Asian Kung-Fu Generation

Asian Kung-Fu Generation
Left to Right: Kita Kensuke, Goto Masafumi, Yamada Takahiro, and Ijichi Kiyoshi.
Background information
Origin	Kanagawa Japan
Years active	1996–present
Members	Kita Kensuke Gotou Masafumi Yamada Takahiro Kiyoshi Ijichi
Website	Sony Music's Official Site

Asian Kung-fu Generation (アジアン・カンフー・ジェネレーション, Ajian Kanfū Jenerēshon) is Japanese band signed by Sony Music Entertainment Japan.

History

The band was first formed in 1996, the original members were Kensuke Kita (guitar, vocals), Takahiro Yamada (bass, vocals), and Masafumi Goto (vocal, guitar) and Ichiji Kiyoshi (drums) would join the band a little later on. The members were just getting out of university at the time of forming the band. They played many small venues for a time until they released their first EP - a six-song album of English covers that was independently put onto the market. Later that year the band tried to get their first Japanese single, "Kona Yuki," onto indie radio shows. The song was eventually picked up by a popular radio DJ and put into heavy rotation due to demand of the listeners. The band then spent the rest of the year writing and recording songs for their second album, Houkai Amplifer. The album received immense critical acclaim and this was backed up with the sales of the album, reaching 36 on the Oricon charts.

In 2003 the band would release two singles, "Kimi to Iu Hana" and "Mirai no Kakera," which would catapult them to fame. Their first full album, Kimi Tsunagi Five M, sold over 25,000 copies and landed in the number 5 spot on the Oricon charts in its first week. The rest of the year would go rather well for the band as they played concerts and small shows. As their fame grew, fans began calling them simply アジカン (ajikan), which is a shortened version of their full name.

When 2004 came around, the band won the award for Best New Artist, their video, Kimi to Iu Hana also won the award for best music video. Over the course of the year the band would release four more singles, "Loop & Loop," "Siren," "Kimi no Machi Made," and "Rewrite," which was featured as the fourth opening to the anime Fullmetal Alchemist. They also performed "Haruka Kanata," which was the second Japanese opening to Naruto. The band also released their second album, Sol-fa in 2004. The album would go on to sell more than 600,000 copies and reach number one on the Oricon charts for two weeks straight.

2005 proved to be the most successful year for the band so far. They released a DVD that stayed at number one on the Oricon DVD charts for one month straight. They also played at sold out venues during their Re:Re: tour. The band also held their second Nano-Mugen festival where eight different bands played to a sold out crowd. Later that year the band also released their first real single in a year, "Blue Train," and held a short tour in the winter.

During 2006 the band has so far released one album, Fan Club, which stayed on the Oricon top five for almost two months straight. They are planning to tour around Japan later this year which is called Count 4 my 8 beat tour. The Nano Mugen Festival is set to be held in July for 2 days.

Member Profiles

Kita Kensuke

• Birthdate: January 24 1977
• Place of Birth: Kanagawa Prefecture
• Lead guitarist and background vocal
• Major: Economics

Favorite Bands: Radiohead, Mannix, Super Grass, XTC

Gotoh Masafumi

• Birthdate: December 12 1976
• Place of Birth: Fujieda City, Shizuoka Prefecture
• Vocalist and guitarist
• Major: Economics

Favorite Bands: Weezer, Number Girl, Teenage Fanclub, Eastern Youth

Yamada Takahiro

• Birthdate: August 19 1977
• Place of Birth: Shizuoka Prefecture
• Bassist and background vocals
• Major: Literature

Favorite Bands: The Beatles, Oasis, Smashing Pumpkins, Pet Shop Boys

Ijichi Kiyoshi

• Birthdate: September 25 1977
• Place of Birth: Kanagawa Prefecture
• Drummer
• Major: Engineering

Favorite Bands: Brian Setzer, Hi-Standard

Discography

Singles

• World Apart (February 15, 2006)
• Blue Train (November 30, 2005)
• Kimi no Machi Made (To Your Town) (September 23, 2004)
• Rewrite (August 4, 2004)
• Loop & Loop (May 19, 2004)
• Siren (April 14, 2004)
• Kimi to Iu Hana (A Flower Called "You") (October 16, 2003)
• Mirai no Kakera (Fragments of the Future) (August 6, 2003)

Albums

• Fan Club (March 15, 2006)
• Sol-fa (October 20, 2004)
• Kimi Tsunagi Five M (November 19, 2003)
• Houkai Amplifer (April 23, 2003)
• I'm Standing Here (November 30, 2001)

DVDs

• Eizou Sakuhin-shu 2-kan (April 20, 2005)
• Eizou Sakuhin-shu 1-kan (November 26, 2004)

Miscellaneous

• ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION presents "NANO-MUGEN COMPILATION" (June 8, 2005)
• ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION presents "NANO-MUGEN COMPILATION" 2006 (July 5, 2006)

External links

• ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION Official Website
• Asian Kung-Fu Generation Flash Back
• XA Music