Asian Kung-Fu Generation

Infobox musical artist
Name = Asian Kung-Fu Generation


Img_capt =
Background = group_or_band
Alias =
Origin =
Genre = J-rock, Indie rock
Years_active = 1996–present
Label = Ki/oon, Tofu
Associated_acts =
URL = [http://www.asiankung-fu.com/ asiankung-fu.com]
Current_members = Masafumi Gotō
Kensuke Kita
Takahiro Yamada
Kiyoshi Ijichi
Past_members =nihongo|Asian Kung-Fu Generation|アジアン・カンフー・ジェネレーション|Ajian Kanfū Jenerēshon, typeset as ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, is a Japanese rock band signed by Ki/oon Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Japan. For nearly its entire career, the band has consisted of vocalist Masafumi Gotō, guitarist Kensuke Kita, bassist Takahiro Yamada, and drummer Kiyoshi Ijichi. The band's musical style has been heavily influenced by seminal indie, punk, and alternative rock acts. As a result, their songs maintain a balance of various elements of the genres, most typically ranging from fast-paced and hard-edged to rhythmic and emotional. Despite the indie nature of their music, the band has enjoyed widespread commercial success and their songs have come to be been used for memorable opening themes of highly popular anime series.

History

Formation and indie releases (1996–2002)

Asian Kung-Fu Generation was first formed when Masafumi Gotō, Kensuke Kita, and Takahiro Yamada met in a musical club of Kanto Gakuin University in 1996. The three started their very first band, with Kiyoshi Ijichi joining them later on after parting with another college band, and began performing at the university as well as throughout the local Yokohama area. After playing in several small venues and collaborating with rock musician Caramelman, AKG released their first indie EP in 2000. The six-track EP contained original lyrics written and sung almost entirely in English. The four spent the remainder of the year playing in multiple clubs and hosting various independent events.

The year after, the band tried to get their first Japanese single, nihongo|"Konayuki"|粉雪| off "I'm Standing Here", onto indie radio stations. The song was eventually picked up by a popular radio DJ and put into heavy rotation due to the demand of listeners. AKG then released their second indie EP, this time expressing songs written with Japanese lyrics. At this time, the band had began drawing an increasingly large number of audiences to their shows held in various clubs in Shibuya, Shimokitazawa, Kichijōji, and Tokyo. [http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Info/AKG/eng/bio/index.html ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION: Biography] . Sony Music Online Japan. Retrieved on 2008-10-9.]

"Hōkai Amplifier" and "Kimi Tsunagi Five M" (2002–2004)

On November 25, 2002, after contributing to the Under Flowers Records compilation album, "Whatct You Gonna Do?", the band officially released their first major-label mini-album nihongo|"Hōkai Amplifier"|崩壊アンプリファー|, enlisting internet radio host and artist Yusuke Nakamura to design and create their single and album covers. [ [http://www.under-flower.co.jp/uf/uf%20new%20top%20page/underflowerlabel/Uf%20disco5.html Under Flower Label - Release discography] . Under-flower Co., Ltd. Retrieved on 2008-10-9.] cite web |url= http://www.digmeout.net/artist_e.cfm?id=56|title= Yusuke Nakamura|accessdate=2007-04-07 |publisher= DigMeOut.net] The immensely critically-acclaimed EP topped the Highline Records' weekly chart for two consecutive weeks and peaked at number thirty-five on the Oricon indies sales chart. As a result of its success, "Hōkai Amplifier" was re-released by Ki/oon Records on April 23, 2003. A month later, AKG held their first headline show at Shimokitazawa Club Shelter. That same summer, the band performed at both Fuji Rock Festival 03's "ROOKIE A GO GO" and Summer Sonic '03 in Tokyo and Osaka. On August 6, the band released their first major-label single, nihongo|"Mirai no Kakera"|未来の破片|, with their second single, nihongo|"Kimi to iu Hana"|君という花|, following shortly after. Their first full-length album, nihongo|"Kimi Tsunagi Five M"|君繋ファイブエム| was released on November 19th. [http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Info/AKG/eng/bio/index.html ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION: Biography] . Sony Music Online Japan. Retrieved on 2008-10-9.] The LP sold over 250,000 copies and landed in the number five spot on the Oricon charts in its first week. As their fame grew, fans began calling them simply nihongo|Ajikan|アジカン|, shortened version of their full name.

"Sol-fa" (2004–2005)

When 2004 came around, AKG recieved the award for Best New Artist while their video for "Kimi to iu Hana" won the award for Best Music Video. From January 19 to February 25, AKG held their first headline tour, "Five Nano Seconds", which was comprised of thirteen shows. On July 1st, the band held the first of what would be many "ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION presents Nano-Mugen Festival" at Nippon Budokan. That following summer, the band went on to play in more than ten summer festivals, including Meet The World Beat, Rock In Japan Fes 04, and Fuji Rock Festival 04.

Over the course of the year, the band would release four more singles: nihongo|"Siren"|サイレン|, nihongo|"Loop & Loop"|ループ＆ループ|, nihongo|"Rewrite"|リライト| and nihongo|"Kimi no Machi Made"|君の街まで, before releasing their second full-length album, nihongo|"Sol-fa"|ソルファ| on October 20th. [http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Info/AKG/eng/bio/index.html ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION: Biography] . Sony Music Online Japan. Retrieved on 2008-10-9.] The album would go on to sell more than 600,000 copies and debut at number one on the Oricon charts for two consecutive weeks. Following its release, "Rewrite" found fame both domestically as well as on an international level when it was chosen as the fourth opening theme for the anime series "Fullmetal Alchemist". [ [http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/eng/Arch/ASIANKUNG-FU/KSCL-925/ ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION: Rewrite] . Sony Music Online Japan. Retrieved on 2008-10-9.] Around the same time, their song "Haruka Kanata," enjoyed similar success after being used for the second opening of the anime series "Naruto". [ [http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Arch/KS/ASIANKUNG-FU/KSCL-542/index.html ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION: Hōkai Amplifier] . Sony Music Online Japan. Retrieved on 2008-10-9. (Japanese)] Asian Kung-Fu Generation spent the next two months on a national tour consisting of twelve shows called Tour SUI CUP 2004 -No! Member, November, which included a prestegious headliner at Nippon Budokan arena, and then released the year-end video DVD, "Eizō Sakuhinshū Volume 1" on November 26. [http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Info/AKG/eng/bio/index.html ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION: Biography] . Sony Music Online Japan. Retrieved on 2008-10-9.]

"Fanclub" (2005–2006)

Due in part to their growing recognition, Asian Kung-Fu Generation would dedicate a significant amount of time the next couple of years going on extensive national tours. Between March 14 and June 26 of 2005, AKG went on an extensive sold-out Re:Re Tour, performing at forty-eight concerts in thirty-eight cities throughout Japan. At the same time, the band released their first live DVD, "Eizō Sakuhinshū Volume 2: Live at Budokan +", which topped the Oricon DVD charts for an entire month. On July 9, AKG held their second Nano-Mugen Festival at Yokohama Arena, where they performed with seven other Japanese and UK bands. To advertise the event, they released a preceding compilation album that retained one song from each band attending the festival. Over the next summer, AKG attended a host of festivals, including Summer Sonic 05, Rising Sun Rock Fes. 2005, and Rock in Japan Fes. 05. The band closed the year by releasing the single, nihongo|"Blue Train"|ブルートレイン|, followed up by a brief tour entitled, Tour SUI CUP 2005 - Winter Dragon in December.

The band began 2006 with the release of the single, "World Apart." The single was unique in that it featured a song in which Kensuke Kita stood as lead singer. It was also AKG's first to achieve number-one single status. On March 15, AKG released their third full-length album, nihongo|"Fanclub"|ファンクラブ| which went on to stay in the Oricon top five for nearly two months. The following month, the band went on a national tour entitled, Coung 4 My 8 Beat. Tickets for all thirty-eight shows quickly sold out. AKG's third annual Nano-Mugen Fes. was held at Yokohama Arena. For two days, Asian Kung-Fu Generation and eleven other bands, including six Japanese bands, three American bands and two English bands, performed. Like the previous year, a compilation album was released in July to advertise the Nano-Mugen Festival. After three years of attending the Fuji Rock Fes, the band had the opportunity to perform on its primary Green Stage for the first time at Fuji Rock Festival 06. [http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Info/AKG/eng/bio/index.html ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION: Biography] . Sony Music Online Japan. Retrieved on 2008-10-9.]

"Feedback File" (2006–2007)

To commemorate their ten-year anniversary, Asian Kung-Fu Generation released their first compilation album, "Feedback File" on October 25. However, rather than featuring hit singles, the nostalgic album was compiled of B-sides, live performances, and old demos from their early indie days. Despite retaining little new material, the compilation managed to debut at number two on the Oricon charts. AKG then went on a two-month arena tour entitled, Tou Sup Cup 2006-2007: The Start of a New Season. Well over 100,000 fans attended this tour, which featured guest performances by band from Japan and the United States. [http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Info/AKG/eng/bio/index.html ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION: Biography] . Sony Music Online Japan. Retrieved on 2008-10-9.] In the midst of the tour, AKG was commissioned by the director of the then-upcoming anime film, "Tekkon Kinkreet", to compose a song that would be featured in the movie. They created a song called, nihongo|"Aru Machi no Gunjō"|或る街の群青 and released it as a year-end single prior to the film's debut. [ [http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Arch/KS/ASIANKUNG-FU/KSCL-1068/index.html ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION: "Aru Machi no Gunjō" (或る街の群青)] . Sony Music Online Japan. Retrieved on 2008-10-11. (Japanese)] As a sign of their increasing popularity, the band came to be parodied in a volume of the popular "Hellsing" manga by members of the Vatican named, "The Vatickung."

Withdrawal and "World World World" (2007–Present)

On March 21, the band released another live DVD, "Eizō Sakuhinshū Volume 3: Tour Sui Cup 2006-2007 The Start of a New Season", containing footage of their previous tour. Although they took part in various domestic summer festivals, AKG gradually became more and more withdrawn over the course of 2007 before ending appearences almost entirely. It was also the year that the band witheld their their annual Nano-Mugen Festival. [http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Info/AKG/eng/bio/index.html ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION: Biography] . Sony Music Online Japan. Retrieved on 2008-10-9.] However, they did close the year with the November release of their next album's second single, "After Dark." The song debuted in the top ten on the Oricon charts and was used as the seventh opening for the anime series "Bleach". [ [http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Arch/KS/ASIANKUNG-FU/KSCL-1176/index.html ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION: "After Dark" (アフターダーク)] . Sony Music Online Japan. Retrieved on 2008-10-11. (Japanese)]

While they performed at the Japanese New Year countdown, the band primarily remained withdrawn and spent the next few months working on their fifth studio album. On February 2008, AKG released the final single, nihongo|"Korogaru Iwa, Kimi ni Asa ga Furu"|転がる岩、君に朝が降る|, before quickly following it up with their album, "World World World". Despite the lack of media appearences and the significant time-span between their releases, the album topped the debuted Oricon charts on its first week before eventually relapsing the weeks after.cite web |url= http://jpop4u.wordpress.com/category/oricon-ranking|title= Oricon Ranking|accessdate=2008-04-03]

Member profiles

*Birthdate: December 12 1976
*Place of Birth: Fujieda City, Shizuoka Prefecture
*Status: Married
*Lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist
*Equipment:
**'75 Gibson Marauder
**Gibson Les Paul Faded Double-Cut (Faded Yellow)
**Gibson Les Paul Junior Faded Double-Cut (Worn Cherry)
**Roland Custom JC-160 amp
*Major: Economics
*Favorite Bands: Weezer, Number Girl, Teenage Fanclub, Eastern Youth and Howard Jones

*Birthdate: January 24 1977
*Place of Birth: Kanagawa Prefecture
*Lead guitarist and background vocal
*Equipment:
**Gibson Les Paul Standard (Cherry Sunburst)
**Gibson Les Paul Standard Premium Plus (Cherry Sunburst)
**Gibson Custom Shop 1954 Les Paul Standard Reissue (Ice Tea)
**Marshall 4100 JCM 900 Head + cabinet (half-stack).
**Bogner Ecstasy 4x12 with 1 cabinet in live and 2 in studio (Seen on "Aru Machi no Ganjou" and "Korogaru Iwa, Kimi ni Asa ga Furu" PV)
*Major: Economics
*Favorite Bands: Radiohead, Manic Street Preachers, Supergrass and XTC

*Birthdate: August 19 1977
*Place of Birth: Shizuoka Prefecture
*Bassist and background vocals
*Equipment:
**'62 Fender Jazz Bass (Lake Placid Blue, 3-Tone Sunburst)
** Ampeg Bass AH 300 Amp head
*Major: Literature
*Favorite Bands: The Beatles, Oasis, The Smashing Pumpkins, and Pet Shop Boys

*Birthdate: September 25 1977
*Place of Birth: Kanagawa Prefecture
*Drummer
**Pearl Drums (custom set)
**Sabian cymbals
*Major: Engineering
*Favorite Bands: Brian Setzer, Link, and Hi-Standard

Discography

Albums

*2003: "Kimi Tsunagi Five M"
*2004: "Sol-fa"
*2006: "Fanclub"
*2006: "Feedback File"
*2008: "World World World"
*2008: "Surf Bungaku Kamakura"

EPs

*2000: "Caramelman and Asian Kung-Fu Generation"
*2000: "The Time Past And I Could Not See You Again"
*2001: "I'm Standing Here"
*2003: "Hōkai Amplifier"
*2008: "Mada Minu Ashita ni"

ingles

Other albums

*2005: "Nano-Mugen Compilation"

*2006: "Nano-Mugen Compilation 2006"

*"Husking Bee Tribute Album" (March 21, 2007)

*2008: "Nano-Mugen Compilation 2008"

DVDs

*"Eizō Sakuhinshū Volume 1" (November 26, 2004)
*"Eizō Sakuhinshū Volume 2" (April 20, 2005)
*"Eizō Sakuhinshū Volume 3" (March 21, 2007)
*"Eizō Sakuhinshū Volume 4" (March 26, 2008)

References

External links

* [http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Info/AKG/eng/ Asian Kung-Fu Generation official website] languageicon|en|English
* [http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Info/AKG/ Asian Kung-Fu Generation official website] languageicon|ja|Japanese
* [http://www.nano-mugen.com Nano-Mugen official website]
* [http://www.akfgfan.com/ ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION Flashback International fan site]

navbox musical artist
name = Asian Kung-Fu Generation
title = Asian Kung-Fu Generation
background = group_or_band
above = nowrap begin

Masafumi Gotō•wrap

Takahiro Yamada•wrap

Kensuke Kita•wrap

Kiyoshi Ijichi

group2 = Studio albums
list2 = "Kimi Tsunagi Five M"•wrap"Sol-fa"•wrap"Fanclub"•wrap"Feedback File"•wrap"World World World"

group3 = EPs
list3 = "Caramelman and Asian Kung-Fu Generation"•wrap"The Time Past And I Could Not See You Again"•wrap"I'm Standing Here"•wrap"Hōkai Amplifier"•wrap"Mada Minu Ashita ni"

group4 = Singles
list4 = "Mirai no Kakera"•wrap"Kimi to Iu Hana"•wrap"Siren"•wrap"Loop & Loop"•wrap"Rewrite"•wrap"Kimi no Machi Made"•wrap"Blue Train"•wrap"World Apart"•wrap"Aru Machi no Gunjō"•wrap"After Dark"•wrap"Korogaru Iwa, Kimi ni Asa ga Furu"•wrap"Fujisawa Loser"

group5 = Other albums
list5 = "Nano-Mugen Compilation"•wrap"Nano-Mugen Compilation 2006"•wrap"Husking Bee Tribute Album"•wrap"Nano-Mugen Compilation 2008"

group6 = DVDs
list6 = "Eizō Sakuhinshū Volume 1"•wrap"Eizō Sakuhinshū Volume 2"•wrap"Eizō Sakuhinshū Volume 3"•wrap"Eizō Sakuhinshū Volume 4"

group7 = Related articles
list7 = Discography