FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL '19

The biggest music event in Japan, FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL will be back in 2019 summer!! FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL (フジロックフェスティバル) is Japan’s biggest and the most famous outdoor music festival held at the popular ski resort, Naeba City, Niigata Prefecture. The 3-day music event features numbers of the world’s greatest artists live performances surrounded by forests.

FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL takes place for 3 days on weekend in late July or early August every year, and around two hundreds of artists perform on the live concert. The lineup for FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL are big, for example the headliners in past few years include Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sigur Rós and Beck in 2016, Gorillaz, Aphex Twin and Bjork in 2017, and Bob Dylan, Kendrick Lamar and N.E.R.D in 2018.

In 2019, the festival is estimated to be held on the last weekends of July (26th, 27th and 28th). Confirmed acts include The Chemical Brothers, The Cure, SIA, Thom Yorke, Martin Garrix, James Blake, Takkyu Ishino, etc,..

Fuji Rock Festival is an annual rock festival held in Naeba Ski Resort, in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The three-day event, organized by Smash Japan, features more than 200 Japanese and international musicians, making it the largest outdoor music event in Japan. In 2005, more than 100,000 people attended the festival.

Fuji Rock Festival is named so because the first event in 1997 was held at the base of Mount Fuji. Since 1999 the festival has been held at the Naeba Ski Resort in Yuzawa, Niigata.

There are seven main stages and other minor stages scattered throughout the site. The Green stage is the main stage and it has a capacity for almost 50,000 spectators. Other stages include the White Stage, the Red Marquee, Orange Court, and Field of Heaven. The walks between some of the stages can be long, and some of the trails can be hilly, but the walks are beautiful, often taking you through forests and over sparkling streams. Dragondola – the longest gondola lift in the world, carries festival goers up to the top of the mountain overlooking the festival site.

The hub of the site is called Oasis where more than 30 food stalls from around the world gather. The main site closes each night after the final act, but Oasis continues to stay open until late at night, as well as the Red Marquee where an all-night rave continues until 5am. The site re-opens at 9am.

The night before the festival (Thursday night) features an opening party which is free entry, featuring bon-odori (traditional Japanese folk dance), prize draws, food stalls and a fireworks display.

The festival's stated aim is to be "The cleanest festival in the world"; great effort is also put into recycling.

Soul Flower Union, also known as SFU, is a Japanese musical group that incorporates Asian styles and world music styles into a rock and roll band. They are known for their blend of psychedelic, rock, Okinawan music, Celtic music, chindon (a kind of Japanese street music), swing jazz, as well as Japanese, Chinese and Korean folk musics. Most of their songs are written and performed in Japanese, although they are fond of using phrases from a number of other languages, including English, French, Italian, Korean, Arabic and Ainu (the language of the native people of Hokkaido, Japan).
Soul Flower Union was formed in 1993 in Osaka. Two members from two different punk bands, Mescaline Drive and Newest Model, joined together to form Soul Flower Union. Takashi Nakagawa was from the group Newest Model and brought the "punk" to the group. From Mescaline Drive was Hideko Itami who brought the glam rock to the Soul Flower Union. Other members of both bands also participated in the original lineup of Soul Flower Union.

SFU have played in front of numerous crowds, with as many as 60,000 people. After the Kobe earthquake in 1995 the group began to play in the streets of the city in order to cheer people up with their music and played about 50 or 60 times during this event. Because they were in the streets they were forced to go "unplugged" and play acoustic versions of their songs, The drums were exchanged for the Korean janggu drum and they also used clarinets, chindon drums, and the accordion as well as putting Okinawan sanshins in place of the electric guitars. This acoustic unit was named Soul Flower Mononoke Summit and is still active as a side project of SFU.

During this time the song 'Mangetsu no Yube' was written (and co-written by Hiroshi Yamaguchi of the group Heatwave) for the victims of the earthquake. Since the earthquake the group has been a huge hit at summer festivals around the area. They also founded a charity fund, The Soul Flower Earthquake Fund, in order to help with the elderly and handicap victims of the earthquake.

The Chemical Brothers is an English electronic music duo composed of Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons, originating in Manchester in 1989. Along with The Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, and other fellow acts, they were pioneers at bringing the big beat genre to the forefront of pop culture. They achieved widespread success when their second album Dig Your Own Hole topped the UK charts in 1997. In the United Kingdom they have had six number one albums and 13 top 20 singles, including two number ones.

Ed Simons was born in Herne Hill, South London, on 9 June 1970 to a barrister mother and an absent father Simons's two main interests when he was young were aeroplanes and musicals. Simons attended two South London public schools, Alleyn's School and Dulwich College. During his school years, he developed a fondness for rare groove and hip hop music, having frequented a club called The Mud Club from the age of 14. By the time he left school, his two main musical interests were two Manchester bands, New Order and The Smiths. After finishing school with 11 O levels and three A levels, he continued on to study history, especially late medieval history, at the University of Manchester.

Tom Rowlands, a childhood classmate of Simons's, was born on 11 January 1971 in Kingston upon Thames, London. When Rowlands was very young, his family relocated to Henley-on-Thames. He later attended Reading Blue Coat School in Berkshire. In his early teens, his interest in music broadened to other genres. Initially, some of his favourites included the Oh What a Lovely War soundtrack, 2 Tone, the nascent gothic rock genre (Sisters of Mercy, Fields of the Nephilim) and the electro sounds of artists such as Kraftwerk, New Order, Cabaret Voltaire, and Heaven 17. He described the first Public Enemy album, Yo! Bum Rush the Show, as "the record that probably changed his life", and commented that "Miuzi Weighs a Ton" was "one of the most amazing tracks he had ever heard".

Rowlands also started collecting hip hop records by artists like Eric B and Schoolly D. Rowlands left school with similar accomplishments to Simons's, achieving nine O levels and three A levels. For university, he followed Simons to Manchester primarily to immerse himself in its music scene in general and the Haçienda in particular.

Hanggai Band (杭盖乐队) is an Inner Mongolian folk music group who specialize in a blend of Mongolian folk music and more modern styles such as punk rock. Their songs incorporate traditional folk lyrics as well as original compositions and are sung in Mongolian and Mandarin.
NPR radio states that in a country where genres such as c-pop dominate mainstream airwaves, Hanggai Band is making new inroads into the Chinese music industry with their unique and modern take on Mongolian folk music. Some of the members are ethnic Mongolians while the remaining are ethnic Han who specialize in Mongolian instruments. All of the members hail from Inner Mongolia and Beijing.

The term "Hanggai" itself is a Mongolian word referring to an idealized natural landscape of sprawling grasslands, mountains, rivers, trees, and blue skies. The band was created when leader Ilchi, captivated by the sound of throat singing and wanting to rediscover his ethnic heritage, traveled to Inner Mongolia to learn the art. It was there that he met fellow band members Hugejiltu and Bagen. In an interview with NPR Ilchi stated that, "Most of our people have moved away from the old way of life…After moving to the cities, many of us have gradually been subjected to a very strong cultural invasion by an oppressive culture. So this traditional music has completely lost its space."

The members of Hanggai Band come from diverse backgrounds with singer Ilchi having once been the front man of punk band T9. These eclectic experiences have come together to give Hanggai Band a particularly unique sound blending Mongolian folk music with more popular forms such as punk. In an interview with Spinner, Ilchi stated that amongst the group’s many influences, Western artists such as, "Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, Secret Machines, Electralane and Neil Diamond…" have played a large role in shaping the band’s music. Indeed, although the core of their sound is based around the morin khuur and the topshur, two traditional instruments, the band also incorporates some much less traditional fare.

Tours

Hanggai have performed twice at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, in 2009 and 2015.
Although it is known first and foremost as a predominantly heavy-metal oriented music festival, the band performed at the 2010 Wacken Open Air.
The band performed at the Sydney Festival in January 2011.
Hanggai performed at the Bonnaroo Music & Art Festival in Manchester, Tennessee June 9–12, 2011.
Hanggai performed at the Woodford Folk Festival in December 2011, drawing huge dancing crowds to each performance.
The band has hosted the Hanggai Music Festival yearly since 2010, inviting acts such as Huun-Huur-Tu and The Randy Abel Stable.
The band has maintained a steady popularity in the Netherlands, appearing at many summer festivals and concert venues since.
The band performed at the Sziget Festival, Budapest in 2017.
The band performed at the 2018 Battle of the Nations (Medieval Tournament) at Santa Severa outside Rome as post fight entertainment.

In their each albums, the band also made heavy use of electric guitars, computer programming, bass, and banjoes in order to create a more seamless and modern sound. All the songs are adaptations of Mongolian folk songs and are sung in Mongolian incorporating throat singing, a Mongolian technique in which the artist emits two different pitches at the same time.

The Lumineers are an American folk rock band based in Denver, Colorado. The founding members are Wesley Schultz (lead vocals, guitar) and Jeremiah Fraites (drums, percussion). Schultz and Fraites began writing and performing together in Ramsey, New Jersey in 2005. Cellist and vocalist Neyla Pekarek joined the band in 2010, and was a member until 2018.

The Lumineers emerged as one of the most popular folk rock/Americana artists during the revival of those genres and their growing popularity in the 2010s. The band's stripped back raw sound draws heavily from artists that influenced Schultz and Fraites such as Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty. They are known for their energetic live shows and several international hit singles including "Ho Hey", "Stubborn Love", "Ophelia" and "Cleopatra". The band has become one of the top touring bands in the United States and also sells out shows around the world.

The Lumineers have released two albums on American independent label Dualtone Records (Dine Alone in Canada and Decca/Universal worldwide). Their self-titled first album, was released in 2012 and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. It has been certified triple platinum in the US and Canada with platinum certifications in the UK and Ireland, and gold in Australia. Their second album, Cleopatra, was released in 2016 and debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200, and also on the Canadian and British album charts. It is currently certified Platinum in the US. Their third album, titled III will be released in 2019.

Schultz has stated, "I write the lyrics, and I co-write the songs with Jer," adding "It's never the same thing with each song. Generally speaking it involves a piano, a guitar, and maybe singing, and we usually start out with the chord structure, a set of chords, a melody especially, and then the lyrics usually follow. Or it's one phrase that you really find great and then you build the song around that."[35] Schultz later claimed, "Your melodies make people want to hear what you're saying," adding, "They've got to be open to hearing it, almost hum it. And if they want to go deeper there is something there."

Fraites emphasizes the simplicity of the group's style, stating, "we're not reinventing the wheel or doing anything that different, the songs are super simple. The ideas themselves are very simple ideas. Anyone who can play an instrument can play a Lumineers song. I think there's a certain cinematic aspect of our music that I really like." Launchpad similarly writes, "where most bands these days look for that new, original sound to enhance the digital revolution, 'The Lumineers' do superbly in taking it back to simplicity."

In another interview, Fraites explains, "I just think people are enamored of going into a room and watching people play their own instruments and sing, rather than using Auto-Tune and a lot of digital equipment to get their sound across. There is so much digital-ness all around us. People are almost taken aback when you do the opposite of that. It's inspiring."

Alister Roberts of Contactmusic has described the band's self-titled debut album as, "a perfectly formed collection of rustic folk type songs, slotting in nicely amongst the current roots revival." Their folk sound has received comparisons to Mumford & Sons.[93][94] On Mumford & Sons, Schultz has commented that they, "kicked down doors, and they allowed radio to receive a band like us because we somehow slightly resemble what they're doing." Jon Pareles of The New York Times wrote that, "Mumford comparisons rankle the Lumineers. While both bands wrap moody lyrics in toe-tapping melodies, Mumford & Sons pile on instruments in massive buildups. The Lumineers, by contrast, stay sparse, barely getting around to using an electric guitar on The Lumineers."

Other artists have commented on the folk-style music of The Lumineers and Mumford & Sons; alternative rock artist Jack White praised the style, stating, "I think these acts nowadays are keeping people's ears open to the idea of the soulfulness of folk-style music and acoustic music, and you get a little bit closer to the musician, to the writer, at times." Conversely, hard and shock rock artist Alice Cooper criticized the two bands, calling it "an offense" to label them rock bands.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra is a Portland, Oregon-based New Zealand psychedelic rock band primarily composed of singer, guitarist, and songwriter Ruban Nielson, and bassist Jake Portrait. Nielson, formerly of The Mint Chicks, started the band in 2010. The band's first album was released in 2011 on Fat Possum Records; four subsequent studio albums have been released on Jagjaguwar, the most recent being IC-01 Hanoi (2018).

Singer and guitarist Ruban Nielson released the track "Ffunny Ffrends" on his anonymous Bandcamp profile on 17 May 2010. No further information was provided and notably, no mention of who created it. Within a day, the song had received significant coverage from independent music blogs such as Pitchfork. Through their reposting and attempts to hunt down the creator, Nielson eventually claimed the track as Unknown Mortal Orchestra's.

The band's debut self-titled album was released 21 June 2011 on Fat Possum Records. The album quickly received critical acclaim. Pitchfork gave the album an 8.1, describing that with "an expert use of space rare for such a lo-fi record, UMO manages a unique immersive and psychedelic quality without relying on the usual array of bong-ripping effects."

In the spring of 2012, the band won the Taite Music Prize for the album. Although the nominated Unknown Mortal Orchestra did not win Best Alternative Album, Nielson took home the title of Best Male Artist at the 47th annual Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards.

In September 2012, Unknown Mortal Orchestra announced that they had signed to Jagjaguwar and were working on their second full-length album. Unknown Mortal Orchestra's second album, II, was released on 5 February 2013. The first single from the album, entitled "Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark)", was first available as a 7" on their tour with Grizzly Bear.

II has received widespread critical acclaim. In November 2013 it won Best Alternative Album at the New Zealand Music Awards. II was nominated for the Taite Music Prize 2014, an annual music prize awarded for the best album from New Zealand. Clash Music gave the album a 9 out of 10, saying "from opener 'From The Sun', which recalls George Harrison-psychedelia, to the tender Family Stone shuffle of the closing of 'Secret Xtians', 'II' displays both a glowing warmth in its production and a deft use of space that illuminate Nielson's superbly crafted compositions." Paste magazine called the album "a modern, beat-heavy take on '60s psych, with plenty of hooks and fuzz to get you hooked and feeling fuzzy." NME praised Ruban's ability to turn his songs into "works of warm, fuzzy beauty".

The band's fourth studio album, Sex & Food, was released on 6 April 2018, garnering a lot of praise from fans and critics.

In a review on Reflektor Magazine the following was said, "The consistent thread through the UMO catalog remains strong; frontman Ruban Nielson spins a soulful vocal over a backdrop of melodically rich music and slick rhythm. This album builds on many of the synthesizers and sampled drum textures introduced on the previous breakout LP Multi-Love in 2015, but offers a different ride. The entire album was covertly previewed in SB-05, the 2017 installment of a Christmas day instrumental/ambient track released digitally for free. Upon first listen, Sex & Food reveals each song in its full form, a pleasant surprise." In July, the BBC Radio & 6Music named Sex & Food one of the best albums released in 2018.

Following the release, the band set out on a global tour with stops in the North America, Europe, UK, Asia, New Zealand and Australia, with many sold out dates. In September 2018, they announced the release of an instrumental album that originated from the sessions for Sex & Food, titled IC-01 Hanoi. It was released on 26 October 2018.

American Football is an American rock band from Urbana, Illinois, United States, originally active from 1997 until 2000, and again from 2014. Despite the group's short initial lifespan, their self-titled debut album became one of the most acclaimed emo and math rock records of its era. American Football reunited in 2014 and have since released two more albums.

Guitarist/bassist and singer Mike Kinsella (formerly of Cap'n Jazz and Joan of Arc and currently of Owen), drummer and trumpet player Steve Lamos (formerly of The One Up Downstairs, one-time member of The Firebird Band and Edward Burch & the Staunch Characters, and currently of The Geese and DMS), and guitar player Steve Holmes (also of The Geese) formed the band.

History

Mike Kinsella and Steve Holmes knew one another at an early age, as both were students at Wheeling High School in Wheeling, IL, where Kinsella played drums for Cap'n Jazz; Holmes played guitar in a variety of bands. Kinsella and Lamos began playing together with David Johnson and Allen Johnson in 1997 under the name 'The One Up Downstairs', in which Kinsella was exclusively a vocalist. Three songs were recorded under this name, with the intention of releasing them as a 7" record on Polyvinyl Records. However, the band splintered before the record could be pressed and the songs were shelved. The three tracks recorded by The One Up Downstairs would finally be released in 2006 as a digital download EP, and in 2009, as a 7" record through Polyvinyl.

David Johnson and Allen Johnson went on to form the band Very Secretary (and later Favorite Saints), while Kinsella and Lamos began working with Steve Holmes. American Football completed a total of two releases—a titular EP in 1998 and its debut album in 1999, both through Polyvinyl Records. Though the band did not record bass on the EP, Kinsella played bass guitar on the LP.

Within a year of the release of its full-length, American Football became a studio project. Shortly thereafter, the band mutually decided to stop recording together. Still, American Football gained critical acclaim for that album, which merged the plain-spoken, confessional lyrics and the varying time signatures of math rock with a softer musical sensibility. These characteristics have been found in Kinsella's current project, Owen.

On March 20, 2014, Polyvinyl Records announced a deluxe edition of the band's self-titled album, American Football, which includes the original nine tracks from its 1999 release, as well as 10 additional unheard demos and live recordings. The deluxe edition is available as a 180-Gram Red 2xLP, 2xCD, cassette tape, and an MP3 download. Another version — limited to 2,000 copies of a 180-Gram Green/Yellow 2xLP — was also announced. All versions were released May 20, 2014.

On April 2, 2014, Polyvinyl teased fans with a website, americanfootballmusic.com, to fans on social media. The site had a countdown that expired on April 21, 2014, when two live dates in Champaign and New York were announced. The band added second and third shows in New York at Webster Hall which quickly sold out.[4] For these dates, Mike's cousin Nate Kinsella joined the band on bass.[5] Since the band's new-found success, American Football booked tour dates worldwide in the US, Canada, Spain, UK, Japan, and Australia.

On August 23, 2016, the band announced their second album, also titled American Football. In the same announcement, "I've Been So Lost For So Long" was made available for streaming through SoundCloud.

On October 21, 2016, the band released their second album for purchase worldwide through Polyvinyl Records. The album's cover featured the same house photographed on the band's first full-length. The "American Football House" became a landmark for emo music fans around the world, who often traveled to Urbana, Illinois to take photos outside of the home.

On December 11, 2018, the band teased their third album on Instagram, with their third eponymous studio album available to pre-order on Apple Music and iTunes. The single "Silhouettes" was made available upon announcement.

Khruangbin is an American musical trio from Houston, Texas, with Laura Lee on bass, Mark Speer on guitar, and Donald Ray "DJ" Johnson Jr. on drums. The band is known for blending global music influences, classic soul, dub and psychedelia. Their debut album, The Universe Smiles Upon You (2015), draws from the history of Thai music in the 1960s, while their second album, Con Todo El Mundo (2018), has influences from Spain and the Middle East. Speer, Lee, and DJ also host "Air Khruang" radio shows on NTS and Facebook Live.

Speer and Johnson met in 2004 while playing in Rudy Rasmus's St. John's Methodist Church gospel band in Houston, Texas. The church employed Speer as the guitarist and Johnson as the organist.

In 2007, Speer met Lee through friends, where they initially connected over a shared love of Afghan music and Middle Eastern architecture. In 2009, Speer taught Lee to play the bass. In 2010, both she and Speer went on tour with Yppah and Bonobo, Laura Lee on bass, Speer on guitar.

The tour galvanized the two of them to make more music together more seriously, sowing the first seeds of Khruangbin. Speer and Lee went to a barn where they developed the bass-heavy, psychedelic sound that became the basis of the band's aesthetic. Upon their return, they asked DJ to join the band as drummer, to play simple break-beats under the guitar and bass. The barn, located in the 300-person town of Burton, Texas, would become the site of all future Khruangbin recordings.

When asked to play their first gig, Laura Lee, who was learning to speak Thai at the time, decided they should use her favorite Thai word "khruangbin", (เครื่องบิน) which means "flying engine" or "aeroplane", as their name. Speer admits that, had they had the foresight to predict the band's success, they may not have chosen a name that was so difficult to pronounce. Though the band's name is notoriously challenging to say, it symbolizes the international set of influences that shaped the band's formation.

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard is an Australian rock band formed in 2010 in Melbourne, Victoria. The band consists of Stu Mackenzie (vocals, guitar, keyboards, flute, bass), Ambrose Kenny-Smith (vocals, harmonica, keyboards), Cook Craig (guitar, bass, vocals), Joey Walker (guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals), Lucas Skinner (bass, keyboards), Michael Cavanagh (drums, percussion), and Eric Moore (drums, percussion, management).

They are known for their energetic live shows and prolific recording output, having released an EP and 14 studio albums since their formation. Most of their albums have environmentalist themes.
Their EP and first two albums, Willoughby's Beach (2011), 12 Bar Bruise (2012) and Eyes Like the Sky (2013), primarily blended surf music, garage rock and psychedelic rock, and were released on the band's independent record label, Flightless, founded by Moore in 2012. Their third to eighth albums—Float Along – Fill Your Lungs (2013), Oddments, I'm in Your Mind Fuzz (2014), Quarters!, Paper Mâché Dream Balloon (2015) and Nonagon Infinity (2016)—expanded their sound, including elements of film music, progressive rock, folk, jazz, soul and heavy metal.

In 2017, the band fulfilled a promise to release five studio albums within the year: Flying Microtonal Banana in February; Murder of the Universe in June; Sketches of Brunswick East, a collaboration with Mild High Club, in August; Polygondwanaland, which was released into the public domain, in November; and Gumboot Soup in December. The band released its fourteenth album, Fishing for Fishies, on 26th April 2019.

The band members all grew up and went to school in the Deniliquin, Melbourne and Geelong areas. The band started off as a group of friends jamming together before a mutual friend asked them to play at a show. The band's name was created "last minute". Mackenzie wanted to name the band "Gizzard Gizzard" while another band member wanted Jim Morrison's nickname "Lizard King". They eventually compromised with King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. The artist Jason Galea has created all of the band's album art, and a majority of their music videos.

Since the release of their debut album ‘Apiafo’ in 2014, Vaudou Game have never turned down the heat on over 130 stages across Europe, Africa, America and Asia and can count BBC Radio 6 Music’s Gilles Peterson as a fan.

Releasing their second album this autumn, ‘Kidayu’, the range of influences stretch across the big bands of Ethiopian dance music to the rumbling funk and soul of the Civil Rights era. In true afro-funk style, Vaudou Game are serving it live and raw, full of groove with Solo’s lyrics bouncing back and forth until the result is so pulsating and mesmeric you just have to move your feet.

Musicians around the world are inspired by the heavy sounds of ’60s and ’70s Afro-funk from West Africa, groups such as Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou, and Roger Damawazun from Benin. But there are few, if any, groups who take inspiration from the music of that era with more fidelity, power and creativity than Vaudou Game

The “vaudou funk” group is based in Lyon, France, but this mighty sextet is led by Peter Solo, a guitarist, singer, songwriter and vaudou evangelist from Togo.

Vaudou Game combines voodoo rhythms, raw afrofunk and soul, and the music of the band recalls the sound of legendary bands like Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou and El Rego from Benin! The idea of integrating the haunting voodoo lines, sung in honour of the Divinities, into energetic 70s afrofunk, is, in Peter Solo’s mind, an obvious extension of the analogy he found between this voodoo tradition and trance inducers such as the soul, funk, and rhythm ‘n blues of James Brown and Otis Redding.

Sunset Rollercoaster is a 5-member Taiwanese band. Not only do they have a guitarist, two percussionists, bassist, and keyboardist, but they also have their very own saxophone player. Sunset Rollercoaster has gained a lot of recognition as a band from Taipei, Taiwan whose songs are in English.

In 2011, the band was established and released their debut album, Bossa Nova. After a tour for that album, the band went on a hiatus until reuniting in 2015. The synth-filled Jinji Kikko EP was released in 2016. It brought a new sound to the band, which quickly gained international attention. After two years, the band’s second album, Cassa Nova was released.

Sunset Rollercoaster is “subtropical love, breezin’”. Each member contributes their own aspect of the groovy sound together through this given instrument set. On the Jinji Kikko EP in particular, there are a lot of long solos, as there are only 3 songs. You forget there’s a keyboard player until there’s a sick solo when the melody escapes after three minutes and it feels like pure bliss. Then right out from under the keyboard comes a sax solo that is just SO jazzy it fills your heart with pure goodness like it was just what you didn’t know you needed, but they gave it to you anyway.

Playing a culturally unfamiliar sound of a land far, far away so effectively, Taiwanese band Sunset Rollercoaster managed to capture many Asian fans’ hearts with its unexpectedly heartfelt take on old American adult contemporary soul sounds. In Indonesia, the response to its unique music has reached fever pitch.

The band recently visited Jakarta as part of its ongoing tour, which has taken it to countries such as Japan and Thailand, with dates in China to follow. Organized by local music collective Noisewhore, Sunset Rollercoaster managed to cram the Rossi Musik auditorium in Fatmawati, South Jakarta, to full capacity.

Tickets for the band’s performance sold out weeks before it played the two-weekend series, in which Noisewhore also invited Canadian indie rock band Peach Pit and Singaporean noise rock band Subsonic Eye.

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A gem found deep in a globally overlooked Asian independent music scene, Taiwanese band Sunset Rollercoaster has managed to slowly conquer this futuristic world by devoting itself to the sounds of retro America and various different, current sounds.

Playing a culturally unfamiliar sound of a land far, far away so effectively, Taiwanese band Sunset Rollercoaster managed to capture many Asian fans’ hearts with its unexpectedly heartfelt take on old American adult contemporary soul sounds. In Indonesia, the response to its unique music has reached fever pitch.

The band recently visited Jakarta as part of its ongoing tour, which has taken it to countries such as Japan and Thailand, with dates in China to follow. Organized by local music collective Noisewhore, Sunset Rollercoaster managed to cram the Rossi Musik auditorium in Fatmawati, South Jakarta, to full capacity.

Tickets for the band’s performance sold out weeks before it played the two-weekend series, in which Noisewhore also invited Canadian indie rock band Peach Pit and Singaporean noise rock band Subsonic Eye.

Most of what it played was based on material from its excellent 2017 Jinji Kikko, an EP which serves as a rightful successor to the synthy 1980s vibes given off by relatively uncool oldies acts like Hall and Oates and Chicago, but mixed with “cool” shoegaze and post-rock tendencies.

It is fairly surprising to find out that a band from the far reaches of Asia has managed to present the deep sounds of retro America so well, and more surprising is the fact that the only exposure that the band had toward these sounds were just their musical curiosities.

In that way, the band seems somewhat of an indie anomaly in its home ground compared to its peers.

Sunset’s vocalist and guitarist Kuo explains that most Taiwanese indie bands that exist at the moment predominantly play the “mainstream indie” sounds of shoegaze, post-punk and noise rock, but the main difference is that most of them sing in Mandarin — something that Sunset Rollercoaster has never done before.

English is not Kuo’s or any of the other members’ first language. As a matter of fact, Kuo is the only band member that is able to converse in English fluently. He credits part of his fluency to watching a lot of Sesame Street when he was growing up, and now he feels that singing and writing in English is much easier for him.

“Even though English for me is an outsider thing, I can put a lot of my imagination into the language. Sometimes when I try to sing or write in Mandarin, I tend to think too much. In English, that would never happen,” he explains.

“But maybe one day I’ll do something in Mandarin, when I find a way.”

As he describes, there are only “around five” bands in the Taiwanese indie scene that currently sing in English.

The reason why Kuo feels Sunset Rollercoaster managed to gather a lot of fans at home and abroad so quickly is not only because of the English factor, but also because the band’s music is considered more pop-leaning than most of his peers, thereby making them more accessible and more easily understood by the general public.

During its five-year hiatus, Sunset Rollercoaster underwent a drastic change of sound, which can be credited to its lineup change. Kuo and drummer Lo Tsun were joined by keyboardist Shao, percussionist Hao Chia and new bass player Hung Li sometime after they released their first album, Bossa Nova, in 2011.

Black Boboi is an indie supergroup formed by three talented female artists Utena Kobayashi, Julia Shortreed and Ermhoi, who have combined their powers to release this E.P “Agate,” published on the independent label Bindividual (as in “binding individuals” together).

While this may be a group consisting of three women, it does not seek to push a particularly feminist agenda – other than the pitch of the voices it may as well be “genderless.” Characterized by foreboding drum loops, exotic percussion and chanting, the Black Boboi experience is at once dark, haunting, powerful and surreal. This isn’t your typical “girls’ band,” and we’re not in Shimokitazawa anymore Coco.

Black Boboi subject matter is confronting, but not freaky, trying to convince someone they’re not insane, cutting the puppet master’s strings loose, (not) existing in a daydream. Two of the members are half Japanese, and they made the creative decision to sing in English. While this probably works great on a Japanese audience, for an international audience it’s hard to derive greater meaning from the odd lyrics. Still, the words and melodies give the listener something to hold onto as guiding themes. The cinematic sound and measured pacing make it easy to feel the associated emotions and imagine being in the sand or breaking out of a cage, in slow motion black and white of course.

Musically they use a very consistent, controlled sound to establish a distinct style. Most of this has been made on laptops/computers, and the three members take turns singing. Perhaps by design, the voices blend together and aren’t easy to set apart, which further reduces the focus on “lead vocals.” And to further downplay their image, they wear all black on stage (not going as far as uniforms or masks though). This puts more emphasis on the music, especially the beats. Far from being catchy loops repeated throughout, Black Boboi’s digital kicks land sparingly but with force, and the gradual builds allow for the beats to shift and change subtly for greater urgency, dramatic tension or release. This provides Agate with much of the character, because they don’t employ many organic instruments, complex musical solos or effects/samples otherwise. Regardless, Black Boboi know how to apply the pressure, and they really make you feel precisely what they want you to.

For a first substantial release, “Agate” is very restrained, most likely on purpose. It never threatens to go off the leash or explore vastly different moods. But like agate rocks, there are many layers and colors which look totally different depending on the viewing angle, and so it will be very interesting to see what other aspects Black Boboi reveal in the future. Meticulously constructed, Agate is an arresting, unique experience that demands your full attention. Taking the second meaning of the title, this is “a gate” into the world of Black Boboi – let’s find out how deep the rabbit hole goes.

Phony Ppl is a musical group based in Brooklyn, New York. Originally founded in 2010 with 9 members, the current members are Elbee Thrie (vocals), Elijah Rawk (lead guitar), Matt "Maffyuu" Byas (drums), Aja Grant (keyboard), and Bari Bass (bass guitar).
Members of Phony Ppl met in high school. Elbee (Robert Booker) and Aja first formed the group, with Dyme-A-Duzin (Donnovan Blocker), Bari Bass (Omar Grant), Elijah Rawk, Ian Bakerman, Temi O, Maffyuu, and Sheriff PJ joining later. In 2012, they released the album Phonyland.

In January 2015, they released the album Yesterday's Tomorrow. The album peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Heatseekers Album chart. The album also peaked at number 15 on the Trending 140 chart and at number 7 on the Emerging Artists chart. They released the single "This Must Be Heaven" in November 2016. They made their first television appearance on June 9, 2015 on Jimmy Kimmel Live! performing "Trap Queen" with Fetty Wap.

In October 2018, they released the single "Something About Your Love" (stylized as "somethinG about your love."). Their album mō’zā-ik. was released on October 19, 2018.

Interactivo is a collaborative group of Cuban musicians, led by the pianist, singer and composer Roberto Carcasses. As an acknowledgement of their growing notoriety, the band has recently been the subject of a documentary directed by Tane Martinez, and premiered at the Havana International Film Festival in December 2010.

Interactivo is a music collective begun by Roberto Carcasses in Havana, Cuba around a core group of five musicians : Roberto Carcasses, Yusa, Francis de Rio, William Vicanco and Telmary Diaz. Credited as being the « director » of the group rather than the leader, Roberto Carcasses prides himself on Interactivo’s free-form, experimental, and collaborative nature. Over the years, new members have joined the band, including Olivier Valdes, Rodney Barreto, Yaroldi Abreu, Carlos Rios, Raul Verdecia, Julio Padron, Carlos Miyares, David Suarez, Alexey Barroso, Juan Carlos Marin, Brenda Navarrete, Marjorie Rivera and Lisset Ochoa, among others.

The frequent line-up changes and comings and goings of its members has made Interactivo utterly indescribable and unable to be pinned under one musical genre. Traditional Afro-Cuban beats mingle with jazz, soul, rap, and funk music which highlights the individual musicians strengths as well as the groups success at collaboration.

The release of their newest album, Cubanos por el Mundo, has launched a world tour. Numerous other renowned artists took part in the recording sessions, among them : singer and chekeré player Oscar Valdés, vocalist Bobby Carcassés, bassists Carlos Ríos, Feliciano Arango and Néstor del Prado, drummers Adel González, Rodney Yllarza Barreto and Oliver Valdés ; guitarists Elmer Ferrer and José Luis Martínez ; trumpetists Julio Padrón, Carlos Sarduy, Carlos M. Miyares and David Suárez ; vocalists and chorists Marjorie Rivera, Melvis Santa, Santiago Feliú, Descemer Bueno, David Torrens, and Kelvis Ochoa.

Matador! Soul Sounds is a band loosely based on the concept of Spanish bullfighting. A common misconception in America is that bullfighting is a feat of one man versus one bull—in reality, bullfighting is largely a team effort by a matador and his cuadrilla.

Born from the vision of Eddie Roberts (The New Mastersounds) and Alan Evans (Soulive) their fierce cuadrilla consists of keyboardist Chris Spies and bassist Kevin Scott (Jimmy Herring) as the band’s “banderilleros". Adding a feminine energy to the band are Adryon de León and Kimberly Dawson (Pimps of Joytime) on vocals. Combining the dynamism of each band leader, the music they have created is brand new, hard hitting and drenched with their shared musical passions - jazz, funk & soul.

The band made their official World Debut at Live for Live Music’s Brooklyn Comes Alive 2017 and toured in the spring of 2018 behind their first full length EP "Get Ready".

Matador! Soul Sounds was formed organically when Eddie and Alan were on tour. Eddie explains, “The idea came about one night while we were drinking wine in a bar in D.C. when I turned to Alan and asked ‘can we start a band together?’ Alan obviously shared the same sentiment as here we are today launching the debut album!” The next step was to come up with a name that encompassed both of their identities and musical inspirations. The naming of the band came about during Eddie and Alan’s Grant Green tribute shows. Both of them liked the Grant Green album Matador, and all that it evoked. Matador! Soul Sounds is a band loosely based on the concept of traditional Spanish bullfighting. However, a common misconception in America is that bullfighting is a feat of one man versus one bull. In reality, bullfighting is largely a team effort by a matador and his cuadrilla – which is the theme that showcases the all-star lineup behind this original band.

Red Hot Chilli Pipers are an ensemble consisting of pipers, guitarists, keyboards and drummers formed in Scotland in 2002. They entered and won the BBC talent show When Will I Be Famous? in 2007.
In 2004, the group appeared on the main stage at T in the Park with the headline band, the rock group The Darkness. They appeared on BBC Radio 1 on the Greg James show in July 2013 and The Radio 1 Breakfast Show with Nick Grimshaw in 2014.
The band currently has Grant Cassidy – an 8 time world champion snare drummer.

Since their formation the Red Hot Chilli Pipers have combined guitars, keyboards, drums and their bagpipes to create 'bagrock' sound. The Red Hot Chilli Pipers perform a fusion of traditional pipe tunes and contemporary pieces. Notable covers performed have included "We Will Rock You" by Queen, "Clocks" by Coldplay and "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple as well as "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol, "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey. Their biggest hit to date is of course the platinum selling and award winning Jazz Badger.

The band has released 6 studio albums as of 2016, of which their first, their 2005 release The Red Hot Chilli Pipers, was the least successful. Their 2007 album Bagrock to the Masses went platinum in Scotland and silver in the rest of the UK. Their third album and first live album, Blast Live (2008), went triple platinum in Scotland. Their fourth release Music for the Kilted Generation, however, is The Red Hot Chilli Pipers' best International record, reaching Number 2 on the US Amazon Chart. and was only held off of the top spot due to Adele's record-breaking album, 21.

Their album titled Music for the Kilted Generation, is a parody of Music for the Jilted Generation by The Prodigy.

The band signed a contract in December 2012 for a new album to be released in 2013, including tracks from bands like Coldplay and Journey. Breathe was released in July 2013 on CD and iTunes.

The group appears on the soundtrack of How to Train Your Dragon 2.

With a total of 4 degrees from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, many of the band members past & present have competed at the highest level of bagpiping and drumming for many years. Founder and Former Musical Director Cassells received 'BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year' in 2005 and became the first person ever to attain a degree in bagpipes from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (Formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama). The snare drummer and percussionist, Grant Cassidy is an 8 time Juvenile Solo World Drumming Champion and in 2016 placed 7th in the adult section of the World Solo Drumming Championships held in Glasgow, Scotland.

The Comet Is Coming is a London-based band who incorporate elements of jazz, electronica, funk and psychedelic rock.
The band signed with Impulse! after recording for The Leaf Label. They debut EP Prophecy was released on limited edition 12" vinyl on 13 November 2015, with the full-length album Channel The Spirits following on 1 April 2016]. Channel the Spirits was nominated for the 2016 Mercury Music Prize and in 2018 the band signed to Impulse! Records.
Band members use the pseudonyms "King Shabaka", "Danalogue", and "Betamax" for their real names: saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings, keyboardist Dan Leavers, and drummer Max Hallett, respectively. In a 2013 interview Hutchings explained their pseudonyms. "The name of the group comes from a BBC Radiophonic Workshop piece of the same name. Once we heard this piece, with its allusions to sci-fi, cosmic remembrances and general space, it instantly struck a chord. We're exploring new sound worlds and aiming to destroy all musical ideals which are unfit for our purposes so the name stuck."
In an interview with M magazine, Betamax spoke of the band's genesis:

The imagery associated with the band is based around outer space, science fiction and B-movies, as can be seen in the music videos for their singles "Neon Baby" and "Do the Milky Way", as well as in song titles and artwork. "Do the Milky Way" premiered on The Quietus. In a feature in The Guardian in April 2016, the group were described as the "true heirs" of cosmic jazz pioneer Sun Ra, and praised for their "fusion of jazz, Afrobeat and electronica in an improvisational, intergalactic mash-up". The Quietus wrote that although the band is "intrinsically linked to funk...and spiritually linked to all manner of cosmic music via their imagery (and love of space-creating echo and reverb effects), The Comet Is Coming has the feel of an utterly fresh sort of project".

King Shabaka elaborates on the cosmic side of the band and the connection to Sun Ra in the same article, when describing the crystal that dominates the cover of their Prophecy EP. He says, "The other thing about the crystal, metaphorically speaking, is the whole Sun Ra thing of creating your own myths. The thing I like that Sun Ra says a lot is the fact that societies that can create their own mythological structures are the ones that have their own agency. To the point at which you can dictate the terms of what's real and what's not real. The crystal in the hand forces you to create your own myth".

Zoo are a musical group born in 2014 by the hand of Antonio Sànchez, also known as Panxo. At the end of that year, their first published reference came to light, the Tempestes album came from the South. Since then, they have done more than 65 concerts in a year and a half ... most in the Catalan Countries, three times in Galicia, two in Euskal Herria and also in Madrid, Murcia, in southern France and festivals such as Viña Rock .

Let rap, tecno, breakbeat, reggaeton, rock and many more labels together that no longer define anything. Currently, the group is formed by Panxo, Arnau, Marcos Úbeda, Hèctor Galan and Natxo Císcar. They are also part of the Yon Mikel and Sara Reig project as sound and lighting technicians, respectively. Also, Germà Enguix, who is in charge of the image and stylistics of the group. Then Rober is, who drives the van and laughs a lot about everything.

In early 2014, Panxo writes a couple of songs with the obscure intention of recording, publishing and singing live. This Machiavellian commercial strategy will lead, at the beginning of that summer, to the publication of the first video clip of what the Zoo project would be. The prettiest ones do not take in realizing the play, Panxo's previous project was called Sophy Zoo. Now, however, he has changed it and it's just Zoo! Only the most susceptible musicians and journalists will dare to report the maneuver, but, fortunately for an unforgettable Panxo, people went through the lining the play.

Panxo takes advantage of the welcome of the single Summer and claims to record a record. To carry out this maliciousness, nothing better than enlisting with the well-known magnate of the powerful Valencian music industry, Mark Dasousa. Together, they record a record for two months and in which renowned artists collaborate on the scene. Panxo, following purely economic criteria, does not hesitate to invite the collaborators to breakfast ... and the disk is taking shape. Some of the collaborators, seduced by breakfast, are prostituted and added to the team for the direct ones. A new infringement that some, only the most amazed, will never be able to forgive. It is November 2014 when the disc is presented in Valencia, Barcelona, ​​Gandia, Madrid or Alicante.
NOW, WE GIVE THE VARA

Sixty concerts in 2015. Some of the points that suffer in the first person this neoliberal sonido are from the Catalan, Basque Country, Galiza, South of France, the independent republic of Vallekas and the own Viña Rock.

Currently, the band is formed by Panxo, Arnau, Marcos, Natxo and Héctor as stage musicians; Sara as a light technician; Yon Mikel as a sound technician; Rober and German as managers, road managers, street vendors of jerseys, designers, photographers, artworkers, harsh officers and whatever they need.

NST & the Soul Sauce(노선택과 소울소스 ) is a South Korean reggae band formed in 2014. They have received critical attention for their unique blend of Jamaican genres such as reggae and dub, as well as jazz, afrobeat, funk, soul, and psychedelic, with traditional Korean music, especially pansori. Members of the band have also been part of reggae band Windy City, retro rock band Kiha and the Faces, Kingston Rudieska, and I&I Djangdan, qualifying them for "supergroup" status. They received international attention at Fuji Rock Festival for their song dedicated to late great trombonist Rico Rodriguez.

The NST stands for initials of Noh Sun-teck, band leader, who started the project off solo before recruiting other members. He recorded his first solo album "Low and Steady" which led to the creation of the band. Previously he performed with gypsy trio Surisurimahasuri and reggae band Windy City, with which he performed at SXSW, Canadian Music Week, and Sierra Nevada World Music Festival.

They have performed in China, Japan, the US, Colombia, and Chile. In the US, they opened for legendary Jamaican producer Lee "Scratch" Perry. They also performed at an impeachment rally against President Park Geun-hye in 2016.
In 2017, NST & the Soul Sauce paired up with multi-award-winning pansori vocalist Kim Yul-hee. Her status in the band is unclear but she has joined them on most overseas tours. They had been connected when director Kim Tae-yong, known for experimenting with traditional Korean music, invited them to perform a piece called "Reggae Inna Film, Heungbu" at Muju Film Festival.

Kim Yul-hee appeared on "Red Tiger" on their 2017 release "Back When Tigers Smoked," but the 2019 album "Version" put her more at the vocal center of the band, with multiple pansori entries including "Bbaengdeok" from the pansori play "Simcheongga" and "Joong Taryeong" (Monk Song), which uses verses from "Simcheongga" and "Heungboga." Also included are "Bak Taryeong" (Gourd Song) from "Heungboga" and the folk song "Heung Taryeong." The album was mixed by Naoyuki Uchida.

The Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band is a hybridized roots music band from Thailand. Their musical style is a mixture of traditional Thai music. There are also elements of blues, folk rock and some dub of folk-rock, blues and dub. They have appeared at various international concerts.

The formation of the band came about as a result of a DJ project in a bid to bring back to life Thai sounds deemed lost. While an unknown act in their country, they released their debut album 21st Century Molam. Their second album was Planet Lam. The album was released on 21 October 2016. It has been said that the inspiration for the album came from a club owned by label co-owner Maft Sai. It had the same name.

They have appeared in Bucharest in an event organized by online music magazine, The Attic. The other various festivals they have appeared at include the Off Festival in Poland, Festival Mundial in The Netherlands, The Glastonbury and Field Day festivals in the UK. While at the Field Day fest, they came on at 4.40pm, Saturday June 11, appearing on the Moth Club stage.

Paradise Bangkok began as a regular club night in Thailand in 2009 featuring DJs and collectors Chris Menist and Maft Sai, spinning music from Africa, the Caribbean and Asia.

Compilations and their own label followed which lead to the The Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band being formed, who released their debut LP ‘21st Century Molam’ in 2014

Schedule & Ticket

Place information

• Naeba Ski Resort
  苗場スキー場

  Address

  日本、〒949-6212 新潟県南魚沼郡湯沢町三国２０２  Map

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