Akakage

Akakage is Japan's answer to Ursula-1000, playing a wide swath of breakbeat lounge and bigbeat with a heavy emphasis on HCFDM (Happy Charm Fool Dance) and a nod towards J-Pop. Their music includes plenty of samples, many of which are children. They also have a single called "Akakage's Summer Cuts!" which features three cuts of "Saturday Night" and "Akakage USA", but is by far not their best work. They can be found on the Ursula-1000 CD "All Systems Are Go-Go". Thanks to Brian Harris for the information on this page.

CD: Akakage - Would You Like Akakage?

[CRCH-5003]
Akakage - Would You Like Akakage?

Track Listing:

  1. Here Comes the Akakage
  2. What Kind of Music?
  3. Heat!
  4. Kiss Me Baby
  5. Electric French Man
  6. Lodger's (Or She Was Only a Shopkeeper's Daughter)

Released 1999 on Low Blow Records. The one to shoot for here is "Here Comes the Akakage", which is similar in feel and pep to "She is a Pretty Girl".

CD: Akakage - More! More! More!

[CRCH-5009]
Akakage - More! More! More!

Track Listing:

  1. How Are You?
  2. She is a Pretty Girl
  3. The Sound is...A.K.K.G.
  4. The Tide is High
  5. Little A's Thing
  6. Impression
  7. Transpacific

Released 1999 on Low Blow Records. This is probably their best EP. While the whole album is emminently listenable, aim for "She is a Pretty Girl" and "The Sound is...A.K.K.G." which are silly and fun.

CD Single: Akakage - Invisible TV Star

[CRCH-5012]
Akakage - Invisible TV Star

Track Listing:

  1. Here Comes the Akakage - Radio Edit
  2. She is a Pretty Girl - Radio Edit
  3. Operation #3
  4. Lodger's

Released 1999 on Low Blow Records.

CD Album: Akakage - I Love Pop Music

[CRCH-5017]
Akakage - I Love Pop Music

Track Listing:

  1. Intro - Comon'
  2. Cheerful Sunday Morning
  3. Akakage U.S.A.
  4. I Love Pop Music
  5. Piano le Fou
  6. First Lesson
  7. Cha Cha Cha
  8. Please!
  9. Fop
  10. Tomboy
  11. Brass Impact
  12. Saturday Night
  13. Outro

Released 2000 on Low Blow Records. Akakage's first full album features plenty of silly tunes. Of note are "Akakage USA", "I Love Pop Music", and "Cha Cha Cha". The "Saturday Night" cover sounds like a bad karaoke version of the original rock song. It slips up in a few places where the samples become obnoxious, but overall the majority are pleasant.

CD: Akakage - In the Earth

[PCCA-01918]
Akakage - In the Earth CD

Track Listing:

  1. Opening Jingle 1
  2. Weekend Magic
  3. Rainbow
  4. Antique Christmas
  5. Hello World
  6. We Started Love
  7. Cowboy Hero
  8. How About This Planet?
  9. Jingle 2
  10. What's That?
  11. The Smiling Hour
  12. Futatsu-no-Taiyou
  13. It's Time
  14. Kioku
  15. Jingle 3
  16. Pan-Pan-Pan

Released 2003 on Pony Canyon. Written and produced by Yochiro Ito. A new direction for Akakage - heavy vocal J-Pop. The silly samples and childish nature is gone. Thanks to Brian Harris for this information.

CD: Akakage - The First Season: Akakage's Best Tracks (1999-2000)

[CRCP-40042]
Akakage - The First Season CD

Track Listing:

  1. How Are You?
  2. Here Comes the Akakage
  3. Akakage USA
  4. Love is Cha Cha Cha
  5. Comon' - Long Version
  6. Baby Talk
  7. Kiss Me Baby
  8. Little A's Thing
  9. Transpacific
  10. Electric Spoken
  11. Tomboy
  12. I Love Pop Music
  13. Brass Impact
  14. In the Akakage's Lounge
  15. She is a Pretty Girl
  16. Saturday Night
  17. Lodger's
  18. Outro

Released 2003 on Crown. Written and produced by Yochiro Ito. The only new track to CD in this collection is the Long Version of Comon', which is an instant tropicana conga line. Otherwise, only go for this one if you don't have the other CDs, the cost of which to import will burn a hole in your wallet. Thanks to Brian Harris for this information.

Other Info:

For further information on Akakage see the Low Blow Records web site.

Back to Music List
Main Index, List of Artists Featured on this Site, Site Updates, Whirl-Y-Gig, Planet Angel, U-4-IC, Charts, Background Information about this Site, Links to Other Music Related Sites

Rich_Morley@hotmail.com