is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

rock band formed in Tokyo in September 2006.

Summary

The band consists of

Etsuko Yakushimaru is a Japanese singer, producer, composer, lyricist, arranger and artist. She is broadly active, from pop music to experimental music and art. Her output has also included drawing, installation art, media art, poetry and other literature, and reci ...

(

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

, producer,

original instruments Historically informed performance (also referred to as period performance, authentic performance, or HIP) is an approach to the performance of Western classical music, classical music which aims to be faithful to the approach, manner and style of ...

, artwork), Seiichi Nagai (

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

), Masaru Yoshida (

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

), Motoki Yamaguchi (

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

). The band is known for not revealing much about their private lives. Media coverage concerning the band is minimal and taking photos during live occasions is strictly forbidden. The band derives its influences from genres such as

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 ...

group sounds , often abbreviated as GS, is a genre of Japanese rock music which became popular in the mid to late 1960s and initiated the fusion of Japanese ''kayōkyoku'' music and Western rock music. Their music production techniques were regarded as playin ...

and

post-rock Post-rock is a subgenre of experimental rock that emphasizes Texture (music), texture, atmosphere, and non-traditional song structures over conventional rock techniques. Post-rock artists often combine rock instrumentation and rock stylings wit ...

. Song titles as well as lyrics often involve plays on words and pop culture references. According to guitarist Seiichi Nagai, the band composes most of their music together. The debut mini-album, '' Chiffon Capitalism'', was the winner of the 1st All Japan CD Shop Award, and their second album, '' Hi-Fi Shinsho'', ranked No. 7 in the

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...

weekly chart. The third album, '' Synchroniciteen'', was released in April 2010. The album consists of both all-new songs and songs already performed live during numerous live events.Interview of Seiichi Nagai on cinra.net (Japanese)
/ref> The fourth album, '' Tadashii Sōtaisei Riron'', had a planned release date of March 23, 2011. However, it was postponed due to the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami On 11 March 2011, at 14:46:24 Japan Standard Time, JST (05:46:24 UTC), a 9.0–9.1 Submarine earthquake, undersea megathrust earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region. It lasted approx ...

and was finally released on April 27, 2011. ''Tadashii Sōtaisei Riron'' is a remix album with three new songs and a total of ten remixes of already released Sōtaisei Riron songs. (Remixed by

Matthew Herbert Matthew Herbert (born in 1972), also known as Herbert, Doctor Rockit, Radio Boy, Mr. Vertigo, Transformer, Wishmountain, and DJ Empty, is a British electronic musician. He often takes sounds from everyday items to produce electronic music. ...

Fennesz Christian Fennesz (born 25 December 1962) is an Austrian producer and guitarist active in electronic music since the 1990s, often credited mononymously as Fennesz. His work utilizes guitar and laptop computers to blend melody with treated samp ...

Arto Lindsay Arthur Morgan "Arto" Lindsay (born May 28, 1953) is an American guitarist, singer, record producer and experimental composer. He was a member of the pioneering 1970s no wave group DNA, which featured on the 1978 compilation '' No New York''. In ...

Ryuichi Sakamoto was a Music of Japan, Japanese musician, composer, keyboardist, record producer, singer and actor. He pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the Synthesizer, synth-based band Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With his ...

Cornelius (musician) , also known by his moniker , is a Japanese musician and producer who co-founded Flipper's Guitar, an influential Shibuya-kei band, and subsequently embarked on a solo career. In 1997, he released the album '' Fantasma'', which landed him pra ...

and more) The fifth album, '' TOWN AGE'', was released in July 2013. After the release of the album, a concert with

My Bloody Valentine (band) My Bloody Valentine are an Irish rock band formed in Dublin in 1983 and consisting of founding members Kevin Shields (vocals, guitar, sampler) and Colm Ó Cíosóig (drums, sampler), with Bilinda Butcher (vocals, guitar) and Debbie Googe (bas ...

was also held in

Tokyo International Forum The is a multi-purpose exhibition center in Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. The complex is generally considered to be in the Yūrakuchō business district, being adjacent to Yūrakuchō Station, but it is administratively in the Marunouchi district. Toky ...

. "Spectrum"(as Sōtaisei Riron x

Jeff Mills Jeff Mills (born June 18, 1963, in Detroit, Michigan), also known as "the Wizard", is an American DJ, record producer, and composer. In the late 1980s Mills founded the techno collective Underground Resistance with fellow Detroit techno pro ...

) and "Tama Tama Newtown (2DK session)" were released on 2015. The sixth album, '' Tensei Jingle'', was released in April 2016. The album received praise from figures including

Penguin Cafe Arthur William Phoenix Young Jeffes (born 21 July 1978, Paddington, London, England) is an English composer, musician, and arctic explorer. He is the frontman of the musical group Penguin Cafe, a group he formed in 2007 to play the music of his ...

, and

Kiyoshi Kurosawa is a Japanese film director, screenwriter, film critic, author, actor, and a former professor at Tokyo University of the Arts (2005-2023). Noted for his psychological films that often focus on ambiguous narratives and on their characters' i ...

. ''NEO-FUTURE'', a single, was released in October 2018. A live album ''Shiraberu Sōtaisei Riron'' was released in July 2019.

Band members

* –

, producer, dimtakt (

), artwork :Yakushimaru is an artist, musician, producer, lyricist, composer, arranger, and vocalist. Broadly active, from pop music to experimental music and art. Consistently independent in her wide-ranging activities, which also include drawing, installation art, media art, poetry and other literature, and recitation. Producing numerous projects and artists, including her band, Soutaiseiriron. While appearing in the music charts with many hit songs, she has also created a project that involved the use of satellite, biological data and biotechnology, a song-generating robot powered by artificial intelligence and her own voice, an independently-developed VR system, and original electronic musical instruments. Major recent activities include exhibitions at

Mori Art Museum The is a contemporary art museum founded by the real estate developer Minoru Mori. It is located in the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower in the Roppongi Hills complex, a commercial, cultural, and residential mega-complex in Tokyo, Japan. The museum's ...

, Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, KENPOKU ART 2016, and Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media

CAM Cam or CAM may refer to: Science and technology * Cam (mechanism), a mechanical linkage which translates motion * Camshaft, a shaft with a cam * Camera or webcam, a device that records images or video In computing * Computer-aided manufacturin ...

Her ''Tensei Jingle'' and ''Flying Tentacles'' albums, both released in 2016, received praise from figures including

and Toh EnJoe. She uses the alias in songwriting and composition work. Yakushimaru is an

Ars Electronica Ars Electronica Linz GmbH is an Austrian cultural, educational and scientific institute active in the field of new media art, founded in Linz in 1979. It is based at the Ars Electronica Center (AEC), which houses the Museum of the Future, in t ...

STARTS Prize 2017 Grand prize winner. * –

* –

Past members * – keyboard, percussion * –

(went on to form the band Shudan Kojo) * –

(went on to form the band Shudan Kojo) :Nishiura is also active in the bands Luminous Orange and Mass of the Fermenting Dregs as a support drummer.

Discography

;Studio albums * ''Hi-Fi Shinsho'' (or ''Hi-Fi Anatomia'') (2009) * ''Synchroniciteen'' (2010) * ''TOWN AGE'' (2013) * ''Tensei Jingle'' (2016) ;EPs * '' Chiffon Shugi'' (2008) ;Remix albums * '' Tadashii Sōtaisei Riron'' (2011) ;Live albums * ''Shiraberu Sōtaisei Riron'' (2019) ;Collaboration singles * "Our Music" (2010) (as Sōtaisei Riron & Keiichirō Shibuya) * "Ranbō to Taiki" (2010) (as Sōtaisei Riron & Yoshio Ōtani) ;Singles *"YOU & IDOL / KIds No Return” (single ver.) (2013) * "Spectrum" (2015) (as Sōtaisei Riron x Jeff Mills) *"Tama Tama Newtown (2DK session)" (2015) *"Ultra Soda" (2015) *"NEO-FUTURE" (2018)

Notes and references

External links

Mirai RecordsMIRAI records - Official: Soutaiseiriron / Yakushimaru Etsuko
o
Instagram
* *
MIRAI records - Official: Soutaiseiriron / Yakushimaru Etsuko
o
Facebook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sotaisei Riron Female-fronted musical groups Japanese pop rock music groups Musical groups established in 2006 2006 establishments in Japan Musical groups from Tokyo