Ra:IN (an

acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

for "Rock and Inspiration") is a Japanese

instrumental rock Instrumental rock is rock music that emphasizes musical instruments and features very little or no singing. Examples of instrumental rock can be found in practically every subgenre of rock, often from musicians who specialize in the style. Instr ...

band. Formed in 2002 by guitarist

Pata Pata or PATA may refer to: Places * Pata, Sulu, a Philippine municipality * Pata, Galanta District, a village in Slovakia * Pata, Central African Republic, a village * Pata village (Samoa), a village in Samoa * Pontrilas Army Training Area, a ...

, bassist Michiaki and drummer Tetsu, the group is signed to the

Danger Crue Danger Crue Records is a Japanese visual kei independent record label located in Tokyo, Japan. It was originally the record label of the Danger Crue music office, both founded in 1981. According to D'erlanger drummer Tetsu, Danger Crue was formed ...

label. Former hide with Spread Beaver keyboardist DIE joined the band in May 2007, and Tetsu left in April 2014, being replaced on the drums by Ryu. They have released three albums, a single and a two track EP, and have toured extensively, including international shows in China,

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

History

Ra:IN was formed as a

power trio A power trio is a rock and roll band format having a lineup of electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit (drums and cymbals), leaving out a second rhythm guitar or keyboard instrument that are often used in other rock music bands that are quart ...

in summer 2002 with

on guitar, Michiaki on bass and Tetsu on drums. They were named by Masayoshi Kabe, Michiaki's bandmate in Zoku Zoku Kazoku. They went on their first tour in December, with their debut maxi-single "The Border" released in April of next year. It was followed by their first album ''The Line'' in November. They had their first overseas performances in 2004;

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

on April 24–25 and one in

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...

in July. RaIN performed three shows in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

in May 2005, and at the closing of the hide museum on September 9 back in Japan. At the museum show, they were joined by former hide with Spread Beaver keyboardist DIE as a guest. They released their second album ''Before the Siren'', their first on popular independent record label

, in March 2006 and embarked on tour in support of it, which included two more shows in Taipei. In 2007 they released the DVD ''Hard Rain and Rocks Live'' and performed two shows in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, one of which was at the

Beijing Pop Festival The Beijing Pop Festival () is a rock music festival held in Beijing, China's Chaoyang Park each September since 2005. It features rock bands from China as well as from overseas. It is a pioneer music event in China since it was the first inter ...

. That year, DIE officially joined the band as keyboardist. Their third album ''Metal Box'' was released in Japan in April 2008 and in France the following month. They also performed at the hide memorial summit at

Ajinomoto Stadium , also known as Tokyo Stadium in AFC Champions League, is a multi-purpose stadium in Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan. The stadium was founded at Kantō Mura, the redevelopment area formerly used by United States Forces Japan, in March 2001. It was the fi ...

on May 3. In June 2009 Ra:IN began a lengthy European tour which took them to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the are ...

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

Gdynia Gdynia ( ; ; german: Gdingen (currently), (1939–1945); csb, Gdiniô, , , ) is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With a population of 243,918, it is the 12th-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in th ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

, Paris,

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

, and ended in

Hradec Králové Hradec Králové (; german: Königgrätz) is a city of the Czech Republic. It has about 91,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Hradec Králové Region. The historic centre of Hradec Králové is well preserved and is protected by law as an ...

at the

Rock for People Rock for People (RfP) is a large open-air summer rock festival in the Czech Republic. The festival began in 1995 in the town of Český Brod, and in 2007 it was moved to an unused airport in Hradec Králové. Headlining acts have included Muse, ...

festival. The band released a special single sold only on the tour, titled "Circle/Psychogenic". They held the two man Rock’n Roll Vaudeville 2011 show together with

Der Zibet Der Zibet is a Japanese visual kei rock band formed in 1984, which made its debut in 1985. They went on an indefinite hiatus in 1996, but resumed activities in 2007. History Der Zibet was formed in 1984 by vocalist Issay and bassist Hal, wh ...

on June 24, 2011. In September 2012, Ra:IN performed alongside Der Zibet, Ladies Room and Tokyo Yankees at the Yokohama Summer Rock Fes. – Revolution Rocks 2012. It was announced on April 17, 2014 that Tetsu had left the group. Ra:IN performed in the United States at A-Kon on June 6–8, and Ryu officially joined the band as drummer on June 28. In January 2020, Ra:IN had to cancel two shows after Pata caught influenza.

Members

The members of Ra:IN are credited exclusively by their given or stage names. * –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

(

X Japan was a Japanese rock band from Chiba, formed in 1982 by drummer and pianist Yoshiki and lead vocalist Toshi. Starting as a predominantly power/speed metal band with heavy symphonic elements, they later gravitated towards a progressive soun ...

, P.A.F., Dope HEADz) * – bass (Tensaw, The Toys, Zoku Zoku Kazoku, Mosaw) * –

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

(2007–present) ( hide with Spread Beaver, Loopus, Minimum Rockets, Kiss the World) * – drums (2014–present) ;Former members * – drums (2002–2014) (Daizo & Elephants, P.A.F., Red Warriors, Cocco)

Discography

* "The Border" (April 3, 2003) * ''The Line'' (November 7, 2003) * ''Before the Siren'' (March 8, 2006) * ''Metal Box'' (April 9, 2008) * "Circle/Psychogenic" (2009, Special Edition EP sold on their 2009 European tour) ;DVDs * ''Hard Rain & Rocks Live'' (July 9, 2007)

References

External links

Official website

Official YouTube

Pata official website

DIE official website

Tetsu official website
{{Authority control Japanese progressive rock groups Japanese hard rock musical groups Japanese instrumental musical groups Musical groups established in 2002 Musical quartets 2002 establishments in Japan