Studio Ponoc, formed by former Studio Ghibli lead film producer Yoshiaki Nishimura, is releasing its next animated movie after their debut release Mary and the Witch’s Flower (2017).

Modest Heroes is a three-part anime anthology film set for release in Japan on August 24. Several composers including DJ, record producer, songwriter Yasutaka Nakata (Capsule, Perfume, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu) have been unveiled to have worked on the movie’s soundtrack.

The film is split into three parts with different directors. Kanini & Kanino is a fantasy short directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi―who also directed Mary and the Witch’s Flower―and follows two crab brothers on a big adventure. Life Ain’t Gonna Lose is a drama short directed by animator Yoshiyuki Momose, a great talent who worked under the late Isao Takahata of Studio Ghibli. It’s based on a true story and tells a tale of love between a mother and a young boy. The final part, Invisible, is directed by veteran animator Akihiko Yamashita who is known for having worked on Hayao Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle. It focuses on the struggles of a lonely invisible man.

Modest Heroes features a voiceover cast of well-known actors and actress such as Joe Odagiri and Fumino Kimura. The soundtrack is composed by three huge names in music: film composer, pianist and singer-songwriter Takatsugu Muramatsu, music producer and keyboardist Masanori Shimada, and Yasutaka Nakata.

Which film short are you most looking forward to from the anthology?

An army of Japanese pop culture leaders signed to ASOBISYSTEM attended ASOBIEXPO at Shinkiba STUDIO COAST on July 21, 2018 to celebrate the company’s 10th anniversary, including Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Yasutaka Nakata, Sebastian Masuda and more.

Close to 100 music artists, models, DJs and others attended the festival, which was split into two slots: ASOBIFES!!! was a free invitation-only concert and show event, and ASOBINITE!!! was a club event which was attended by some of Japan’s representative artists.

Beginning the show was none other than MANON, ASOBISYSTEM’s 16-year-old leader of the new generation of youth. She captivated the crowd with her soft and relaxed rapping and edgy lyrics with tracks like xxFANCYPOOLxx and COCO BOI ROMANCE.

Next to hit the stage was 4-member pop dance and vocal group TEMPURA KIDZ. They rolled out a string of infectious pop tunes that made you want to dance and gave a performance so foot-stomping you’d think it was the climax of the event already. A number of guests and dancers joined them on stage from Tamura in Fukushima Prefecture where TEMPURA KIDZ held workshops as part of a project to revitalise the region.

Sashaying onto the stage next was a list of models signed to ASOBISYSTEM for a special fashion show. The first theme was ‘urban mood’ which saw names like Shiho Takechi and Rinko Murata take over the runway. The second theme was ‘Tokyo Street Vintage Mix’ where Saki Shibata, Yuri Suganuma and others walked the walk.

After the fashion show, it was to change things up. Natsume Mito stepped onto stage followed by 6 others. They read aloud the children’s picture book Mumu written by Natsume Mito herself which was accompanied with acting, music and lighting to bring the story to life. After the performance she announced a sequel to the book, Mumu ~Shima-chan no Otanjoubi~.

Things changed up again when Atarashii Gakkou no Leaders came on to fire everybody up again. They gave an electrifying vocal and dance performance during the Showa-style number Koi Shadanki feat. H ZETTRIO. The members also spoke about their recollections with ASOBISYSTEM and said, “Congratulations on 10 years! Let’s keep working hard together!” They then performed Saishuu Jinrui. Their set was full of love for ASOBISYSTEM.

Now it was time to pull the big guns out. CAPSULE graced the stage, opening with Another World to get people pumped before hitting them with MORE MORE MORE, JUMPER and Hero. The crowd were pulled into the CAPSULE galaxy with the on-screen space visuals and giant mirror ball overhead for Starry Sky.

CAPSULE vocalist Koshijima shouted out softly, “Thank you for today! Congratulations on 10 years, ASOBISYSTEM. Have fun until the very end!” Their set concluded with a fantastic groove that shot the crowd into the stratosphere.

The final act of the night, and ASOBISYSTEM’s representative artist, was of course Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. As the audience waited with smiles on their faces, four dancers dressed in black appeared to the tune of KPP On Stage. Kyary subsequently stepped out wearing a rough outfit―something much different to what she usually wears―to perform her hit tune Invader Invader.

“Thank you! Is everyone at ASOBIEXPO having fun? Congratulations on 10 years, ASOBISYSTEM. I have been with ASOBISYSTEM for 7 years. 7 years have passed since I met the company president, Army. Yasutaka Nakata has continued to make my songs, so I am always indebted to ASOBISYSTEM. Thank you so much!”

Kyary performed her mature-sounding hit Kimino Mikata before wrapping up the first slot of the festival, ASOBIFES!!!, with Harajuku Iyahoi. The room was left with a festive, feel-good atmosphere and bright lighting.

It was then time for the party – ASOBISYSTEM’s flagship event ASOBINITE!!! A whole host of ASOBISYSTEM artists graced the stage including RAM RIDER, 80KIDZ, TeddyLoid, DJ KYOKO, Licaxxx, not to mention Yasutaka Nakata, amongst others. A line-up of guests also joined the event including SHINICHI OSAWA (MONDO GROSSO), TOMOYUKI TANAKA (FPM), ☆Taku Takahashi (m-flo, block.fm), DAISHI DANCE, and banvox. Everybody worked to cement ASOBISYSTEM’s 10th anniversary into history.

ASOBIEXPO was an entire day of Japanese pop culture. ASOBISYSTEM continue to seek working as the architects of next-generation culture and will advance onto the world stage. This is the feeling that was left in the venue on this memorable day.

Text: Fukuryuu (Music Concierge)

DJ Nobunaga is a new action and puzzle game for smartphones with music produced entirely by Yasutaka Nakata. The game is teaming up with Final Fantasy XV which will see Yasutaka Nakata remix music that will be put in the game.

The remixed track can be enjoyed during a limited time event in-game from July 19. A website explaining the collaboration as well as a promotional video have also been posted.

Collaboration Video

The game is set during the Sengoku period of Japanese history where all the warring state military commanders (‘busho’) have become DJs. Together with your ally busho, your mission is to go into DJ battles to unify the whole country. In this action battle game, you must trace “Inspiration” that appears onscreen with your busho DJ while inside a club DJ and fight with enemy busho as you collect more power. With just one finger the game is super easy to play and highly addictive.

All of the music in the game was created by music producer, artist and DJ Yasutaka Nakata who is known for producing the music for some of Japan’s biggest artists including Perfume and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. The characters were created by Tanaka Hideyuki who is responsible for having created many different character designs for anime series such as OH! Super Milk Chan and Generations Koukou TV. The game design was made by Reisuke Ishida who has worked on games such as Groove Coaster and Space Invaders Infinity Gene.

DJ Nobunaga will be released on July 12, so be sure to play it for yourself!

The OTONOKO music festival was first held in October 2016 to an enormous crowd. A second wave of artists set for this year’s line-up has just been revealed.

OTONOKO is produced by none other than Yasutaka Nakata. As well as being the man solely responsible for the entire music production behind some of Japan’s biggest artists like Perfume and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, he has just about done it all, whether that’s providing music for international ceremonies, or creating the departure sound for the Hokuriku Shinkansen at Kanazawa Station. He has also produced music for a plethora of movies both inside and outside Japan, including Hollywood. He’s Japan’s representative musician, producer and DJ who has received praise and support from top international artists.

OTONOKO will return for its third run this year at the Ishikawa-ken Sangyo Tenjikan (Hall 4) on Saturday October 13, 2018.

The new artists announced for the line-up include m-flo who are back with all the original members including LISA, who has returned to the group after leaving 15 years ago in 2002, VERBAL and ☆Taku Takahashi. Also returning after playing OTONOKO two years in a row are banvox, DAISHI DANCE and TeddyLoid.

OTONOKO is described as an unprecedented kind of music festival that delivers Japanese culture to the world through OTO (‘sound’) from the hub of Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture, Yasutaka Nakata‘s own hometown.

It’s time to get excited about the line-up reveal, one that will give way to plenty of OTO thanks to Yasutaka Nakata producing the festival, an internationally active top artist and DJ and leader of today’s pop scene in Japan.

OTONOKO will take place again this year, a music festival with a consistent line-up of exceptional artists.

OTONOKO is produced by none other than Yasutaka Nakata. As well as being the man solely responsible for the entire music production behind some of Japan’s biggest artists like Perfume and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, he has just about done it all, whether that’s providing music for international ceremonies, or creating the departure sound for the Hokuriku Shinkansen at Kanazawa Station. He has also produced music for a plethora of movies both inside and outside Japan, including Hollywood. He’s Japan’s representative musician, producer and DJ who has received praise and support from top international artists.

OTONOKO will return for its third run this year at the Ishikawa-ken Sangyo Tenjikan (Hall 4) on Saturday October 13, 2018.

Super early discounted pre-sale tickets that include priority entry and OTONOKO original stickers will go on sale April 21 at 10:00am (JST). They are limited in quantity, so be sure to get yours and enjoy the additional bonuses them come with!

OTONOKO is described as an unprecedented kind of music festival that delivers Japanese culture to the world through OTO (‘sound’) from the hub of Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture, Yasutaka Nakata’s own hometown.

It’s time to get excited about the line-up reveal, one that will give way to plenty of OTO thanks to Yasutaka Nakata producing the festival, an internationally active top artist and DJ and leader of today’s pop scene in Japan.

Yasutaka Nakata released his first ever solo album Digital Native under his name in February. It has been announced that the first and final tracks of the album will receive a limited run 7” vinyl release as part of Record Store Day 2018.

Yasutaka Nakata made his debut in 2001 with his two-member unit CAPSULE. He subsequently went on to work as the music producer for many artists including Perfume and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. He is a world-class Japanese producer and artist who famous international artists such as Madeon, Porter Robinson and SOPHIE have cited as a source of influence.

“「White Cube」MV Teaser”

The new vinyl release features two symbolic anthems: the hit song White Cube which was used in a promotional video for a Nikkei Cup Noodle commercial for their “Chili Tomato” flavour and Give You More, which spearheaded as the theme song for the SOUND JUNCTION live event at Red Bull Music Festival Tokyo 2017.

White Cube graces the A-side of the record. It’s grounded in the latest club music format with vocal cut-ups sliding into the digital beats and the colourful sounds of the synth lacing together a catchy melody. It has that Nakata-esque pop sense and is packed with production techniques.

The B-side is a complete flip, serving up future bass. It’s a killer tune that incorporates elements of game music – which is a keyword of this album – and chiptune.

Yasutaka Nakata is gradually broadening his career so be sure stay up to date.

Yasutaka Nakata released his new album Digital Native this month. It has been announced that the album’s lead track, White Cube, will be re-released separately on digital music platforms including the iTunes Store, Apple Music and Spotify on March 9th.

The title of the recut single is White Cube (+Voice Version) [feat. Ichigo Rinahamu]. The song will feature Ichigo Rinahamu, a new generation artist who is active as a producer and an idol. As well as being the producer and main member of the idol group CY8ER, she performs as a DJ and vocalist under the name Hamrig and is also the representative of her own agency, Ichigo Style. CY8ER‘s first digital single release, Hakuchuumu, reached number one on the iTunes Store’s Electro Charts.Look out for the new version of “White Cube” with culture innovator Yasutaka Nakata and Ichigo Rinahamu, who has been influenced by Nakata.

His new album Digital Native reached number one on the iTunes album charts in Japan and is already receiving huge attention.

Yasutaka Nakata continues to constantly reform and innovate pop music. Be sure to check out the new version of his track.

Yasutaka Nakata has released a teaser trailer for the music video of White Cube, a song featured on his new album Digital Native which was released on February 7th.

Yasutaka Nakata – “White Cube” Music Video Teaser

Tatsushi Momen (KOO-KI) took charge in directing Nakata‘s new music video. White Cube is the first track of his new album and serves as the fanfare of today’s generation of “digital natives” – people born or brought up in today’s digital age who are accustomed to technology from an early age. Nakata‘s iconic melody runs alongside a fantasy-spun sound and unravels a series of traits from the realm of the virtual, including club culture, game music and Neo-Tokyo. The full version of the music video will be released in the near future, so stay tuned.

In the run up to the physical release of the album, Digital Native was released early across digital platforms on February 5th. It has already gained much attention and reached number one on the iTunes album charts. You can listen to every song on the album right now, so be sure to check it out!

Album Digital Download Link: https://lnk.to/-g7yg

Yasutaka Nakata will hold a special rendition of his regular party event FLASH!!! on February 9th at Shibuya WOMB to commemorate the release of his new album. People that turn up to FLASH!!! – Digital Native RELEASE SPECIAL- with a copy of the new album will receive a special present. Don’t miss out.

Since her debut back in the summer of 2011 with CAPSULE’s Yasutaka Nakata as her producer, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu has continued to take both Japan and overseas by storm, whether with an arena tour captivating 90,000 fans, or her hugely successful 3^rd world tour.

Kyary celebrated her 25^th birthday this year at her annual birthday live event, ASOBINITE!!! -KYARY PAMYU PAMYU BIRTHDAY SPECIAL-.

Kyary dazzled fans with classic hits such as Ninja Re Bang Bang and Mondai Girl. During the show, she expressed her gratitude to fans, saying, “It’s been 7 years since I debuted at 18-years-old! I’m already 25! I’m super happy to be able to celebrate with all of you and perform live like this every year, which I’ve done since I was 20!”

Kyary also touched on her ambitions for turning 25 to challenge herself to create new material. “My resolutions this year won’t be a continuation of what I’ve done up to now. I’ll be making something completely new!” She spoke about her passions for the new year, before the curtains finally closed on a hugely successful night.

Kyary reappeared during the DJ set of Yasutaka Nakata, her music producer, to deliver her own birthday present to the fans. Just as promised in her speech for the coming year, she surprised everybody with a brand-new song. The stage was wild and the crowd in a frenzy as they enjoyed an unexpected and exclusive early listen at a brand-new song from Kyary Pamyu Pamyu.

Details about the new track will be released in the near future, so stay tuned.

Details for Yasutaka Nakata’s forthcoming album Digital Native, set for release on February 7^th, have been announced.

The new record will feature hit song NANIMONO (feat. Kenshi Yonezu), a song that was used as the theme song for the movie of the same name. The track ranked as the most played song of 2016 on Spotify Japan, and the music video boasts over 17 million views on YouTube.

Totaling 10 songs, Digital Native will also include Nakata’s track Crazy Crazy that features London singer and songwriter Charli XCX and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, which became a hit overseas and ranked in the Top 20 of Spotify UK’s viral charts, as well as Love Don’t Lie (feat. ROSII) which was used as the official worldwide anthem for Ultra Music Festival, the first track to be written for the festival by a Japanese artist and DJ.

Other tracks gracing the album include White Cube which was used for a cup noodle commercial, Source of Light which was written as the theme song for “News Check 11,” and Jump in Tonight, the opening theme song for the Japanese drama “Maji de Koukai Shitemasu” featuring Momo Mashiro who won the grand prix prize for the Lawson Dream Artist Audition. The album also includes feature tracks such as Level Up with a guest appearance from banvox as well as Wire Frame Baby laced with rapping from MAMIKO of chelmico.

The album’s first press limited edition will include a second disc offering a full package of every remix Nakata has done to date of songs by distinguished overseas artists.

Remixes include Zedd & Alessia Cara’s international hit digital single Stay which served as a defining song of 2017, peaking at number seven on Billboard Hot 100 in the US and gaining over 1.2 billion streamed listens; I Love It When You Cry (Moxoki) by worldwide top DJs Steve Aoki & Moxie who headline festivals and events around the globe; Pay No Mind feat. Passion Pit by Madeon, an artist that has been a huge inspiration to Yasutaka Nakata himself, and more.

Yasutaka Nakata will hold a special rendition of his regular party event FLASH!!! on February 9^th at Shibuya WOMB to commemorate the release of his new album. People that turn up to FLASH!!! – Digital Native RELEASE SPECIAL- with a copy of the new album will receive a special present.

There are also other special bonuses up for grabs at CD stores in Japan when you buy the album. Visit Yasutaka Nakata’s official website for full details.

Pre-orders for Yasutaka Nakata’s new album Digital Native are available for the special price of ￥1,500 on iTunes for a limited time only starting January 19^th. This offer is available until February 4^th, so pre-order your copy quickly!

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s birthday is on January 29^th. To celebrate her birthday, on January 27^th, 2018 the event titled, “ASOBINITE!!! -KYARY PAMYU PAMYU BIRTHDAY SPECIAL-“ will be held at ageHa@STUDIO COAST in Shinkiba, Tokyo.

Various artists who are connected to Kyary Pamyu Pamyu will perform at this event including Resident – Tanaka Yasutaka, so as to liven up this event.

 Of course, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu herself will also perform. This will be a very rare late-night performance by Kyary Pamyu Pamyu so for all fans and club users this will be a “must see!”

Tickets have been on sale from December 22nd (Fri.) 18:00. Ticket sales on the day of the event might be difficult, therefore we recommended that you purchase your ticket beforehand.

Updates of the details of this event will made subsequently, so we suggest that you check out her official website and her SNS.

The highly anticipated music festival OTONOKO, produced by Yasutaka Nakata, was held on December 2nd in Hall 4 of Ishikawa Sangyo Tenji in Ishikawa, the birthplace of Nakata.

The first OTONOKO was held last year to a buzzing crowd of 6,500 and became a huge success. This year’s event was only bigger and better, with a record breaking 8,620 music lovers lined up to witness once more this new kind of music festival, with an unmatched line up consisting of Yasutaka Nakata himself as well as CAPSULE, Perfume, tofubeats, C&K, Taiiku Okazaki, 80KIDZ, DAISHI DANCE and more.

The venue was broken into two sections: the main stage and the second stage. For the opening acts of the main stage, the crowd were graced by DJ audition winner DJ KOKI, ASOBISYSTEM’s young and fast budding newcomer artist MANON, and Atarashii Gakkou no Leaders who made their major debut earlier this year.

Over on the second stage was a diverse range of artists blending together different areas of culture, including Una, Anna Yano, as well as local specialist schools who showcased hair & make-up and fashion shows and more.

The first of the main acts to open was none other than CAPSULE, welcoming the crowd with a set list that was inevitably guaranteed to get everybody pumped, including songs such as “more more more,” “FLASH BACK” and “JUMPER.”

Artists from last year’s OTONOKO festival then returned to the stage such as DAISHI DANCE, TeddyLoid and 80KIDZ.

Popular Japanese YouTubers HIKAKIN & SEIKIN took to the stage during TeddyLoid’s act. They added variety to their set by performing songs such as their 2015 hit “YouTube Theme Song.” 80KIDZ’s set electrified the audience with a full band set who provided some sharp and catchy beats.

The middle slot of the night was taken up by live acts Taiiku Okazaki and C&K as well as hugely popular DJs and close friends of Yasutaka Nakata, banvox and tofubeats. Taiiku Okazaki made his original style known with tracks such as “Open” and “We Can Get Over It.”

C&K began their set with their emotional ballad “Y,” changing the mood of the floor with their crystal clear vocals and pop musicality.

Then, like passing a baton, tofubeats effortlessly transitioned to the DJ booth from banvox where he created hooks with a selection comprised of “POSITIVE feat. Dream Ami,” “LONELY NIGHTS,” “Too Many Girls feat. KREVA” and more while interweaving them with the roaring beats of tracks such as “Drum Machine.” Chisato Moritaka’s vocals were played for his killer tune “Don’t Stop The Music feat. Chisato Moritaka” to which the crowd clapped along. With the mic in hand, tofubeats sang along with everybody during “Asa ga Kuru Made Owaru Koto no nai Dance wo” and “Suisei.”

Finally, the wait was over. The moment “GLITTER” began playing and the lasers shot through the air, the crowd knew that could only mean one thing – Perfume. The crowd went wild, and although dancing to the heavy and upbeat songs “FLASH” and “FAKE IT,” A~chan gave spoke of some observations about the event: “Doesn’t listening to that heavy bass all the time get to your ears after a while!? The people at OTONOKO are something else.” Yasutaka Nakata has produced Perfume’s music for a very long time, but this is the first time ever in 15 years that him and the J-pop trio have performed together. The girls see him as a “god” and commented: “He has been with us for such a long time and never grown tired. We were able to go on television with him this year, and he’s even kindly invited us to OTONOKO. You probably think that Nakata is weird. But we’re super thankful to be able to work together with a god.” The crowd were divided into three sections – “na,” “ka” and “ta” – for a call & response session to revere the godly Nakata.

Towards the end of the show Perfume switched to some club tunes, delivering “Chocolate Disco” and “TOKYO GIRL,” before performing a completely brand-new, not yet released song titled “FUSION.” Nakata surprised everybody by taking to the DJ booth for this song which showcases a cool side of Perfume the likes of which nobody has seen. The song has thick bass and is exotic with almost no lyrics, and the choreography has gentle movements and a downbeat rhythm to them.

Yasutaka Nakata subsequently took over the stage with his solo performance. After Perfume’s act he was the only one up there where he played a number of songs from his forthcoming first ever solo album “Digital Native,” set for released next year on February 7th. As well as that, he hit off a behemoth list of other tracks including “NANIMONO (feat. Kenshi Yonezu),” a remix of “Stay” by Zedd & Alessia Cara, new solo tracks “Give You More” and “Jump in Tonight (feat. Momo Mashiro)” announced this year, and more.

Perfume made a guest reappearance for “If you wanna” as if it was a return gift to collaborate once again. The spectacle of seeing Perfume sing and dance alongside Nakata had the entire room with their hands in the air.

For the night’s grand finale, CAPSULE member Toshiko Koshijima stepped onto stage to perform CAPSULE’s hit song “Starry Sky.” The song encapsulated the show’s climax with fireworks, smoke, confetti and endless strings of high speed lasers. With that performance, Yasutaka Nakata vividly proved his ready wit and unequalled talent as one of Japan’s foremost leading artists, producers and DJs. The edgy dance beat defined that fact to the end before concluding OTONOKO 2017.

Nakata said his goodbye to the crowd: “Thank you for being here tonight! I will return to Kanazawa!”

With the forthcoming release of his 2018 solo album, it’s time to get excited about Yasutaka Nakata and his spirited activity.

TEXT by Mami Naruta