On June 29, SESSIONS COLLECTION VOL. 1 was released. This is the first digital compilation inspired Tokyo Community Radio’s recent training program “sessions.” DJ and Beatmaker Licaxxx runs the online radio platform, and the training sessions have seen incredible success, inspiring new musicians to grow and improve.   “sessions” is a training program focused exclusively on dance music. Participants work closely with DJs and other active music creators to hone their skills and share unique experiences. The main goal of the program is to teach more about current technology and to share real-world examples that can help participants thrive. Sharing actual problems that current artists are facing and how to overcome them is also a popular part of the program.   Club (RDC) and Red Bull, inviting guests to embark on a 3-day/2-night training camp in Izu to hone their DJ and dance music skills. Artists from all over Japan were selected from an open call and gathered to create new works individually or in groups after listening to advice and having discussions with track makers active in several different genres.   A ton of music produced during the “sessions” program is included on TCR’s first 18-track digital compilation album. In addition to the 14 artists that participated, Stones Taro, Carpainter, Pharakami Sanders, and Licaxxx worked with FELINE to create a track as well. This genre-crossing compilation album by the next generation of Japan-based artists is a must-hear for active DJs, and a behind-the-scenes look at the training camp is available on TCR’s official YouTube channel.   TCR will also be hosting events in Tokyo and Osaka this weekend with re:lax, a unit comprised of DJ/producers re:ni and Laksa from the UK. Keep an eye out for more details!  

Kroi is a five-member band blending a wide mix of musical styles, from R&B and funk to soul, rock, and hip-hop. The group has just released their new digital single Fuurai on all major streaming services.

 

The song will also be included in Kroi’s second major EP MAGNET scheduled to be released on March 29, 2023.

 

The song is vastly different than Hard Pool released last month, featuring a relaxing melody and vocals and lyrics by Uchida. Fuurai shows off the true range of Kroi’s music.

  Fuurai also features performances by members of Zainichi Funk, a band that participated in Kroi’s Live Tour 2021-2022 “Dig the Deep.” Motoi Murakami (Trumpet), Gentle Kubota (Trombone), and Takehide Hashimoto (Sax) appear on the track.   Fuurai (Music Video)

The music video for Fuurai has also been released.

 

Takuto Shimpo, who has directed many of Kroi’s past music videos and stage productions, returned for Fuurai.

 

The many locations seen in the video match the music perfectly, and fans will want to head to YouTube right away.

  Kroi will release its second major EP MAGNET on March 29, 2023.

LE SSERAFILM is a five-member girl group consisting of Kim Chaewon, Sakura, Huh Yunjin, Kazuha, and Hong Eunchae. The first girl group produced by BTS’s label HYBE and SOURCE MUSIC held a debut showcase event on January 25 to celebrate the release of their first single, FEARLESS, in Japan.

 

This event was LE SSERAFIM's first showcase in Japan and was an opportunity for the members to greet approximately 2,000 lucky fans. These fans were chosen by lottery from among those who pre-ordered the FEARLESS CD.

 

Held at Tokyo Dome City Hall, the venue went dark at the beginning of the showcase, prompting the audience of fans to immediately applaud as the intro of Blue Flame -Japanese ver.- began. At the same time, a chess piece was projected onto a large LED chessboard on stage. The crowd only became more and more excited as LE SSERAFIM’s logo and the White Baccharis-inspired concept photos of the members appeared before the members appeared in white costumes on stage. The members continued to mesmerize the audience with their incredible performance of Blue Flame -Japanese ver-, and once the song ended and the members left the stage, Masayuki Furuya appeared as the MC, chatting about the hyped K-pop artists, and inviting them back to enjoy a lighthearted chat. Amidst the applause from the audience, the girls introduced themselves for the first time following their debut in Japan and enjoyed a photo shoot for the media. Many members of the press were in attendance to see LE SSERAFIM's memorable debut, and the packed space was a testament to the group’s immediate popularity.

 

When asked how their debut in Korea was comparable to their debut in Japan, Sakura responded quickly. “Even though I have experience debuting in Japan before, today felt more special. I’m a little more nervous. Of course, it makes sense to be a little anxious about starting fresh as a member of LE SSERAFIM, but I’m equally excited because I know that our fans will support us.”

 

The name of LE SSERAFIM’s fanbase is FEARNOT. “LE SSERAFIM is an anagram of the phrase ‘I’M FEARLESS,’ which embodies our goal to keep moving forward and to not be impacted by what anyone says,” said the group’s leader Kim Chaewon. The members then took turns discussing the tracks included in the Japanese release of the single FEARLESS.

 

 

FEARLESS -Japanese ver.-

Kim Chaewon: “This is the Japanese version of FEARLESS, the title track of our debut album in Korea. I think it’s the song that best shows what we’re all about–we’re always moving forward and we refuse to be stuck in the past.”

 

Blue Flame -Japanese ver.-

Hong Eunchae: “Blue Flame, which we just performed for the first time on stage, was on our debut album in Korea. Chaewon and Yunjin directly added their lyrics to the original version for the Japanese release, making the song even sweeter.”

 

Choices

Kazuha: “The third track, Choices, is LE SSERAFIM’s first original Japanese song. It has retro hip-hop and R&B vibe, and I think it’s stylish. It has a street culture feel too. This is also our first drama tie-in song! It’s the theme for the show How to Spend Money Happily.”

The music video for FEARLESS -Japanese ver.- was released at midnight on January 25th. “To portray LE SSERAFIM’s goal to always move forward, we thought about chess–the queen can move wherever she likes,” said Sakura. “I really hope that everyone enjoys the Japanese version of FEARLESS!”

 

“The music video was shot with a completely different image in mind when compared to the Korean video,” said Yunjin. “We had a lot of fun during the shoot. I have so many favorite scenes, but the final one with the words ‘I’M FEARLESS’ and the LE SSERAFIM logo might be at the top.”

 

Kim Chaewon also chatted about the photo shoot for the single’s cover with a smile. “I wanted it to be different than the Korean cover and I wanted us to show off our new charm. The White Baccharis concept was inspired by what these flowers stand for in flower language, which is ‘trailblazing’ or ‘breaking new ground.’ In the Pink Musk photo shoot, we strived to show the fans our more human side. I remember preparing for the shoot by researching what poses would be best for each member.”

 

“I personally think that Kazuha and Eunchae looked so cute. Overall, the Pink Musk shoot was just adorable–I have all of the images saved in my personal picture folder,” Sakura said with a grin. She also claimed to have been given a lecture from Eunchae on how to pose, spurring her to start practicing on the spot. The members clearly have an incredibly close relationship.

 

“Since this is our first single for Japanese fans, we really wanted to share our goals and the freedom we’re seeking,” said Kim Chaewon. “We’ll keep doing our best while performing and creating music, so please support us!” The audience responded with a loud round of applause.

 

The Q&A corner featured questions collected from fans in advance. When asked about how the members of LE SSERAFIM have prepared for their incredible performances at music award ceremonies and other events, Kim Chaewon quickly responded. “To be honest, I feel like most of us always wish we had done better. We’re never satisfied with our current state, so we always worry and talk about how we can make our performances better. This happens right up until we’re on stage!”

 

After the music video for FEARLESS -Japanese ver.- was shown on the big screen, the members reappeared in their White Baccharis concept costumes. The game corner of the event began soon after!

 

In the first game, Checkmate - Let’s Take the King, each member had to complete a mission attached to their selected chess piece. The most exciting part of the event was the group mission, in which each member had to dance with perfect choreography to a very specific moment of Blue Flame -Japanese ver.- The girls also competed in a rock-paper-scissors duel with the MC and a tongue-twister challenge!

 

After a commemorative photo was taken with the audience, the event came to a close. One by one, the members expressed their gratitude to the fans who had gathered at the venue.

 

Hong Eunchae: “For me, today was a very exciting and happy day. I'm glad I was able to spend it with FEARNOT. Thank you so much! Make sure to keep your eyes on us!”

 

Kazuha: “Thank you so much for coming to our showcase today even though it’s so cold outside! We’ll keep doing our best so we can hang out with you again. Please support us going forward!”

 

Huh Yunjin: “We’re so happy to be making our debut in Japan and we’re so excited about what’s to come. I want to keep doing things for all the FEARNOTs out there! I love you all!”

 

Sakura: “Thank you so much for coming to our debut showcase today despite the cold weather and despite it being a weekday. I’m so excited to enjoy more time with the FEARNOT community in all kinds of places in the future, so please keep walking with us. Thank you so much for today!”

 

Kim Chaewon: Thank you FEARNOTs, for coming to our debut showcase in Japan. Please look forward to all of our Japanese activities in the future!”

   

The last song began with stylish chess visuals projected on LEDs, and finally, the girls began to perform FEARLESS -Japanese ver.-The first Japan showcase was an incredible success, and the audience watched in awe as the members performed their energetic dance moves. The Japanese version of FEARLESS managed to garner more attention than anyone expected, with some websites selling out of the single during the preorder stage. The track also reached the top spot on the Oricon Daily Chart on January 24.

 

The debut showcase event will be broadcast on the Amazon Music Japan channel on Twitch on February 20 at 20:00. This will include a behind-the-scenes making-of video and a special interview exclusively available during the stream. Check out LE SSERAFIM’s official website for more details!

  (P)&(C) SOURCE MUSIC

In 2013, Shinichi Ishizuka’s BLUE GIANT manga series hit the scene. Serialized in Big Comic, the series has sold over 9 million copies to date. Readers have fallen in love with the author’s depiction of emotion and Ishizuka has even influenced the real-world jazz scene with his creation. BLUE GIANT will be adapted into an anime film coming to theaters on February 17, and the staff’s dream of bringing real jazz at max volume to the masses will finally come true.

 

The world-renowned pianist Hiromi Uehara oversaw the film’s music. The authentic jazz heard in the film’s trailer has already become a hot topic, and the original soundtrack will be released on February 17, the same day as the film's release.

 

Hiromi Uehara has been a close friend of Shinichi Ishizuka for years, and even before the film adaptation was announced, she had privately composed an original song for JASS, the trio formed by the main character Dai Miyamoto. Uehara wrote, performed, and produced the entire soundtrack including the songs FIRST NOTE, N.E.W., and WE WILL.

  

Saxophonist Tomoaki Baba will play the saxophone for the character Dai, who aspires to be the best sax player on Earth. Auditions were held in cooperation with Universal Music, featuring leading players from Japan and abroad. Baba was an easy choice, wowing judges with his large sax and powerful performance. Shun Ishiwaka, the drummer of the band Millennium Parade, will play the drums for Dai’s classmate Shunji Tamada.

 

 

More than 30 top-class classical and jazz musicians participated in the soundtrack’s production, including a string section conducted by Miho Hazama and led by members of Hiromi Uehara’s Piano Quintet.

 

Hiromi Uehara also wrote the original track BLUE GIANT, used as the film’s end-roll song. “When I was doing the recording for this film, this melody suddenly popped into my head. I became obsessed and immediately wrote it down,” Uehara said. “I was so inspired by the BLUE GIANT film that I created this song that same day. Of course, I had to title it the same thing!”

 

The soundtrack contains 29 songs and is perfect for listening to while you enjoy a quiet winter night at home. Don’t miss it!

Singer Vickeblanka has released a live performance video of Black Catcher, the opening theme song for the anime series Black Clover. On January 25, 2023, the singer will release Vickeblanka presents RAINBOW ROAD -Ki- on Blu-ray and DVD.

 

Black Catcher - Vickeblanka (from「RAINBOW ROAD -Ki-」LIVE DVD＆Blu-ray on sale January 25, 2023)

Black Catcher serves as the 10th opening theme for Black Clover. The song has been ranked in Spotify’s Top 10 Most Played Japanese Songs Overseas for three consecutive years and has been streamed over 160 million times. The accompanying music video has been viewed over 50 million times.

 

Vickeblanka appeared in the recent Shochiku Tokyu New Year’s drama series Kaden Samurai Special Stop! Chuushingura. At the start of the series, the main character Shijuro Kanenashi plays a yakuza in prison after being falsely accused of a crime. The series co-stars Kenichi Takito who was surprised by Vicke’s powerful performance.

 

Treasure, the theme song for the regular drama series, is also being used as the theme of this special.

 

Vickeblanka presents RAINBOW ROAD -Ki- will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on January 25, 2023. This was the singer’s first arena concert, featuring a rare 19-track setlist including encores.

 

The live show includes signature tracks like Masshiro, Ca Va?, and ULALA, as well as an encore performance of the song Changes. The concert release also includes a 2-CD set of live recordings from the performance. The asymmetrical stage featured a unique acoustic setup that is fully captured in this incredible set.

 

In addition to the standard edition, a Limited First Edition will include a 52-page photobook with rare images from the rehearsal.

 

Those who preorder through the French Link fan club will receive a special rubber band, and an A3-size calendar poster on a first-come, first-served basis. 55 people who preorder by midnight on January 6 will win an A3-size calendar poster autographed by Vickeblanka himself.

Sizuk, a music project started by composer Shunryu, has officially launched! The composer is known for his contributions to anime and idol music, and in this new project, Shunryu will collaborate with illustrators, lyricists, singers, and other talents to produce original content. For the project’s debut single, Dystopia will serve as the opening theme for the anime series The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World, scheduled to premiere in January 2023. The lyrics were written by Shoko Fujibayashi and arranged by John Kanda (PENGUIN RESEARCH), with a jacket illustration by SOLANI. It was sung by AYAME, the vocalist of the rock band AliA. The song will be released as a digital single on January 6, 2023. Be sure not to miss the anime series either!©御子柴奈々・講談社／「冰剣の魔術師が世界を統べる」 製作委員会