The smartphone game Dark Tales ~Mirror and Mad Princess~ was officially released on April 11, and the popular singer and talent Kyary Pamyu Pamyu performed the theme song for the title.

The dark RPG tells a tale of the loss of childlike innocence and was pre-downloaded over 1 million times. The theme song, Magical Mirror, was written and composed by Yasutaka Nakata.

Fans of the genre won’t want to miss out on this mysterious mobile title!

The music duo CAPSULE is celebrating 20 years since their major debut, and their third new single for 2021 Virtual Freedom is now streaming. The highly-anticipated music video has also been released. 

Virtual Freedom Streaming Links

https://capsule.lnk.to/virtualfreedom

Virtual Freedom takes listeners on a trip through the history of synthesizers and submerges you in layers of interwoven soundscapes.

Virtual Freedom Music Video

https://youtu.be/ouD9PVPI1Xk

Director: KENTARO SAISHO 
3DCG supervisor: HIROMU KONNO
Production: Totte.Co., Ltd

A song-sharing campaign is also underway! Follow Warner Music Japan’s Twitter account and use the Twitter share function on Apple Music, Spotify, or LINE MUSIC to share Virtual Freedom with the hashtag #VirtualFreedomCP. 50 random people selected will receive the original cassette tape photographed for the cover of the Virtual Freedom album! 

Japanese electronic band CAPSULE is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its major debut! The group’s two members, Yasutaka Nakata and Toshiko Koshijima, have announced the release of their third new single for 2021, Virtual Freedom. The track will release on streaming platforms on December 10 and follows Hikari no Disco and Future Wave. Cover art for the song featuring an old-school cassette tape has been revealed ahead of the song’s release. 

Composer and producer for the band Yasutaka Nakata also serve as the music producer for popular group Perfume and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. 

Virtual Freedom can now be pre-added or pre-saved on Apple Music and Spotify. Be sure not to miss out on this new song when it drops later this week!

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s new album Candy Racer isn’t coming until October 27, but the singer has released a new song early. Dodonpa is now available on streaming services, and a lyric video has been posted to YouTube. 

Dodonpa Lyric Video

Dodonpa is a more experimental track by the pop singer, written and composed by Yasutaka Nakata and featuring more scat and beatboxing elements. To match the catchy and upbeat percussion and fun lyrics, the new video is as vivid and colorful as it can be. We’d expect nothing less from Kyary!

An official announcement has also been made on the label’s website encouraging creators to make and upload their own videos using Dodonpa as the background music if they follow specific rules. The best videos will be selected by Kyary and her staff, and will be featured in a playlist on the official Kyary Pamyu Pamyu YouTube channel! This contest will also be appearing on other SNS sites like TikTok, so keep an eye out and get creative!

If you don’t speak Japanese, don’t worry! The lyrics themselves are nothing but fun sounds, and the video has subtitles in English, Spanish, Korean, and Chinese. Fans are also encouraged to use the song in vlogs and other creations. 

What do you think of Kyary’s exciting new track? 

Celebrating 10 years since her major debut, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu will release her fifth full-length album Candy Racer on October 27, 2021. This will mark the singer’s first full-length album release in three years, her last being Japamyu in 2018.

Limited Edition

Regular Edition

The fifth album, titled Candy Racer, will be produced by CAPSULE’s Yasutaka Nakata. It will feature 11 tracks, including the recently released single GENTENKAIHI, of which the wacky music video has amassed over 1 million views on YouTube. Previously released tracks Kimi ga LINE Kuretara and Gum Gum Girl will also be included, along with world fabrication, a cover of a pre-electronic CAPSULE track originally released in 2005.

Creation of the album brought together a number of creative minds who have worked with Kyary Pamyu Paymu over the years, including Steve Nakamura serving as art director, Ken Hanzawa acting as photographer, Kumiko Iijima returning as the singer’s stylist, and Shinji Konishi as Kyary’s hair and makeup artist. All of these individuals were with Kyary at the time of her debut, and have returned to encourage her to not only stay connected to her roots, but to move forward without hesitation.

The limited edition version will come with a special 64-page flipbook.

A number of bonuses have also been announced, from stickers, clear pouches, and mobile stand keychains. These will be available while supplies last, so fans looking to get their hands on some of this swag are encouraged to preorder the album.

Are you looking forward to hearing Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s new tracks?

2021 marks a decade since singer and model Kyary Pamyu Pamyu made her debut with PONPONPON, which quickly became a viral YouTube hit worldwide. To celebrate, her newest single GENTENKAIHI, written and composed by Capsule’s Yasutaka Nakata, is now available to stream. 

The song’s title and lyrics express both Kyary’s willingness to return to her roots, and her determination to continue moving forward, leaving the past behind and carving out a new path. 

(c)Issei Nomura I.N.Art Pro.NIPPON COLUMBIA CO. LTD.,

A teaser of the song’s upcoming music video has also been released on the Official YouTube channel and on social media. The full-length version will premiere on August 25. 

To celebrate this milestone, an official Instagram created by Kyary’s staff (@kyarystaff) is now open, where fans can see behind-the-scenes shots of the singer, as well as read staff commentary. 

Starting August 31, a limited-time campaign will begin on LINE MUSIC. Those who listen to GENTENKAIHI more than 10 times using LINE MUSIC will be entered, and winners will receive an original sticker!

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s 10th Anniversary Tour will begin on January 16, 2022 at the Atsugi City Cultural Hall. The tour will visit 28 locations across Japan, and is the first time Kyary has toured since the JAPAMYU HALL TOUR 2018. It will also be the biggest tour in the singer’s career. Tickets are currently available for pre-order for fan club members. 

What do you think of the new track? 

This year marks the 20th anniversary since CAPSULE—the music unit formed of Yasutaka Nakata and Toshiko Koshijima—made their major debut. Tomorrow will also mark the first new song from the duo in six years. Titled Hikari no Disco (“Disco of Light”), the track is the newest release from CAPSULE since their last album WAVE RUNNER dropped in 2015. The band also released a new artist photo to promote it.

Hikari no Disco was written as the main theme for the anime film Sidonia no Kishi: Ai Tsumugu Hoshi (Knights of Sidonia: The Star Where Love is Spun). The film is based on Tsutomu Nihei’s Knights of Sidonia manga and will also release tomorrow on June 4. The new song can be pre-added and pre-saved on Apple Music and Spotify so it will be automatically added to your library when it’s released.

Knights of Sidonia is a mecha and space opera manga series by Tsutomu Nihei who is also known for other popular series such as Blame! and Aposimz. The series is a bestseller in Japan and has won the Kodansha Manga Award and Seiun Award. An anime adaptation by Polygon Pictures aired from 2014-2015 in line with the animation studio’s 30th anniversary. Now, the staff who worked on the anime series return for the release of the new movie tomorrow.

Hikari no Disco takes Yasutaka Nakata back to his synthesiser sound roots. The track has a laid-back driving-through-the-city feel to it. If you head on over to Warner Music Japan’s Twitter page and answer the four questions in the questionnaire, you can hear a 30 second snippet of the track before it’s released.

CAPSULE will premiere the music video for the new song on their official YouTube channel at 12:00am (JST) on June 4. A 12-hour live stream of CAPSULE’s discography is also began playing on their YouTube channel today at noon. That’s everything from their first album High Collar Girl (2001) to their 15th album WAVE RUNNER (2015).

Don’t miss the premiere of CAPSULE’s brand new track Hikari no Disco.

©弐瓶勉・講談社／東亜重工重力祭運営局

Music unit CAPSULE, which was formed by world-famous producer Yasutaka Nakata, is releasing all their albums on Apple Music and other worldwide music streaming services from July 10, 2020.

After debuting in 2001, Yasutaka Nakata has gone on to release 17 albums with CAPSULE and three albums in partnership with model Kate Sakai as the music unit COLTEMONIKHA. Nakata also produced albums for the soundtrack to the sensational drama Liar Game in which Shota Matsuda played the main role. All the above albums will also be released on subscription services.

This is just what fans across the world have been waiting for. As CAPSULE will be celebrating their 20th anniversary next year, make sure to check out their playlists.

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and Yasutaka Nakata performed a two-man show entitled “Yasutaka Nakata x Kyary Pamyu Pamyu Presents SPECIAL DJ & LIVE TOUR 2020 YSTK×KPP Vol.02” at Toyosu PIT in Tokyo tonight on February 21, 2020.

The background music provided before the start of the show was music that was like from a car game. As excited fans waited with bated breath, the PlayStation startup sound rang throughout the room, at which point Kyary shouted “Time to dance!” and appeared on stage together with Nakata. They opened the show with Invader Invader -Extended Mix-.

Dancers joined the stage next for Minna no Uta -Extended Mix- and PON PON PON. The audience responded with great pleasure to Nakata and Kyary’s high-speed and ingenious song mashup. It was non-stop jumping and dancing as the performers continued to roll out more bangers like Enka Natrium, Ninja Re Bang Bang, and Mi, the bass grabbing hold of the crowd’s heart at every moment.

When Kyary and Nakata’s set reached its middle portion, they went full hardcore club mode as they performed Level Up from Nakata’s solo album Digital Native. Things got crazy when they mashed Kyary’s Fashion Monster into a trap beat with Star Wars as a Star Wars-style opening reel ran across the LED monitors.

They continued with a string of internationally-known pop songs, like Kyary’s Tsukema Tsukeru and Sokenbicha no Uta, as well as Harajuku Iyahoi. The ever-changing set kept the crowd on their feet with its mix of live music and club music.

Kyary and Nakata weren’t anywhere near finished yet however. They returned to mashup mode with Kyary’s Cherry Bon Bonーa track from her early days with a Eurobeat soundーand performed a cover of AIAIAI, which Nakata wrote for virtual YouTuber Kizuna AI, during which Kizuna AI appeared as a hidden character.

The internationally iconic SEGA logo sound then rolled across the venue before Nakata and Kyary performed a special version of Ichibanka which Nakata wrote for Japanese reggae band Shōnan no Kaze. The song is used as the main theme for the PS4® game Yakuza: Like a Dragon which will be released worldwide this year. Kyary provided some cute “Soiya Soiya!” chants during the song.

In the last spurt, they rolled out the hit tunes Kizunami and Mondai Girl before wrapping up with Oto no Kuni. Kyary pulled fans into her “Japamyu” world while Yasutaka Nakata smashed out some 8-bit video game beats.

But fans needed more, and the call for an encore didn’t die down. Kyary came out and said excitedly, “Thank you for the encore! Who’d’ve thought I’d sing some Shōnan no Kaze?! ” She also thank Nakata, before announcing the release of a new digital single entitled KAMAITACHI. Release details are TBA.

She also announced a mini 5-show tour to promote its release. The song’s lyrics have a traditional Japanese-feel to them, and so the tour too will take place at kabuki theatres around Japan.

To wrap up the concert, Kyary and Nakata performed KPP’s pop anthem Sai & Co -Extended Mix-.

Pre-sale tickets for Kyary’s “KAMAITACHI TOUR 2020” will go live on her fan club, KPP CLUB, on February 22, 2020 at 10:00 A.M (JST). Check her official website for the latest information.

—

Original Text: Fukuryu (Music Concierge)

Photo: Aki Ishii

Translation: Joshua Kitosi-Isanga

<Spotify Playlist>

Yasutaka Nakata x Kyary Pamyu Pamyu Presents SPECIAL DJ & LIVE TOUR 2020 YSTK×KPP vol.02

https://open.spotify.com/user/fyq2sid87dfxdev40jq5hbw1k/playlist/5IbtBVwFtA433dFPojpHSt?si=ytPqMi1-SJm4I2p8Zh7nsA

ageHa is set to host one of Japan’s biggest countdown parties again this year, falling on December 31, 2019 once more.

Headlining the ARENA is English DJ and producer Sigala. He released his debut single Easy Love in 2015 which shot to number one on the UK charts. Since then, he has continued to pump out club and festival bangers such as Sweet Lovin and Say You Do. Seven of his nine singles have gone platinum, proving that he is one of the main players in the scene right now.

Another headlining act for the show, this time from Japan, is CAPSULE, the music duo spearheaded by internationally-acclaimed Japanese DJ and record producer Yasutaka Nakata who is the official producer for two of the biggest names in Japanese music: Perfume and Kyari Pamyu Pamyu. CAPSULE plan to put on a special performance for the countdown party.

banvox is also making a return from last year’s ageHa countdown concert, and CYBERJAPAN DANCERS are entering the fray for a special showcase.

In the WATER area of the venue, which is produced by WORLD CLASS and TCPT, France-based bass house duo Loge21, who have piled up t he releases since Confession, will perform in Japan for the very first time. DJ Remo-con will join the line-up as a guest too.

Over at the ISLAND area, the latest in cutting edge hip hop will take to the stage. Several DJs representing Tokyo will join rapper Jin Dogg, who is garnering attention right now, including HOKUTO, KEKKE, CHARI, and FUJI TRILL.

Finally, the BOX area will give rise to trance tunes, with performances from DJ KAYA, NORIO SP, FULLMOON RAVE, agefarre, and more.

But that’s not all, because the famous Robot Restaurantーa major tourist attraction in Shinjukuーis making an unexpected collaboration with ageHa to put on their first ever show outside the restaurant.

A variety of other celebratory things are planned for the countdown party to chime in the new year, including servings of toshikoshi soba, omikuji fortunes, goshuin seals, and more. If you happen to be in Tokyo for the New Year, then don’t miss out on this very special event.

Japanese idol group CY8ER recently performed at Shinkiba ageHa in Tokyo on November 23 for “CY8ER FES,” where they performed their new track Renai Reality Shou (feat. Yasutaka Nakata) for the first time, a song produced by Japanese music producer and DJ Yasutaka Nakata. They also revealed details on their forthcoming first studio album Tokyo which is set for release on January 22, 2020.

Renai Reality Shou (feat. Yasutaka Nakata) was made before CY8ER made their major debut, making it a significant track to include on their first major album.

The concept of Tokyo is “Neo-Kawaii Tokyo in 2020” and serves to promote Tokyo’s various subcultures, including the club scene of Shibuya, the otaku and “moe” culture of Akihabara, Harajuku’s kawaii fashion scene. The record includes 8 tracks and sees 8 producers on board, including Yasutaka Nakata, Yunomi, Moe Shop, Pa’s Lam System, Masayoshi Iimori, KOTONOHOUSE, Tomggg, and Neko Hacker.

The album will be released with first press limited edition and regular edition copies. The first press limited edition comes with both the album and a DVD featuring the music video and making-of for Renai Reality Shou (feat. Yasutaka Nakata). Regular editions comes with just the CD which also features a remixed version of the song.

CY8ER will celebrate their 3rd anniversary with a free live show at Shinjuku Marui Men on December 26. They will subsequently promote the new album with a series of release events. Details on these are TBA.

In 2020, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and Yasutaka Nakata will be following up on their ultimate three-city tour that took place in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya in 2016, returning to the three cities on tour again for vol.02.

The duo’s performance at SUMMER SONIC 2019 saw both Osaka and Tokyo venues overcrowded with fans to the extent that entry had to be strongly regulated. Following the success of SUMMER SONIC and vol.01 of the duo’s tour in 2016, there’s no doubt that their upcoming 2020 tour will see an exponential increase in fans.

The long-awaited 2020 tour is bound to fill Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya with excitement. This powerhouse duo is the perfect recipe for an explosive atmosphere that you just cannot miss.