MA55IVE THE RAMPAGE release long-awaited first CD single! An aggressive trap sound, like invaders from another world. No one can stop them now they’ve started!

INVADERZ Jacket Cover

Boyband MA55IVE THE RAMPAGE have released their first ever CD single. Released Wednesday, September 13, the CD features two songs, including the freshly recorded new track ‘INVADERZ’, while the DVD includes MA55IVE’s first ever music video! It also features three live videos from the concert event THE SURVIVAL 2022 ~BALLISTIK BOYZ vs MA55IVE~ × PSYCHIC FEVER held in Japan in 2022, making it a must-see.

MA55IVE THE RAMPAGE is a unit comprising five members who are also performers in THE RAMPAGE from EXILE TRIBE: LIKIYA, Kenta Kamiya, Shogo Yamamoto, Shohei Urakawa and Takahide Suzuki. They express their own original style based on hip-hop and R&B.

The group have kept busy active since their formation in 2019. They have released six digital singles and three Music Cards (collectible cards that include a music download code), and the members led by LIKIYA take turns to appear on the weekly block.fm program ‘RMPG DOPE STATION’, where they introduce the latest music chart.

Be sure to check out the single across all digital streaming link here!

HIRAIDAI releases lyric video for ‘HONEY&MOON’, from his latest EP!

‘SURF & TURF’ Digial Jacket cover

Popular Singer-songwriter HIRAIDAI has released a lyric video for his song ‘HONEY&MOON’, which was published on August 30 as a YouTube Premiere release. The song is featured on ‘SURF & TURF (Deluxe Edition)’, which was released on August 27 as an expanded version of his ‘SURF & TURF’ EP, originally released digitally on June 25. 

Perfect for summer, the song is filled with romance, sung by HIRAIDAI over a lovers’ rock-style reggae band sound. The song was performed during a special concert for 6,000 attendees at Enoshima Higashihama Beach in Japan on August 28, receiving a red-hot reaction from fans.

The lyric video is perfectly suited to a song about the moon. This mellow video shows the cute silhouette of a rabbit against a lunar background that gradually changes from pink to orange. The video is out now, so check it out!

The EP ‘SURF & TURF (Deluxe Edition)’ is a special package that includes five songs from the ‘SURF & TURF’ EP, which was originally produced in conjunction with HIRAIDAI’s own music festival titled HIRAIDAI presents THE BEACH TRIP 2023. In addition to the five songs from the original EP, it also features two new songs (‘HONEY&MOON’ and ‘Jinsei Note’), along with live recordings of five songs performed at the THE BEACH TRIP 2023 at ZOZO Marine Stadium, which drew some 30,000 fans.

A playlist that collect HIRAIDAI’s must-hear summer songs has also been released on various streaming platforms – a perfect soundtrack for the last days of summer which can be located here!

HIRAIDAI「SURF & TURF

01. HONEY&MOON

02. Jinsei Note

03. Lovely Day, Lovely Place.

04. Wonderful Life

05. Surf ’n Turf

06. Kakegae no nai Mono

07. Endless Summer

08. Lovely Day, Lovely Place. (live at THE BEACH TRIP 2023)

09. Wonderful Life (live at THE BEACH TRIP 2023)

10. Surf ’n Turf (live at THE BEACH TRIP 2023)

11. Kakegae no nai Mono (live at THE BEACH TRIP 2023)

12. Endless Summer (live at THE BEACH TRIP 2023)



Shiki Miyoshino Is Set To Make Her Debut

Shiki Miyoshino, who is an American-born singer, is a member of the PRISM Project and has announced she will be making her major debut with Sony Music Labels Inc. Miyoshino is a virtual YouTuber who is also an occultic inugami born from the wandering souls of dog owners who have lost their passion. She is lively and cheerful and deeply loves music, horror, and, of course, dogs. Within the virtual talent industry, she is known as a songstress who captivates audiences worldwide with her beautiful singing voice “hanahaki” will be released on July 12..

Her first single, titled “hanahaki”, delves into the theme of “Hanahaki Syndrome,” a fictional disease in which an individual suffering from unrequited love coughs up flower petals. This marks the beginning of her journey as a messenger of the occult. The music is composed by the enigmatic US-based composer known as “GHOST,” who boasts a subscriber count of over 400,000.

YOJI BIOMEHANIKA’s remix of T99’s eternal rave anthem ‘ANASTHASIA’ is back with an all-new 2023 version!

Since the early 1990s, world-class Japanese DJ/producer YOJI BIOMEHANIKA has made an indelible mark on the history of dance music, ranking in the prestigious Top 100 DJs chart by British publication DJ Mag, and performing at major festivals such as Tomorrowland and EDC. Following the November 2022 release of ‘LOOK@THE HEAVEN (A REWORKED MIX FOR agefarre 2022)’, he continues his ‘REWORKED’ series with YOJI BIOMEHANIKA’s ‘ANASTHASIA 2001 (2023 REWORKED MIX)’, released globally last week.

YOJI BIOMEHANIKA’s original remix ‘ANASTHASIA 2001’ was released in 2000, based on T99’s immortal dance masterpiece ‘ANASTHASIA’, which hit No. 14 on the UK singles chart when it was first released in 1991. Now, this timeless classic is getting a 2023 update. 

T99’s original track ‘ANASTHASIA’ captivated music fans around the world with its massive sampling arrangement, and became an anthem on heavy rotation during the peak of Japan’s legendary club JULIANA’S TOKYO. The track is still popular among dance music fans today. This killer tune was then remixed by YOJI BIOMEHANIKA, who was active as a top producer in the nu-NRG genre that was popular in the UK dance scene at the time. ‘ANASTHASIA 2001’ began with a 2-minute-long break that finally erupted into a high-energy sound. Now, some 20-odd years later, this classic has an all-new revival as ‘ANASTHASIA 2001 (2023 REWORKED MIX)’. Following a break that gradually develops into chaos, the dynamic and rhythmic sequencing style that is YOJI’s hallmark kicks in, pulling everyone on the dancefloor and all the listeners wherever they are into YOJI’s world.

The 2000 version, ‘ANASTHASIA 2001’, is also being made newly available on download and streaming services on the same date.

In July, YOJI BIOMEHANIKA will take this new remix on the road, with performances at the Tidyland Weekender 2023 festival in the UK, shows in Vancouver and Calgary in Canada, and more to follow all around the world. Watch out for globally celebrated legend YOJI BIOMEHANIKA as he pushes forward to the next stage with endless energy.

Release information:

Artist: T99 with YOJI BIOMEHANIKA

Title: ANASTHASIA 2001 (2023 REWORKED MIX)

Release date: Friday, June 2, 2023

Format: Digital release 

Label: avex EDM


Artist: T99 with YOJI BIOMEHANIK

Title: ANASTHASIA 2001

Release date: Friday, June 2, 2023

Format: Digital release 

Label: avex EDM


■ YOJI BIOMEHANIKA profile

In the late 1970s, the young man who would become YOJI BIOMEHANIKA immersed himself in advanced music such as noise, musique concrète, and overdubs. Later, he resonated with the futurist movement that rolled out in the ’80s amidst the evolution of digital technology in the form of MIDI. He found his identity in its technology-oriented, danceable sound-making opportunities and alternative appearance.

In the early ’90s, he started his career as a dance music producer and DJ under the name YOJI BIOMEHANIKA. He released numerous works on bleeding-edge labels in Germany and the UK as well as in Japan, and quickly gained attention. He rose to stardom as a leading figure in the NU-NRG scene and created a following known as “Hanikers”.

With the arrival of the Millennium in 2000, the NU ERA was filled with expectations for the dawning of a new future. YOJI BIOMEHANIKA expanded the stage of his activities globally, launching the label HELLHOUSE with London as its distribution base, and released a series of 12-inch singles of his original tracks. Each release has made the charts.

He has released many DJ MIX compilations in Japan and abroad, handpicking a list of popular DJs to participate. 

In 2001, he released his first artist album ‘TECHNICOLOR NRG SHOW’ on avex (released overseas by ID&T in the Netherlands) and the first Japanese DJ live DVD ‘TECHNICOLOR NRG SHOWCASE’ in Japan. With a powerful stage presence and a string of original works that have become global anthems, he has jet-set across the globe to Western, Eastern and Central Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, and Oceania, where he broke out with an unprecedented run of performances including Mysteryland, Defqon-.1, Dance Valley, Tomorrowland, In Control, EDC, Creamfields, and many, many more.

He was the headliner at Sensation Black in Amsterdam for a groundbreaking two years in a row, and has frequently ranked in the DJ Mag Top 100, climbing to the 32nd position – unparalleled for a Japanese artist. In 2003, he won the Grand Prix at the Hard Dance Awards, established in the UK in its first year; and in 2011, he won two awards – Outstanding Contribution and Best International DJ Asia – in recognition of his contribution to the scene. His achievement in bringing hard electronic dance music from the underground to the mainstream market is a milestone in music history, and is one of the reasons why he is considered an industry legend.

He began performing under the artist name YOJI (without BIOMEHANIKA) since 2007, advocating a hybrid music style known as Tech Dance that shifts more toward techno. He has had many hits such as ‘SIX HOURS’, ‘TECHY TECHY’, ‘AIRPORT’, and others. After about seven years of musical exploration under this style, he returned to his identity performing a melodic big room sound.

In 2015 he returned to the name YOJI BIOMEHANIKA, rebooting his original persona with a full heart. He released his third album ‘CHAPTER X’ on avex EDM, his first album in 11 years, and all the single cuts from the album ranked highly on iTunes. In 2016, he launched the ‘BANGINGLOBE’ label (under dieTunes) as a platform for his overseas work. Releases from avex in Japan are released overseas on this label, and each release has entered the world dance charts. All three parts of the digital album ‘A QUARTER CENTURY OF YOJI BIOMEHANIKA’, a compilation of YOJI’s musical history released at the end of 2017, ranked in Beatport’s Top 5 albums.

In 2018, a rework of one of his signature tracks, ‘HARDSTYLE DISCO (2018 REVERSE BASS EDIT)’, was released and received a GOLD rating in a review from DJ Mag. The track is a huge anthem that continues to be loved by many artists around the world, and NWYR (W&W) performed a cover of the original track at Tomorrowland in 2017, where it became a scene sensation. The remix by Da Tweekaz and Sub Zero Project was released on avex EDM in Japan and Dirty Workz in Belgium, and became a mega hit. 

In the same year, he supervised the production of Japan’s first major hardstyle compilation, ‘BANGINGLOBE PRESENTS SUPER HARDSTYLE’ (avex EDM), which reached No.1 on the iTunes dance chart on its first day of release.

Tuneback Tuesday - Second Week of April

Let’s turn back the hands of time as we look back at the songs that made the Japanese music industry what it was on the Oricon Weekly Chart. This week we look back at the second week of April for both 2010 and 2015, when boy group NEWS and mega idol group SKE48 reigned supreme with “Sakura Girl” and “Coquettish Jūtai Chū”, respectively. But just what exactly made these songs so great?


588px-Sakura_Girlregular.jpg

“Sakura Girl” - NEWS

“Sakura Girl” was the fourteenth single by NEWS, who in 2003 released their first single, “News Nippon”, which hit number one. NEWS has consistently released number one songs since their debut and it is easy to see why with this track in particular. “Sakura Girl” has a fun, catchy melody sung expertly the guys. It’s got a light and whimsical feel which is enjoyable for the listener. “Sakura Girl” was written by Heroism along with Hacchin 'Maya and was composed by Heroism. The track sold over 195,000 copies in its first week and would go on to hit platinum. 


Coquettish_Jūtai_Chū_Cover.jpg

“Coquettish Jūtai Chū” - SKE48

“Coquettish Jūtai Chū” was the seventeenth single released by the ever-popular idol group SKE48. Debuting in 2008 as a spin-off to the super popular idol group AKB48, SKE48 has always had a huge fanbase and it is easy to see why with “Coquettish Jūtai Chū”. This is one fun, high energy number that really gets the listener going. You can truly hear the fun energy that the girls give off here. The song was written by Akimoto Yasushi, composition was done by Fujimi Takafumi, and was arranged by Yu Sasaki. “Coquettish Jūtai Chū” would go on to sell over half a million copies in its first week on the chart, easily taking the number spot for this week in 2015.