DJ Yamada's J-Pop Zone

It's time for a brand new Christmas episode, 12 songs for the 12 days of Christmas. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Track List:
1. Saegusa Yuka - Winter Wonderland
2. JUDY AND MARY - Christmas
3. Okamoto Hitoshi - arano no hate ni｛Angels We Have Heard On High｝
4. the brilliant green - angel song - ivu no kane -
5. saasa - akabana no tonakai {Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer}
6. Takako Matsu - mafuyu no memorīzu
7. Uedamari Megumi - kurisumasu no 12 nichi {12 Days of Christmas}
8. Shikago Pūdoru - santa ga machi ni yattekuru {Santa Claus is Coming to Town}
9. Morikawa Shichigatsu - White Christmas
10. Do As Infinity - We Are.
11. Hazze - koibito tachi no kurisumasu {All I Want For Christmas Is You}
12. Ainai Rina - Joy to the World

Time for another special!

Unlike my previous ones, which have been dedicated to specific artists, this is about music produced using the Vocaloid singing synthesiser software.

The original Vocaloid was released in 2004 but gained widespread popularity following the release of the "Hatsune Miku" version of Vocaloid 2. Since then several official compilations have been released and there have been live concerts featuring the mascot characters in Japan, Singapore, North America & Germany.

I have for you a selection of songs that for me demonstrate the capabilities of the software and why Vocaloid is popular both with fans and musicians alike.

Track List:
1. Studio IIG - Panorama Morning
2. Faye P - Sorry Kimi
3. OSTER Project - koi suru VOC@LOID
4. U-ske - Change My World
5. minato(Ryuusei P) - Magnet
6. U-Ske - kouzetsu egoizumu
7. Yuuyu - sayonara retoronyūwārudo
8. supercell - wārudoizumain
9. YM - Overtechnology
10. supercell - burakku★rokkushūtā
11. U-ske - GAME
12. kobayashi onikisu - sai hate
13. U-ske - mediocre
14. GonGoss - White letter
15. yuukiss - Memoriera (Gumitive edit)

I'll keep it short and sweet. This is a selection of songs I played in the J-Pop Lounge over the weekend of the AyaCon Convention. Because of the mixture of songs the flow is different but I think you'll still enjoy it

Track List:

1. Horie Yui - I My Me
2. Otsuka Ai - Mousou Chop
3. Perfume - Dream Fighter
4. Iwasaki Migaku - "Libera Me" From Hell
5. Hayashibara Megumi - A Happy Life
6. Nakajima Megumi - Anata no Oto
7. Goto Yuko - Butler Switch On!
8. Momotsuki Gakuen Ichinen C Gumi - Roulette * Roulette (Ichijou-san ver.)
9. Chiba Saeko, Orikasa Fumiko, Kawasumi Ayako & Noto Mamiko - Ichigo Complete
10. Perfume - Inryoku
11. Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra - Super Mario World
12. Hirai Ken - Pop Star
13. Shindou Kei, Takagaki Ayahi & MAKO - Panda Neko Taisou
14. Nakajima Megumi - Ninjin Loves You Yeah!
15. Saeki Mio & Shiraishi Ryoko - Daiji Da.I.Ji
16. Momotsuki Gakuen Ichinen C Gumi - Kiiro Vacances (Katagiri Himeko ver.)
17. Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - Ponponpon
18. TCY Force ft. Emyli - Champion
19. Namco Sound Team - Futari wa Mojipittan
20. YMCK - Socopogogo

Time for a new selection of tunes to get you on your dancing feet! There's a few of my old favourites plus songs from acts I've recently discovered. Get into the groove people!

Track List:

1. Genki Rockets - Star Surfer
2. Perfume - Perfect Star Perfect Style
3. Cargo - Free
4. Perfume - Love the World
5. m-flo loves Alex (CLAZZIQUAI PROJECT) - Love Me After 12am (Ram Rider Remix Dub)
6. De De Mouse - light night dance (Shinichi Osawa Remix)
7. Perfume - Polyrhythm
8. Ryukyudisko - 夢のFUTURE feat. Kotomi (TIME IS DISSING ME REMIX)
9. Fantastic Plastic Machine - Euphoria (Mondo Grosso Re-mix Radio Edit)
10. Shinichi Osawa - Main Street Electrical Parade [Disneyland (R)]

P.S. For folks in the UK, I'll be attending AyaCon this year where I'll be DJing in the J-Pop Lounge. See you soon

This is the set list I played at Heart Japan's launch night that took place on the 20th April 2011. It was a fantastic night and by the end £2000 was raised for the Tohoku Earthquake Fund!

You can find out more about Heart Japan and future events taking place at http://heartjapan.org.uk/. You can also view photos I took at the night on my Flickr set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/83239867@N00/sets/72157626427451241/

Track List:

1. Chiaki Kuriyama - Cold Finger Girl
2. Tohru Iwao - Title Mix Medley
3. Theatre Brook - Uragiri no Yuuyake,
4. Ananamaguchi - Another Winter
5. UTAU - Nyanyanyanyanyanyanya!
6. YMCK - Curry da yo!
7. YMCK, Panic Racer 005
8. ViViD - Yume ~Mugen no Kanata~
9. UVERworld - D-technoLife
10. Shinji Hosoe - Dr. Wily 1 (Rockman 2) mix
11. Miku Hatsune - Miku Miku Nishite Ageru
12. Teddyloid ft. Debra Zeer - D-City Rock
13. Yu Miyake & Masayuki Tanaka - Katamari on the Rocks
14. TeddyLoid - Fly Away
15. UVERworld - Chance!
16. TeddyLoid - Theme for Scanty & Kneesocks
17. UVERworld - Gold
18. Miku Hatsune - Poppipo

As you may have noticed, apart from a couple of exceptions, I'm not a big fan of J-Rock. UVERworld is one of those exceptions and my pick for the third of my focus specials.

UVERworld is a 5 member rock band (Takuya∞, Katsuya, Akira, Nobuto & Shintarō) originating from Kusatsu, Shiga, Japan. They formed in 2003 under the name "Sangoku Road" but changed it later that year following the departure of their Saxaphonist Seika.

They signed with Gr8! Records in 2005 and made their debut with "D-technolife", which was used as the second opening theme for the anime Bleach. Since then they have released a further 17 singles and 5 studio albums.

Their music has featured in various anime series, dramas and movies, including D.Gray-man and Mobile Suit Gundam 00.

The selection of songs I've chosen should easily explain why they are one of the few J-Rock Bands I listen to. Enjoy!

Track List:

1. Gekidou (AwakEVE ver.)
2. GOLD
3. Home Binetsu 39°C
4. Ukiyo Crossing
5. Mixed-Up
6. Barell
7. =
8. Shaka Beach ~Laka Laka La~ (album ver.)
9. Hakanaku mo Towa no Kanashi
10. Toki no Namida
11. D-technolife
12. The Truth
13. Colors of the Heart
14. Ai Ta Kokoro

P.S. I'm sure you don't need reminding of the current situation in Japan but our help is needed and any donations will help the country get back on it's feet. Here are a few sites where you can make donations (for British listeners):

Japan Tsunami Appeal
http://www.japantsunamiappeal.org.uk/

Save the Children
http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/en/japan-earthquake-and-tsunami-appeal.htm

British Red Cross
http://www.redcross.org.uk/Donate-Now/Make-a-single-donation/Japan-Tsunami-Appeal

I will also be DJing at the Heart Japan J-Pop/Anime fundraiser taking place at the Vibe Bar in Shoreditch, London. If you're on Facebook, please visit the event page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=173517922699647

If you can make it, I'll see you there!

Hey guys, hope you've all had a good start to 2011!

To start off the year I chosen 10 of my favourite J-Tunes, some new, some old (well for me anyway!) Choosing the selection was pretty difficult for the following reasons:

1. I have a lot of songs I really like
2. Half of them I've put up already in previous episodes...

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the selection. I'll try not to keep you waiting too long for the next episode!

Track List:
1. Sakamoto Maaya - Platinum
2. Otsuka Ai - Sakuranbo
3. UVERworld - Shamrock
4. Rip Slyme - Galaxy
5. Home Made Kazoku - Shōnen Heart
6. Aoyama Thelma - My Dear Friend
7. Soul'd Out - Tokyo Tsūshin ~Urbs Communication~
8. Heartsdales - Hey DJ
9. mihimaru GT - mihimarhythm
10. Tohyama Akitaka & Ninuma Kenji - The Moon and the Prince

This is a re-upload of the Christmas episode I did last year. It'll be staying online until January 6th so get it while you can! A 100% new episode will be coming at the start of the New Year. Until then, enjoy getting into the festive spirit and have a fantastic Christmas!

Track List:

1. PiANO MASTER - Merry Christmas Mr.Lawrence ~senjou no merīkurisumasu yori~
2. K - This Christmas
3. Matsuda Seiko - jinguruberu mo kikoe nai
4. Makihara Takayuki - yuki ni negai o
5. Hirose Koumi - DEAR...again
6. Foxxi misQ - LAST CHRISTMAS
7. Heartsdales - fuyu gonna love
8. Aoyama Thelma Feat. Douji-T - This Day
9. K - Wonderful Christmastime

Note: Artist names are shown Japanese-style (surname first). Also, the episode title translates to "Merry Christmas!"

As people who know me are aware of, I'm a bit of a petrolhead. It would come as no surprise that I was drawn to the Anime/Manga "Initial D", which is all about drift racing on mountain passes in Japan. For those who don't know about the series, here is part of the synopsis (taken off Wikipedia):

Set in the late 1990s in Japan's Gunma Prefecture, the series follows the adventures of Takumi Fujiwara, an eighteen year old who helps his father run a tofu store by making deliveries every morning to a hotel on Akina with his father's Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX (AE86). It is revealed that Takumi has been driving on Mt. Akina every morning to deliver Tofu to the summit five years before he even had his license. As a result his skills in mountain racing were honed, and is able to drive under adverse weather conditions.

For the full story, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Initial_d

One of the notable things about this series other than the use of CG for the race scenes is the Eurobeat soundtrack. I've picked my favourites from the various series & movies and hope it gives you a taster of the excitement and energy of the series

Track List:

1. move - Blazin' Beat
2. Edo Boys- No One Sleeps In Tokyo
3. Speedman - Speed Lover
4. Mega NRG Man - Express Love
5. Nobuyuki Hiyama - Back On The Rocks
6. Mega NRG Man - Get Me Power
7. Max Coveri - Running In The 90's
8. move - Dogfight
9. Morris - Crazy For Your Love
10. Valentina - I Love You Like You Are
11. Wain L - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
12. Dave Rodgers - Space Boy

A short & sweet episode for the summer. Here are ten of my favourite tracks for chilling in the summer sun (if you're lucky enough to not be in my part of the world!) and letting the day pass by without a care...

Track List
1. Teriyaki Boyz - You Know What Time Is It!
2. Exile - Summer Time Love
3. mihimaru GT - Vivacation
4. Thelma Aoyama - Paradise
5. Heartsdales feat. Soul'd Out - Candy Pop
6. Home Made Kazoku - manatsu no dance call
7. m-flo loves Emi Nichinouchi & Ryohei - Summer Time Love
8. Cargo - My Ring
9. mihimaru GT - torokechau dandy
10. Soul'd Out - iruka

Time for another episode focusing on an act that has influenced my musical tastes. This month I have chosen Orange Range, who are one of the first Japanese bands I listened to. Here is a bit of info on them:

Orange Range is a 5-member Okinawan alternative rock band (Naoto Hiroyama, Ryo Miyamori, Yamato Ganeko, Hiroki Hokama & Yoh Miyamori), based in Okinawa, Japan. Formed in 2001, the band began with Spice Music and later signed with Sony Music Japan's gr8! records division in 2003.

So far they have released 21 singles, 6 studio albums, 4 compilations, with a 5th consisting of all their singles to be released on July 14th 2010 and 6 DVDs.

This episode features my favourite songs from the albums First Contact, Musiq, Natural & Orange Range. I will hopefully the purchasing the most recent 2 very soon when I head to the Land of the Rising Sun itself for a couple of weeks.

Until the next episode, enjoy and look forward to some new tunes when I return!

Track List:
1. Miracle
2. Locolotion
3. Onegai! Senorita
4. Champione
5. City Boy
6. Shanghai Honey
7. Yumejin
8. Matsuri Danshaku
9. Everysing
10. Hysteric Taxi
11. Ishin Denshin
12. O2
13. Kirikirimai ~Album Version~
14. *~Asterisk~

It's been a while since I last unleashed some of my favourite anime tunes on you so here are some more!

Track List:

1. THEATRE BROOK - Uragiri no Yuuyake (Durarara!!)
2. Endo Masaaki - Yusha-oh Tanjou! (King of Braves GaoGaiGar)
3. DANCE*MAN - Afro Gunsou (Keroro Gunsou)
4. Hayashibara Megumi - A Happy Life (Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight!)
5. Horie Yui with UNSCANDAL - Scramble
6. Shindou Kei & Takagaki Ayahi & MAKO - Aozora Triangle (Hanamaru Youchien)
7. Mother Ninja - Talkin' bout good days (Wangan Midnight)
8. Mizuhashi Kaori & Gotou Yuuko & Asumi Kana & Shintani Ryouko - Hatena de Wasshoi (Hidamari Sketch x365)
9. Kumano Kiyomi - Kurukururin (2x2=Shinobuden)
10. Momotsuki Gakuen Ichinen D Gumi - Moonlight Love (Pani Poni Dash!)
11. Kugimiya Rie & Horie Yui & Kitamura Eri - Orange (Toradora!)
12. Asou Natsuko - Brand New World (Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z Hen)
13. refio + Shimotsuki Haruka - Toumei Shelter (Rozen Maiden)
14. Chiwa Saito - Purippurin Taisou (Kemeko Deluxe!)

Slowing things down again with this selection of romantically themed songs. Idealy I should've done this as February's episode but the idea came to my head after Valentine's Day... None the less I hope you like it

Track List

1. Rie Fu - I Wanna Go To a Place...
2. Mihimaru GT - Love is...
3. Round Table feat. Nino - Stay With Me
4. m-flo loves Bonnie Pink - Love Song
5. Zone - 恋 (Love)
6. Thelma Aoyama - Again
7. Genki Rockets - Never Ever
8. Ai Otsuka - 恋愛写真 (Love Photograph)
9. Hikaru Utada - Final Distance
10. Megumi Nakajima - 愛·おぼえていますか (Do You Remember Love)

Another selection of tracks from various sets I've played at the J-Pop Go! nights, plus a couple of previously unplayed ones that I hope to play at future nights. For more info and the latest news, please visit www.jpopgo.co.uk

Track List

1. UVERworld - Chance!
2. Eri Nobuchika - Lights
3. FLOW - Colors
4. Rip Slyme - Stepper's Delight
5. Ai Otsuka - Happy Days
6. Round Table feat. Nino - Let Me Be With You
7. Ken Hirai - Pop Star
8. Cargo - Rock With You
9. Home Made Kazoku feat. SEAMO - Fantastic 3
10. SOUL'd OUT - To All Tha Dreamers
11. Yuya Matsushita - Trust Me
12. Move - Spring Breeze

My first podcast of 2010 is a bit different from previous ones. I felt that should kick things off at a relaxed pace so I've chosen some of my favourite chillout tracks. These songs are good for listening to after a hectic day or even just to have on in the background as you relax. I hope you enjoy the selection, my next podcast will be back up to the usual tempo!

Track List

1. Rie Fu - 5000 Miles
2. Round Table - Beat De Jump
3. Zone - Like
4. Cargo - Night Play
5. Thelma Aoyama - リズム (Rhythm)
6. Teriyaki Boyz - いつも (Always) It's More
7. Eri Nobuchika - Inner Glow
8. Rip Slyme - Strange
9. Bird - Sparkles
10. Mondo Grosso - Star Suite III ~North Star~

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