Luxury (Fantastic Plastic Machine Album)
''Luxury'' is the second studio album by Japanese musician Fantastic Plastic Machine (musician), Fantastic Plastic Machine. It was released on September 10, 1998, by Nippon Columbia, Readymade Records. The album was released in Germany on March 29, 1999, by Bungalow Records and in the United States on April 27, 1999, by Emperor Norton Records. ''Luxury'' is a continuation of Fantastic Plastic Machine's previous work in Shibuya-kei, though in some tracks there are indications of a shift towards house music with 1960s northern soul and 1970s Philadelphia soul influences, a path he explored more on his next album ''Beautiful (Fantastic Plastic Machine album), Beautiful''. ''Luxury'' features guest vocals from Lorraine Bowen, Simon Fisher Turner, and Yukari Fresh, among others. Critical reception Sarah Zupko of ''PopMatters'' wrote, "''Luxury'' revels in international, otherworldly sounds and collaborations with musicians who perfectly suit Tanaka's experimental bent." She called th ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Fantastic Plastic Machine (musician)
Fantastic Plastic Machine is the stage name of , a Japanese musician and DJ born in Kyoto, Japan. Tanaka was considered to be part of the Shibuya-kei movement. History In the late 1980s, Tanaka played as the bassist in a rock band called Margarine Strikes Back. Then in the early 1990s, Tanaka became a regular club DJ in the Kansai area, working as part of a DJ team known as Sound Impossible. While playing with Sound Impossible, his friend Towa Tei convinced Tanaka to return to recording music, and in 1997 Tanaka created his solo project Fantastic Plastic Machine under the Readymade Records (a Columbia Music Entertainment sub-label) label in Japan. His 1997 self-titled debut album was described by Stevie Huey as a "bright, bubbly pop confection that reconfigures classic pop and cocktail lounge idioms for the '90s dancefloor." His following album ''Luxury'' (1998) " xploresmore down-tempo territory and oncentratesmore on creating texture with his mixes". These albums would go o ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Yukari Fresh
Yukari Fresh (real name ), is a Shibuya-kei artist. Beginnings Yukari Takasaki was one of seventeen members of Tokyo's Escalator Records' first bands, Snapshot. The duo (Takasaki and her current husband, Yugo Katayama) released several singles and EPs, but turned to solo and other collaborative work in the later mid-90s. Solo debut Yukari debuted with the cheekily titled ''Yukari's Perfect!'' in 1997 on Escalator Records. The record featured such guests as Hideki Kaji and the Genbeat. The poppy, whimsical record gained the attention of Shibuya-kei artists ( Cornelius, Kahimi Karie, and other early Shibuya-kei artists) and Germany's Bungalow Records (the label which pressed a split single with Stereo Total later in 1997), even though Yukari was still a newcomer to the solo music scene. Yukari was asked to contribute to the 1998 '' Sushi 4004'' compilation, a compilation which featured other Shibuya-kei artists of repute such as Kahimi Karie, Takako Minekawa, Fantastic Plast ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Fantastic Plastic Machine (musician) Albums
Fantastic Plastic Machine can mean one of four things: * Fantastic Plastic Machine (musician), the stage name of Japanese musician Tomoyuki Tanaka ** ''The Fantastic Plastic Machine'' (album), the 1997 debut album of the above artist * ''The Fantastic Plastic Machine ''The Fantastic Plastic Machine'' is a 1969 documentary film following a group of California surfers as they journey to an Australian surfing competition. The film is narrated by Jay North. It was directed by Eric and Lowell Blum and was filme ...'', the 1969 documentary film about surfing ** ''The Fantastic Plastic Machine'' (soundtrack), the soundtrack to the film, composed by Harry Betts {{disambig ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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1998 Albums
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently shadowed craters near the Moon's poles. * January 11 – Over 100 people are killed in the Sidi-Hamed massacre in Algeria. * January 12 – Nineteen European nations agree to forbid human cloning. * January 17 – The ''Drudge Report'' breaks the story about U.S. President Bill Clinton's alleged affair with Monica Lewinsky, which will lead to the House of Representatives' impeachment of him. February * February 3 – Cavalese cable car disaster: A United States military pilot causes the deaths of 20 people near Trento, Italy, when his low-flying EA-6B Prowler severs the cable of a cable-car. * February 4 – The 5.9 Afghanistan earthquake shakes the Takhar Province with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (''Very strong''). With up to 4, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Dave Stewart (musician And Producer)
David Allan Stewart (born 9 September 1952) is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for Eurythmics, his successful professional partnership with Annie Lennox. Sometimes credited as David A. Stewart, he won Best British Producer at the 1986, 1987 and 1990 Brit Awards. Stewart (along with Lennox) was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020 and the duo were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. Outside of Eurythmics, Stewart has written and produced songs for artists such as Ringo Starr, Stevie Nicks, Mick Jagger and Tom Petty. Early life Stewart was born in Sunderland, England, in 1952 and he attended Barnes Infants and Junior School and Bede Grammar School for Boys. [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Annie Lennox
Ann Lennox (born 25 December 1954) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving moderate success in the late 1970s as part of the New wave music, new wave band the Tourists, she and fellow musician Dave Stewart (musician and producer), Dave Stewart went on to achieve international success in the 1980s as Eurythmics. Appearing in the 1983 music video for "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" with orange cropped hair and wearing a man's business suit, the BBC states, "all eyes were on Annie Lennox, the singer whose powerful androgynous look defied the male gaze". Subsequent hits with Eurythmics include "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" and "Here Comes the Rain Again". Lennox embarked on a solo career in 1992 with her debut album, ''Diva (Annie Lennox album), Diva'', which produced several hit singles including "Why (Annie Lennox song), Why" and "Walking on Broken Glass". The same year, she performed "Love Song for a Vampire" ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)
"There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" is a song by the British musical duo Eurythmics, released as the second single from their fifth studio album, '' Be Yourself Tonight'' (1985). It features a harmonica solo by American musician Stevie Wonder. The song became a worldwide success; most notably in Ireland, Norway and the United Kingdom, where it remains the duo's only chart-topper. The song has been covered by several musical artists, including Brittany Murphy, Fantastic Plastic Machine, Leningrad Cowboys, Luciano Pavarotti, Kylie Minogue, Jessica G. Pilnäs and German girl group No Angels, who obtained their second number-one single in Austria and Germany with their rendition for the reissue of their album ''Elle'ments'' in August 2001. Original version Upon its release, "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" became Eurythmics' first (and to date only) number-one single in the United Kingdom, reaching number one on 27 July 1985, whilst also topping the c ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Masanori Ikeda
is a Japanese actor, singer, and voice actor. He is best known for playing Shishio Makoto in the anime Rurouni Kenshin. Filmography Television animation ;1980s * ''Kimagure Orange Road'' (1987) – "Night of Summer Side" (opening theme) ;1990s * '' Battle Spirits Ryuuko no Ken'' (1993) – Robert Garcia * ''Mehyō Sakunetsu no Sniper'' (1996) * ''Rurouni Kenshin'' (1996) – Shishio Makoto ;2000s * ''Atto Homu'' (2000) – Takashi Ōkubo * ''Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters'' (2000) – Narrator * ''The Prince of Tennis'' (2001) – Yūdai Yamato * ''Nanba Kinyū-den Minami no Teiō'' V-Cinema 34: "Brand no Jūatsu" (2006) * ''Reborn!'' (2006) – Xanxus ;2010s * ''Kaseifu no Mita'' (2011) – Isao Minakawa * ''Black Angels 2'' (2012) * ''Black Angels 3'' (2012) Theatrical animation * '' Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters: Pyramid of Light'' (2004) – Narrator * '' Rurouni Kenshin – Shin Kyoto-Hen: Zenpen Homura no Ori'' (2011) – Shishio Makoto * '' Rurouni Kenshin – Shin Kyoto-hen: Hikar ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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The Fantastic Plastic Machine (album)
''The Fantastic Plastic Machine'' is the debut studio album by Japanese musician Fantastic Plastic Machine. It was released on October 10, 1997, by Readymade Records. The album was subsequently released in Germany on April 24, 1998, by Bungalow Records and in the United States on September 15, 1998, by Emperor Norton Records. The album drew influence and inspiration from music styles—including baroque pop, bossa nova, beat, and europop, as well as dance music roots. The album cover art was illustrated by French-Armenian cartoonist and illustrator Edmond Kiraz. Critical reception Steve Huey of AllMusic described ''The Fantastic Plastic Machine'' as "a delightful, infectious album that's not only hooky as all get-out, but also rewards repeated listening", deeming it "one of the best albums to come out of the Japanese club-pop movement". In 2007, ''Rolling Stone Japan'' placed ''The Fantastic Plastic Machine'' at number 67 on its list of the "100 Greatest Japanese Rock Album ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Tokyo Weekender
''Tokyo Weekender'' magazine is the oldest English publication in Japan. Founded in 1970 by Corky Alexander and Susan Scully, ''Tokyo Weekender'' was first published bi-monthly. Now ''Tokyo Weekender'' is published monthly and is distributed in embassies, luxury hotels, shops, stations and airports. Early years ''Tokyo Weekender'' was co-founded by Korean War veteran Millard "Corky" Alexander and Susan Scully, previously co-workers at ''Pacific Stars and Stripes''. It was the first free regular English publication in Japan. As well as being free at various locations, it used to come inside the Friday edition of the English ''Daily Yomiuri'', a real distribution coup. After Corky died, the publication was taken over by his daughter and son-in-law before being relaunched by Caroline Pover. In 2008 ''Tokyo Weekender'' was purchased by Bulbouscell Media Group. In 2015, Bulbouscell Media Group was bought by the PR Agency Sunny Side Up Inc., and later merged with ENGAWA K.K., an SSU g ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Europop
Europop (also spelled Euro pop) is a style of pop music that originated in Europe during the mid-to-late 1960s and developed to today's form throughout the late 1970s. Europop topped the charts throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with revivals and moderate degrees of appreciation also in the 2000s and the 2010s. History During the 1970s and early 1980s, such groups were primarily popular in Continental Europe, continental countries, with the exception of ABBA (1972–1983).ABBA The History', Billboard, 8 September 1979. Retrieved 3 June 2022 The Swedish four-person band achieved great success in the UK, where they scored twenty top 10 singles and nine chart-topping albums, and in North America and Australia. In the late 1980s and early 1990s Europop became very popular. Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Italian dance group Eiffel 65 were highly active in this genre. In the 2000s, one of the most popular representatives of Europop music was Swedish pop group Alcazar (b ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater, visual arts, travel, and the Internet. History ''PopMatters'' was founded by Sarah Zupko, who had previously established the cultural studies academic resource site PopCultures. ''PopMatters'' launched in late 1999 as a sister site providing original essays, reviews and criticism of various media products. Over time, the site went from a weekly publication schedule to a five-day-a-week magazine format, expanding into regular reviews, features, and columns. In the fall of 2005, monthly readership exceeded one million. From 2006 onward, ''PopMatters'' produced several syndicated newspaper columns for McClatchy-Tribune News Service. By 2009 there were four different pop culture related col ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |