Ego-Wrappin (stylised as EGO-WRAPPIN) is a Japanese jazz and rock musical duo, composed of vocalist Yoshie Nakano and guitarist Masaki Mori. The group formed in
Osaka
is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
in 1996, releasing their debut album ''Blue Speaker'' in 1998. The band gained national recognition with their
cabaret
Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...
and
kayōkyoku
is a Japanese pop music genre, which became a base of modern J-pop. ''The Japan Times'' described ''kayōkyoku'' as "standard Japanese pop" or "Shōwa period, Shōwa-era pop".
''Kayōkyoku'' represents a blend of Western and Japanese musical s ...
inspired song "Midnight Dejavu (Shikisai no Blues)" (2000).
Biography
Ego-Wrappin' was formed in 1996 in Osaka. Originally the band focused their activities in the
Kansai
The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropoli ...
region,
performing at
live house
A is a Japanese live music club – a music venue featuring live music. The term is a Japanese coinage ( wasei eigo) and is mainly used in East Asia. It most frequently refers to smaller venues, which may double as bars, especially featuring ...
s alongside acts such as
Mondo Grosso and
Attica Blues.
Initially, the group released music through the independent label Metro Crew Records, including their debut
extended play
An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...
''Calling Me'' (1996).
In 1998, the band were featured in the soundtrack for the
Eri Fukatsu-starring drama ''Kirakira Hikaru'', covering
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...
' "
Disney Girls (1957)".
In June of the same year, the band released their debut album, the English language ''Blue Speaker'', through independent label RD Records,
an Osaka-based subsidiary of
Hip Land Music Corp. The album was successful on local Osaka area independent music charts, and was praised by musician
Seiichi Yamamoto.
In 1999, the band released two extended plays: their first Japanese language extended play ''His Choice of Shoes Is Ill!'' in February, followed by ''Swing for Joy'' in November.
A song from the extended play, "A Love Song", which featured Osaka ska band Determinations, received strong airplay on regional radio stations such as FM Ishikawa and FM North Wave (Hokkaido).
From 2000, the band began performing concerts in Tokyo and other regions of Japan, outside of Kansai.
In 2000, the band came to national attention with their song "Shikisai no Blues", a
cabaret
Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...
and
kayōkyoku
is a Japanese pop music genre, which became a base of modern J-pop. ''The Japan Times'' described ''kayōkyoku'' as "standard Japanese pop" or "Shōwa period, Shōwa-era pop".
''Kayōkyoku'' represents a blend of Western and Japanese musical s ...
song written in the style of 1960s jazz singer
Mina Aoe.
Originally the song was released as a part of the extended play ''Shikisai no Blues''. When it was later released as a stand-alone single/extended play in 2001, it sold over 193,000 copies in Japan.
In May 2001, Ego-Wrappin' established their own sub-label of
Toy's Factory
is a Japanese record label founded in the late 1980s as a subsidiary of the entertainment company VAP, based in Japan. On May 30, 1990, it was established as an independent company. It is an associate member of the Recording Industry Assoc ...
called Minor Swing, and released their third album ''Michishio no Romance''. This album, as well as ''Night Food'' (2002) and ''Merry Merry'' (2004) were commercially successful, all being certified gold by the
Recording Industry Association of Japan
The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969.
The RIAJ's activities include pro ...
.
''Night Food'' featured the song "Kuchibashi ni Cherry" (2002), which was the theme song of the
Nippon TV
JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as (NTV) or Nippon TV, is a Japanese television station serving the Kantō region as the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned and operated by the , a sub ...
drama ''Shiritsu Tantei Hama Mike''.
In 2006, Ego-Wrappin' released their fifth album ''On the Rocks!'', and toured Europe for the first time, performing concerts in Denmark and Sweden as a part of the Tokyo Sound Revolution event.
During the tour, Ego-Wrappin' formed a support band, The Gossip of Jaxx, who performed during the album's tour.
In 2009, the band released ''Ego-Wrappin' and the Gossip of Jaxx'': an album featuring music recorded with this support band.
In 2010, the band released ''Sure Shot'', a split single with rock band
Brahman
In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' (; IAST: ''Brahman'') connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality of the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part XII In the ...
.
In 2014, Ego-Wrappin' performed the theme songs for the drama ''
Reverse Edge: Ōkawabata Tanteisha''.
Discography
*''Blue Speaker'' (1998)
*''Michishio no Romance'' (2001)
*''Night Food'' (2002)
*''Merry Merry'' (2004)
*''On the Rocks!'' (2006)
*''Ego-Wrappin' and the Gossip of Jaxx'' (2009)
*''Naimono Nedari no Deadheat'' (2010)
*''Steal a Person's Heart'' (2013)
*''Dream Baby Dream'' (2019)
References
External links
*
Toy's Factory label site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ego Wrappin
1996 establishments in Japan
Japanese jazz ensembles
Japanese musical duos
Japanese pop music groups
Japanese rock music groups
Musical groups established in 1996
Musical groups from Osaka
Reggae fusion groups
Toy's Factory artists
Universal Music Japan artists
Male–female musical duos