Yuuki, of Antic Cafe
Happy birthday to Yuuki, the keyboardist of the Japanese pop rock/oshare kei band Antic Cafe, who turns 22 today!!
An Café, sometimes known as Antic Café, is a Japanese oshare kei band that initially formed on the internet. In April 2003, vocalist Miku’s band disbanded, and, after discovering an advertisement on an internet message board, he met guitarist Bou and bassist Kanon. The three friends came together in May of that year and formed a 3-man band, performing without drums for several months.
During their 3-man career they performed an numerous venues and gained a few fans in the Japanese market. They also released two demo tapes, which were sold only at live performances. In August 2003, Teruki joined the group, finally adding drums to their music.
In the beginning of 2004 they got their musical break: they to LOOP ASH. On March 3rd they released their first single, Candy Holic, which went on to top the Oricon indie label charts. They had their first one-man show in May, where they distributed their single Hatsukoi for free. They spent the rest of 2004 touring and releasing singles, ending the year with a small one-man tour.
The year 2005 was kicked off with their first mini-album, Amedama Rock, in Feburary, followed by several singles. In November they released their first full length album, Shikisai Moment, revealing a more mature musical sound.
2006 sported the release of five more singles as well as their second album, Magnya Carta, which not only increased their popularity in Japan but also in other non-Japanese-speaking countries.
In April of 2007, guitarist Bou left the band, performing for that last time on April 30th. He was later replaced by Takuya, and Yuuki, a keyboardist, was also added to the group.
The group’s first single of 2007, Kakusei Heroism ~Hero without a Name~ was used the second opening theme for the anime Darker than Black, while their latest single, Ryuusei Rocket, is the opening theme to the drama Fuuma no Koujirou.
The group launched 2008 with the release of the single Cherry Saku Yuki!! in February, and in March their third studio album, Gokutama Rock Café, was released. They will launch a live tour, Summer Dive, on August 30, and tickets for the event were already been sold out in early July.
The band's latest single, Summer Dive, is being sold exclusively at their summer tour. A preview for the PV is available. An Cafe is rumoured to be releasing a new single in two months time. (Thanks to mally_boom for the info!)
Debut Date: March 2004
Label: LOOP ASH
Members:
Vocals: Miku
Guitar: Takuya
Bass: Kanon
Drums: Teruki
Keyboards: Yuuki
Former Members:
Guitar: Bou (departed 2007)
Discography:
Singles:
06/21/2004 - Candy Holic
05/26/2004 - Hatuskoi
06/06/2004 - √69
09/16/2004 - Touhikairo
11/24/2004 - Cosmos
12/25/2004 - Tourai -café-
03/30/2005 - Karakuri Hitei
07/20/2005 - Tekesuta Kousen
08/24/2005 - Escapism
09/21/2005 - Merrymaking
03/01/2006 - 10s Collection March
05/19/2006 - BondS ~Kizuna~
09/20/2006 - Smile Ichiban Ii Onna
10/18/2006 - Snow Scene
11/29/2006 - Cosmos (2nd Press)
08/22/2007 - Kakusei Heroism ~A Hero without a Name~
11/07/2007 - Ryuusei Rocket
02/27/2008 - Cherry Saku Yuki!!
xx/xx/2008 - Summer Dive
Mini-Albums:
02/23/2005 - Amedama Rock
Albums:
11/09/2005 - Shikisai Moment
11/29/2006 - Magnya Carta
04/09/2008 - Gokutama Rock Café
Chronological Discography
1st single: 06/21/2004 - Candy Holic
2nd single: 05/26/2004 - Hatuskoi
3rd single: 06/06/2004 - √69
4th single: 09/16/2004 - Touhikairo
5th single: 11/24/2004 - Cosmos
6th single: 12/25/2004 - Tourai -café-
1st mini-album: 02/23/2005 - Amedama Rock
7th single: 03/30/2005 - Karakuri Hitei
8th single: 07/20/2005 - Tekesuta Kousen
9th single: 08/24/2005 - Escapism
10th single: 09/21/2005 - Merrymaking
1st album: 11/09/2005 - Shikisai Moment
11th single: 03/01/2006 - 10s Collection March
12th single: 05/19/2006 - BondS ~Kizuna~
13th single: 09/20/2006 - Smile Ichiban Ii Onna
14th single: 10/18/2006 - Snow Scene
15th single: 11/29/2006 - Cosmos (2nd Press)
2nd album: 11/29/2006 - Magnya Carta
16th single: 08/22/2007 - Kakusei Heroism ~A Hero without a Name~
17th single: 11/07/2007 - Ryuusei Rocket
18th single: 02/27/2008 - Cherry Saku Yuki!!
3rd album: 04/09/2008 - Gokutama Rock Café
Credits: Wiki.theppn, JaME
I just love these guys. Their music is such a charming mixture of pop and pep! I love their oshare kei style and it makes me want to hug them all~ Their music videos are always a joy and I want to buy their latest album Gokutama Rock Café but I’m waiting for another new release so I can cram a whole buncha CDs into one order. xD; But yes. They are a highly recommended group!
I would also like to mention that An Cafe's official MySpace says this about them (which I presume was written by them lol):
THEY PLAY DANCEABLE ROCK MUSIC WITH HARAJUKU VIBE. THEIR UNIQUE DANCEABLE ROCK SOUND AND LIFE-SIZED LYRICS ARE EXTREMELY POPULAR AMONG YOUNG KIDS IN JAPAN. AN CAFE IS WIDELY ACCEPTED NOT JUST BY VISUAL-KEI FANS BUT ALSO BY THE J-POP FANS. ATTRACTING THEM WITH POP SOUNDS, ENTERTAINING LIVE SET AND FURTHER MORE WITH THEIR UNIQUE CHARACTERS.
Orange Dream (from their album Gokutama Rock Café)
This is actually a more mellow song from these guys. In comparison to some of their other songs it’s kind of sad, but at the same time it has the treasured Antic Café feel. It also seems to be filled with some emotions, which you can feel even without knowing the lyrics, but once you have read the lyrics it really comes out. I rather like this song. I recommend!
Lyrics + Translation | Mp3 Video | Download
Summer Dive (Preview of upcoming single?)
So no one seems to know if this will actually be a single or not, but since it has a PV preview I’m going to guess that it will. Lol. I just wish I knew it was coming out. As a song it is much more the typical style of An Café but it seemed a little all over the place for me. But it was only a 33-second snippet and the PV looks cute. =D I shall have to wait and see!
PV Preview
Please comment if you have something to say! (Or if you downloaded something!)
Asian Birthdays is a subdivision of the site Much Love, an Asian mp3 rotation page that focuses on spreading the love of Asian pop music and culture. These mp3’s are for sampling purposes only, and should be deleted after 24 hours. Please support these wonderful artists by buying their CDs at your store of choice (CDJapan, Yesasia, Amazon).
If you happen to download a song, please be sure to comment, as I’m doing this to share music with other people, and opinions would be appreciated. Kay? Thanks!
You may ask for reuploads of songs, but please don’t If you’ve never commented before.
An Café, sometimes known as Antic Café, is a Japanese oshare kei band that initially formed on the internet. In April 2003, vocalist Miku’s band disbanded, and, after discovering an advertisement on an internet message board, he met guitarist Bou and bassist Kanon. The three friends came together in May of that year and formed a 3-man band, performing without drums for several months.
During their 3-man career they performed an numerous venues and gained a few fans in the Japanese market. They also released two demo tapes, which were sold only at live performances. In August 2003, Teruki joined the group, finally adding drums to their music.
In the beginning of 2004 they got their musical break: they to LOOP ASH. On March 3rd they released their first single, Candy Holic, which went on to top the Oricon indie label charts. They had their first one-man show in May, where they distributed their single Hatsukoi for free. They spent the rest of 2004 touring and releasing singles, ending the year with a small one-man tour.
The year 2005 was kicked off with their first mini-album, Amedama Rock, in Feburary, followed by several singles. In November they released their first full length album, Shikisai Moment, revealing a more mature musical sound.
2006 sported the release of five more singles as well as their second album, Magnya Carta, which not only increased their popularity in Japan but also in other non-Japanese-speaking countries.
In April of 2007, guitarist Bou left the band, performing for that last time on April 30th. He was later replaced by Takuya, and Yuuki, a keyboardist, was also added to the group.
The group’s first single of 2007, Kakusei Heroism ~Hero without a Name~ was used the second opening theme for the anime Darker than Black, while their latest single, Ryuusei Rocket, is the opening theme to the drama Fuuma no Koujirou.
The group launched 2008 with the release of the single Cherry Saku Yuki!! in February, and in March their third studio album, Gokutama Rock Café, was released. They will launch a live tour, Summer Dive, on August 30, and tickets for the event were already been sold out in early July.
The band's latest single, Summer Dive, is being sold exclusively at their summer tour. A preview for the PV is available. An Cafe is rumoured to be releasing a new single in two months time. (Thanks to mally_boom for the info!)
Debut Date: March 2004
Label: LOOP ASH
Members:
Vocals: Miku
Guitar: Takuya
Bass: Kanon
Drums: Teruki
Keyboards: Yuuki
Former Members:
Guitar: Bou (departed 2007)
Discography:
Singles:
06/21/2004 - Candy Holic
05/26/2004 - Hatuskoi
06/06/2004 - √69
09/16/2004 - Touhikairo
11/24/2004 - Cosmos
12/25/2004 - Tourai -café-
03/30/2005 - Karakuri Hitei
07/20/2005 - Tekesuta Kousen
08/24/2005 - Escapism
09/21/2005 - Merrymaking
03/01/2006 - 10s Collection March
05/19/2006 - BondS ~Kizuna~
09/20/2006 - Smile Ichiban Ii Onna
10/18/2006 - Snow Scene
11/29/2006 - Cosmos (2nd Press)
08/22/2007 - Kakusei Heroism ~A Hero without a Name~
11/07/2007 - Ryuusei Rocket
02/27/2008 - Cherry Saku Yuki!!
xx/xx/2008 - Summer Dive
Mini-Albums:
02/23/2005 - Amedama Rock
Albums:
11/09/2005 - Shikisai Moment
11/29/2006 - Magnya Carta
04/09/2008 - Gokutama Rock Café
Chronological Discography
1st single: 06/21/2004 - Candy Holic
2nd single: 05/26/2004 - Hatuskoi
3rd single: 06/06/2004 - √69
4th single: 09/16/2004 - Touhikairo
5th single: 11/24/2004 - Cosmos
6th single: 12/25/2004 - Tourai -café-
1st mini-album: 02/23/2005 - Amedama Rock
7th single: 03/30/2005 - Karakuri Hitei
8th single: 07/20/2005 - Tekesuta Kousen
9th single: 08/24/2005 - Escapism
10th single: 09/21/2005 - Merrymaking
1st album: 11/09/2005 - Shikisai Moment
11th single: 03/01/2006 - 10s Collection March
12th single: 05/19/2006 - BondS ~Kizuna~
13th single: 09/20/2006 - Smile Ichiban Ii Onna
14th single: 10/18/2006 - Snow Scene
15th single: 11/29/2006 - Cosmos (2nd Press)
2nd album: 11/29/2006 - Magnya Carta
16th single: 08/22/2007 - Kakusei Heroism ~A Hero without a Name~
17th single: 11/07/2007 - Ryuusei Rocket
18th single: 02/27/2008 - Cherry Saku Yuki!!
3rd album: 04/09/2008 - Gokutama Rock Café
Credits: Wiki.theppn, JaME
I just love these guys. Their music is such a charming mixture of pop and pep! I love their oshare kei style and it makes me want to hug them all~ Their music videos are always a joy and I want to buy their latest album Gokutama Rock Café but I’m waiting for another new release so I can cram a whole buncha CDs into one order. xD; But yes. They are a highly recommended group!
I would also like to mention that An Cafe's official MySpace says this about them (which I presume was written by them lol):
THEY PLAY DANCEABLE ROCK MUSIC WITH HARAJUKU VIBE. THEIR UNIQUE DANCEABLE ROCK SOUND AND LIFE-SIZED LYRICS ARE EXTREMELY POPULAR AMONG YOUNG KIDS IN JAPAN. AN CAFE IS WIDELY ACCEPTED NOT JUST BY VISUAL-KEI FANS BUT ALSO BY THE J-POP FANS. ATTRACTING THEM WITH POP SOUNDS, ENTERTAINING LIVE SET AND FURTHER MORE WITH THEIR UNIQUE CHARACTERS.
Orange Dream (from their album Gokutama Rock Café)
This is actually a more mellow song from these guys. In comparison to some of their other songs it’s kind of sad, but at the same time it has the treasured Antic Café feel. It also seems to be filled with some emotions, which you can feel even without knowing the lyrics, but once you have read the lyrics it really comes out. I rather like this song. I recommend!
Lyrics + Translation | Mp3 Video | Download
Summer Dive (Preview of upcoming single?)
So no one seems to know if this will actually be a single or not, but since it has a PV preview I’m going to guess that it will. Lol. I just wish I knew it was coming out. As a song it is much more the typical style of An Café but it seemed a little all over the place for me. But it was only a 33-second snippet and the PV looks cute. =D I shall have to wait and see!
PV Preview
Please comment if you have something to say! (Or if you downloaded something!)
Asian Birthdays is a subdivision of the site Much Love, an Asian mp3 rotation page that focuses on spreading the love of Asian pop music and culture. These mp3’s are for sampling purposes only, and should be deleted after 24 hours. Please support these wonderful artists by buying their CDs at your store of choice (CDJapan, Yesasia, Amazon).
If you happen to download a song, please be sure to comment, as I’m doing this to share music with other people, and opinions would be appreciated. Kay? Thanks!
You may ask for reuploads of songs, but please don’t If you’ve never commented before.