This page is currently under construction. It will have pictures and links to other Pizzicato Five pages around the world! It will be updated soon!
NEW! Konishi's liner notes from "Free Soul 2001" are now complete! Updates for this page are taking much longer than expected, but they will be online hopefully in the next few weeks
Pizzicato Five is a wild and creative group from Japan. It was started in 1985 by Yasuharu KONISHI and K-Taro TAKANAMI. Vocals were provided
by Ryo KAMOMIYA and Mamiko SASAKI. In 1991, Maki NOMIYA was introduced as the new lead vocalist. Their music is a mix of everything you could think of.
Hip Hop, House, Soul, Disco, Jazz, Bossa Nova, Lounge, Space Age Bachelor Pad Music, and so on. When it comes to Pizzicato Five,
ANYTHING is possible!
Here is a link to Matador Records, Pizzicato Five's record company in North America.
If you would like an in depth list of what Pizzicato Five have released, check out Mark Wasiel's Pizzicato Five Discography.
Many people around the world, including myself, have helped to add details to the list. Maybe you can too!
REMIXER PROFILE by Yasuharu Konishi
The following is Konishi's liner notes for the Pizzicato Five album, "Free Soul 2001". It is the limited double-vinyl LP version of "Expo 2001". Konishi's liner notes only appear on the vinyl copy, and not on the CD. I am reproducing the text here for fans who do not have the album. Spelling errors in the original copy have been corrected by myself to make things clearer.I hope you find it interesting!
Please, don't take off my vivayou!
Towa Tei
When I hear the name Towa Tei, a member of Deee-Lite, it brings me back the
exciting and wonderful memory of the time I first listened to "Groove is in the
Heart" on a 12-inch record by Deee-Lite. Since then I've been to record shops
hundreds of times but have not yet found a work equivalent to it. I've also liked
Hajime Tachibana's "Bambi" and "Dance Raja Dance" and of course enjoyed
Deee-Lite's second album, too.
Like myself, Mr. Tei has been acting as a contractor for idol Singers. Recently,
he produced such works for Kyoko Koizumi and NOKKO. At the same time, he is also
currently working on a solo album. The theme of the album is "Bossa" -he sure
always amazes us with his eccentric ideas. You can get a glimpse of it from "tout
va bien".
Mr. Tei also works as a DJ for Pizzicato Five's live in New York. We always
appreciate his kind help.
expo 2001 - in the world series of remixes
Satoshi Tomiie
The tune, "Flower Drum Song" by Pizzicato Five itself has the conception of house music and especially because it was trongly inspired by the sound of DEF MIX Production of New York, I was delighted and at the same time made me nervous when I leaned that Mr. Tomiie selected this piece for the remix.
Among the unique creaters such as David Morales, Frankie Knuckles and Eric Kupper within the DEF MIX Production, I was particularly strongly attracted to Mr. Tomiie's sounds like the Hancock/Sakamoto mixture tune and to the stylish sounds like Don Sevesky/Clans Orgaman type of music.
By the way, among Mr. Tomiie's productions I think that Mike Oldfield's "Tubular BellsII" is just great...and I also love that "Heartbeat" by Kyoju (Professor) Sakamoto.
the age of aquarius 2001
Chapter & the Verse
"Chapter & the Verse" seems to have the most deepest contemplation in their music among the British Jazz movement groups introduced in the past few years. I was impressed by their smash hit "Black Whip" in which they had made the most effective use of the sampling of Boogaloo Joe Jones and the phrasing of John Hendrix. However, their debut album which followed next had been so poorly consolidated and I was terribly disappointed with it. Then later, contrary to my expectations, the 12 inch record "Columbus" which arrived in the Dance Music Records in Shibuya turned out to be overwhelmingly wonderful. Probably because of the violent lyrics it had, the record never made its formal publication-but what made it so wonderful was their unique conception which even "The Beach Boys" applied it into their music, and the chic harmony of the female vocalists, but above all was the powerful "black" sound of Poet Reeding. Although "Columbus" did not get recorded on the second album, the album's high songwriting quality offered a positive influence on "Columbus" and made the term, "Black Prehab Sprout" best fit its description.
the sound of tokyo is on triad
Jazz-A-Delic
I got to know Jazz-A-Delic when I bought their 12 inch record, "Fat Jazzy Grooves", an omnibus record by the new breed, known as the houselabel of New York.
I was pleased with the entire album and when I saw Mr. Toshihiko Mori & Manabu Nagayama's name appear on credits column, I was so curious to find out who they were. So I inquired about them to Mr. Hiroshi Okamoto at the Dance Music Record in Shibuya, then, "Oh, aren't you aquainted with him? Heard he is one of the Saru" was his answer. Even thereafter, when ever I see their name in record stores, they are always on 12 inch record from New York, I started liking their music even more after I heard Clemontine's latest work. I'm very delighted with their enthusiasm in putting together this remix work. I would like to meet them one day.
Pizzicato five Say "Thank you" to the Remixers
Saint Etienne
I've been listening to Saint Etienne's music ever since their first 12 inch record which was a cover version of the masterpiece by Neil Young, "Only Love Can Break Your Heart", but since I like the original one so much I have considered the cover version as just another creation of groundbeat music. On the contrary, Saint Etienne's next album, "Nothing Can Stop Us" turned out to be a remarkable piece and what took me even more by surprise was when I learned that the catchy backtrach was a sampling from one of the records released by Dusty Springfield in the 60's.
The fact that they are "60's freak" or "girl sound freak" is quite obvious in many of their subsequent albums and also in the video "Color boy". In the 12 inch record they released this Spring, they have included "Who Do You Think You Are" Bo Donaldson & Haywoods on Side B of the 12 inch record. The only artist who would select this type of music would perhaps be Saint Etienne or Pizzicato Five. I'm sure that the coming remix which will be done on a "dub-method" will definitely turn out to be a smooth one.
uniform 2001 "buy pizzicato five T-shirt"
Telex
"Telex", like YMO and M, is one of the techno-pop bands appeared in many places around the work at about the same time during the late 70s. Having Belgium as thier base, the band consists of 3 members with Dan Luxman as the leader of the group. They made several hits such as "Moscow Disco" and "Twist-A-Saint-tropez", and are also known for having the experience in producing some of the earlier music for one of the popular singers from Belgium, LIO.
In the early days thier work mainly featured vocal sounds, however, in the maxi-singles they released in '85, "Spike Jones" and in '86, "Peanuts" they have featured the sounds you can hear in Perry & Kingsley and Bucchanan & Goodman which has the fundamental techno-pop basis, the fun and lively sounds in addition to the novel instrumental sounds.
Just like Kraftwerk, their existence itself seems like an art, which makes the listeners like myself keep on adding their art into the music gallery collection.
Double Dynamite - the new look of the people, for the people, by the people.
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Last Updated:December 17, 1996 - 01:53:54
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