRANCE series of hits by Asia’s diva Ayumi Hamasaki remixed by pioneering artists such as Armin van Buuren and Above & Beyond is back again. September saw the release of Cyber TRANCE presents ayu trance -COMPLETE EDITION-, and today, November 17, the follow-up album Cyber TRANCE presents ayu trance 2 also gets the ‘COMPLETE EDITION’ treatment, with a reissue featuring all the tracks from the 2002 release plus many additional versions, some of which are available for the very first time. The complete set is available for download and streaming now.

The 30 tracks on Cyber TRANCE presents ayu trance 2 -COMPLETE EDITION- include the Extended mix and the Push remix of “Connected”, which was produced by Ferry Corsten as an original Ayumi Hamasaki song; “Connected” hit the club charts in countries across Europe when it was released in 2002 and was featured in countless DJ sets and DJ-Mix compilations. The album also includes “Dearest”, Hamasaki’s hit theme song for the anime Inuyasha, as remixed by Dutch trance pioneers Rank 1.

Since Cyber TRANCE presents ayu trance 2 was originally released on CD as a non-stop mix, the various tracks have never been made available individually for download or streaming, so this release has been long awaited by fans. Also, just like September’s reissue of the previous album in the series, this compilation features versions of tracks that were previously only available as promotional 12-inch vinyl or limited to certain territories, as well as versions that have never been released anywhere in the world until now.

Following the reissue of the first Cyber TRANCE presents ayu trance -COMPLETE EDITION- album, the official Twitter account of Japanese dance music brand Cyber TRANCE posted a photo taken way back on September 30, 2001, when British trance group Above & Beyond were performing at an ayu trance release party at renowned Tokyo mega-club velfarre; the photo captures the moment the three young artists were joined on stage by Hamasaki herself, making a surprise guest appearance. This rare memento of a special moment in Japanese and British trance music history reignited the excitement of fans around the world.

Whether you are from the generation that experienced the thrill of ‘ayu trance’ the first time around, or a dance-music fan of the post-EDM generation, now’s your chance to check out these timeless trance masterpieces here!

LOVEBITES Becomes the Nameless Warrior with Latest Music Video!

In The Beginning -The Best of 2017-2021 Jacket Cover

Popular heavy metal band LOVEBITES have released the music video to their new song “Nameless Warrior”, taken from upcoming album In The Beginning – The Best of 2017-2021, which will be released from our friends at JPU Records on two CDs from 14 January 2022.

“Nameless Warrior” was written following bassist Miho’s decision to depart from LOVEBITES, and is the last song to be recorded with LOVEBITES’ original line-up, as well as Mao, who has been arranging and collaborating with the band for some time. The song’s lyrics have been written by Asami.

The music video is a chronological sequence of previously unreleased and rare live and off-the-record footage. It includes cuts from a secret gig the band did under the name POWERSLAVES in 2016, before they started their fully-fledged career, plus footage from various international festivals and tours.

This time, the band’s incarnation, the wolf, appears in the video in an animated form reminiscent of ink paintings or shadow puppets, running through the metaphorical world parallel to the history of the band’s activities. For example, the scene where the wolf takes a bit of a golden fruit represents LOVEBITES winning the Best New Band award at the 2018 Golden Gods Awards by Metal Hammer, the world’s biggest metal magazine. Also, for the first time ever, the video contains English and Japanese subtitles embedded in the video, with the lyrics expressing the band’s attitude towards their future activities.

Be sure to check out the music video in question below!

BE:FIRST's Debut Song ‘Gifted.’ Hits No.2 on the Billboard US Hot Trending Songs Global Chart!

Seven-member dance and vocal group BE:FIRST formed on the hit Japanese TV audition show THE FIRST. Now, their November 3 debut single “Gifted.” has crashed into the Hot Trending Songs chart on Billboard US, taking the No.2 spot in the 24-hour chart on November 15, and No.5 in the seven days to November 15.

Gifted. Jacket Cover

Launched on October 22, Billboard’s new Hot Trending Songs chart is powered by Twitter and sponsored by Remy Martin. The chart tracks global music trends and conversations on Twitter in real time, with rankings for the last 24 hours and the last seven days. A weekly version of the chart covers the period from Friday to Thursday and is published the following Tuesday, along with other rankings from Billboard. The chart includes anything from new releases to songs included at award shows, festival highlights and even nostalgic hits from the past; it is unique in that it is based not on the number of sales or plays of a song, but the amount it is being talked about – a true barometer of buzz.

“Gifted.” also took the No.1 spot on Billboard Japan’s comprehensive Japan Hot 100 song chart in the week November 1-7. In yet more achievements, the song placed in 40 different charts, and made BE:FIRST the third-most streamed artist in a single week in Japanese history.

Meanwhile, the music video for “GIFTED.” became the No.1 ranked music video on YouTube’s Trending Music chart when it was released on November 1. Even now, two weeks later, it is still No.1 on YouTube’s Top 100 Songs Japan chart.

All in all, BE:FIRST have made a spectacular debut. Each of the group’s seven members has demonstrated huge potential with their strong skills for singing, dance and rapping, along with a high musical ability that is reflected in their lyric writing, music composition and choreography – not to mention the appeal of each member’s distinct personality. This is just the start, as BE:FIRST take their first steps into Asia and the rest of the world.

Be sure to check out the ever popular “GIFTED.” below, along with he streaming link for the single here!

Music Corner Week 96: Atarayo

Atarayo is a four-member female led band that got started in November of 2020 in Tokyo. Derived from the naming scape of “being a night that is so beautiful that its regrettable to be the dawn”, the band relies on its theme of being “a band that had grew up in the sadness”. Atarayo brings very thought provoking and emotionally driven tracks with vocalist Hitomi. 

While I do admit they might not turn the wheel on innovations with the dime a dozen female led rock bands on the market, something still just stands out with Hitomi’s vocals with Atarayo’s composition that just makes it pop for one reason or another. Works like “Summer haze”, “8.8”,  shows off their mid-tempo range and longing calls me back to more of their songs. While I do think their bread and butter is the more slow-tempo tracks like “Jugatsu Mukauchinakimo Wasureu”, “Usotsuki”, and “Summer haze”, Atarayo does offer impressive high-tempo releases like “Shotsuki” and “Haruru” that show they can tackle any types of melody and show off amazing range. 

Atarayo has five digital singles, all from 2021 and one E.P. Before dawn in 2021 as well. Be sure to check out Atarayo’s official website, Twitter, and Instagram. Also check out their latest music video “Usotsuki” below!

Atarayo stars Hitomi: Vocals/Guitar 

MaaShii: Guitar

Takeo: Bass

Tanapai: Drum