was a Japanese

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

trio of the early 1980s led by singer/songwriter

Masami Tsuchiya is a Japanese singer-songwriter and musician, coming to prominence in the late 1970s as the lead vocalist and guitarist in the group Ippu-Do. His subsequent output includes solo work and collaborations. Tsuchiya's career in music started with ...

History

Ippu-Do debuted in 1979 with ''Normal'', made up of Tsuchiya on vocals and guitar, Akira Mitake on keyboards, and Shoji Fujii on drums. Between 1980 and 1981 they released two follow-ups, ''Real'' and ''Radio Fantasy'', the latter of which would be their first release outside Japan. The group thereafter went on hiatus, with Tsuchiya playing guitar with the band

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

on their final tour in 1982, and beginning a solo career. The group briefly reappeared in 1983 as a duo of Tsuchiya and Mitake, recording the studio album ''Night Mirage'', and the live ''Live And Zen'', supported on both releases by drummer Steve Jansen and keyboardist

Richard Barbieri Richard Barbieri (born 30 November 1957) is an English musician, composer and sound designer. Originally a member of new wave band Japan (and their brief 1989–1991 reincarnation as Rain Tree Crow), more recently he is known as the keyboard ...

, and bassist Percy Jones. Tsuchiya subsequently returned to his solo career, releasing several more albums in the 80s and beyond. A 1998 compilation entitled ''Very Best September Love'' combined both group and Tsuchiya solo work, while 2010's ''Essence'' covered only group selections, including the first appearance on CD of some tracks. 2006 saw the release of a 7 CD + 1 DVD box set entitled ''Magic Vox - Ippu-Do Era 1979-1984'', containing all five group albums, Tsuchiya's first solo album ''Rice Music'' from 1982, and a 1983 solo album by Mitake.

Discography

Studio albums

* (1979) ''Normal'' * (1980) ''Real'' * (1981) ''Radio Fantasy'' * (1983) ''Night Mirage''

Live album

* (1984) ''Live and Zen'' (recorded June 1983)

Compilations

* (1982) ''Lunatic Menu'' * (1998) ''Very Best September Love'' (Ippu-Do/Masami Tsuchiya) * (2006) '' Magic Vox : Ippu-Do Era 1979-1984'' (7-CD box set with DVD, includes Tsuchiya and Mitake solo releases) * (2010) ''Essence - The Very Best Of Ippu-Do''

References

External links

* Japanese pop music groups Japanese rock music groups Japanese new wave musical groups Musical groups established in 1979 Musical groups disestablished in 1984 {{Japan-band-stub