J-Pop Artist of the Week #64 [Pop/Hip-Hop/Reggae/Dance]: Ketsumeishi (Week of July 22nd-28th)

[Mandilinn]

The J-Pop Artist of the Week threads are back and suggestions are open! Please PM me if you have an artist you'd like to see featured next week or in the future!

 

Requests are full for July, so send in your requests for August! PM me or send me a DM on Twitter (@Mandilinn480) with an artist you'd like featured!

 

This Week's Artist:

Ketsumeishi

 

 

Ketsumeishi is a four-member pop and hip-hop group that originally formed in 1993. In 1996, it was formed with current members, RYO, RYOJI,  Daizo, and DJ KOHNO. They released their first indie song "Come Here", three years later in December of 1999, and their indies album "Ketsunopolis" the next year, with the album jacket being shot in front of Shurijo Castle in Okinawa (this would become a constant theme for the group, with each album cover after that being shot in the same area). The group made their major debut in April of 2001 with the single "Familliar". They got their first #1 single with "Sakura" in 2005. Ketsumeshi's lyrics touch on the subtleties of life and range from songs about love, friendship, cheer songs, up-tempo songs to songs about social satire and indecent topics. The group transferred to Avex Trax in April 2012. 

 

"Ketsumeishi" is a Japanese word for a type of medical herbs made from the seeds of Senna obtusifolia, which is often used in Chinese medicine.

 

Members

 

Ryo Tanaka (MC)

Ryoji Otsuka (Vocalist)

Daizo Yoshida (MC)

Kenta Kohno (DJ)

 

 

Music

 

Kocchi Oide (Indies)

Shinseikatsu (Indies)

Umi (Indies)

Familiar (Major Debut Single)

Yoru Kaze

Tegami

Tomodachi

Kachoufuugetsu

Hajimari no Aizu

Natsu no Omoide

Taiyou

Namida

Kimi ni BUMP

Sakura

Tabiudo

Danjo 6 Nin Natsu Monogatari

Train

Mata Kimi ni Aeru

Seinaru Yoru ni / Fuyu Monogatari

Tatakae! Salaryman

/

Kodama

/

Californy

RHYTHM OF THE SUN

 

If you like this group, please suggest more music by them (especially albums / album tracks)

 

Recent Releases

 

[Album] KESTUNOPOLIS 9

Release Date: July 23rd 2014

Editions: CD-Only, CD+DVD

 

 

1. Californy

2. Furtariday

3. Gyakuten no Hakkon

4. Made in Japan

5. Rhythm of the Sun

6. Make & Break

7. Reality

8. Emergency

9. Chuunen Aru Aru

10. Just for....

11. Oyaji no Mail

12. Sorezore no Life

13. Shounen to Hanabi

14. Tsuki to Taiyou

15. Arashi ga Saru Made

 

If you like this group, please support them by purchasing their music!

 

Websites and Social Media

 

Official Website

_____________________________________________________________________

 

If you like this, please visit the K-Pop Artist of the Week and the C-Pop Artist of the Week!

[Mandilinn]

Previous Weeks

 

 

Female Soloists

 

 

Kana Nishino

Miliyah Kato

Yuka Masaki

Jasmine

MiChi

Seiko Matsuda

Lecca

AI

AISHA

MISIA

Akina Nakamori

JUJU

Mika Nakashima

alan

ALI PROJECT

Hitomi Shimatani

Kanon Wakeshima

Rihwa

hitomi

Shishido Kavka

Mai Kuraki

 

 

Male Soloists

 

 

Daichi Miura

Yuya Matsushita

Tetsuya Komuro

Ken Hirai

Keisuke Kuwata

Naoto Inti Raymi

KOHH

KREVA

 

 

Duos

 

 

CHEMISTRY

m-flo

BREATHE

HALCALI

 

 

Dance/Vocal Units

 

 

EXILE

E-Girls

w-inds.

BRIGHT

AAA

J Soul Brothers

TRF

LEAD

 

 

Non-Dance Groups

 

 

Kalafina

ROOT FIVE

 

 

Idols

 

 

Kanjani8

ARASHI

Fairies

Tokyo Girls Style

Kis-My-Ft2

 

 

Bands

 

 

Sakanaction

SPYAIR

ONE OK ROCK

GIRL NEXT DOOR

BACK-ON

NEGOTO

YMO

Akai Koen

ORANGE RANGE

 

 

Special Weeks and Features

 

 

Zainichi Korean Artists

Top 3 Highest-Selling Japanese Rock Bands

The Queens of J-Pop

Artists Who Used to Be Idols

 

[Ryusenkai]

Since it just released last week, here's the (kind of sad) PV for the lead track off of their new album, "Oyaji no Mail":

 

http://www.jpopsuki.tv/video/Ketsumeishi---Oyaji-no-Mail/62803a0f94e586c646ecc46f524d60c6

[Mandilinn]

Since it just released last week, here's the (kind of sad) PV for the lead track off of their new album, "Oyaji no Mail":

 

http://www.jpopsuki.tv/video/Ketsumeishi---Oyaji-no-Mail/62803a0f94e586c646ecc46f524d60c6

 

Linked it in the first post as well.

[Pinklette]

Since it just released last week, here's the (kind of sad) PV for the lead track off of their new album, "Oyaji no Mail":

 

http://www.jpopsuki.tv/video/Ketsumeishi---Oyaji-no-Mail/62803a0f94e586c646ecc46f524d60c6

[xprixgr]

I'm so glad you picked Ketsumeishi as the featured artist of the week. They have a lot of great songs worth checking out, especially the more upbeat ones.

 

My personal favorites are Tatakae! Salaryman, Riddim Driver, Mata Kimi ni Aeru, Guruguru, Drive, Natsu no Omoide, Omoi, Akebi, Ketsumeishi Samba, Yume no Naka, Future Tracks and pretty much all the songs included in Ketsunopolis 8.

[Ryusenkai]

Having listened to the new album a couple of times, I like it (for the most part).  Lots of new upbeat tracks and a nice run of mid-tempo and ballads towards the end.  There's actually a surprising variety to the instrumentals on Ketsunopolis 9, but if you're looking for some of their more reggae influenced songs, you're not really going to find much of that on this album.  Still, overall it's a good effort from them.