The quartet Asian Kung-Fu Generation plays high octane guitar rock with emo and powerpunk influences. The group was formed in 1996 when Kensuke Kita (guitar, vocals), Hideyo Yamada (bass, vocals), Kiyoshi Ichiji (drums), and Masafumi Goto (vocal, guitar), all university students, decided to form a band - the first for both Kita and Yamada. The affectionately nicknamed "Ajikan" began gigging locally in their native Yokohama area soon after forming, building up a loyal fan base through frequent live shows and the independent release of a six song EP of songs in English, which they sold at shows and online. In 2001 the band hosted several music events in Yokohama, and expanded their range to include Tokyo music hotspots Shibuya, Shimokitazawa, and Kichijoji. Their strong melodies and fat, adrenaline-drenched guitar sound won a similar reception in the capital, and the band found itself riding a strong groundswell. The same year, they aggressively sent demos of their first Japanese language song - "Konayuki" - to major FM stations for inclusion in indie segments, soon receiving airplay and favorable reactions from listeners. 2002 saw the release of their first official record - the highly regarded mini album
Houkai Amplifier. The record hit number 1 at High Line Records, a popular indie music store in Tokyo, and number 35 on the Oricon Indies chart. In April 2003, Sony's Ki/oon Records re-released
Houkai Amplifier, and the band followed up that summer with s...
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The quartet Asian Kung-Fu Generation plays high octane guitar rock with emo and powerpunk influences. The group was formed in 1996 when Kensuke Kita (guitar, vocals), Hideyo Yamada (bass, vocals), Kiyoshi Ichiji (drums), and Masafumi Goto (vocal, guitar), all university students, decided to form a band - the first for both Kita and Yamada. The affectionately nicknamed "Ajikan" began gigging locally in their native Yokohama area soon after forming, building up a loyal fan base through frequent live shows and the independent release of a six song EP of songs in English, which they sold at shows and online. In 2001 the band hosted several music events in Yokohama, and expanded their range to include Tokyo music hotspots Shibuya, Shimokitazawa, and Kichijoji. Their strong melodies and fat, adrenaline-drenched guitar sound won a similar reception in the capital, and the band found itself riding a strong groundswell. The same year, they aggressively sent demos of their first Japanese language song - "Konayuki" - to major FM stations for inclusion in indie segments, soon receiving airplay and favorable reactions from listeners. 2002 saw the release of their first official record - the highly regarded mini album
Houkai Amplifier. The record hit number 1 at High Line Records, a popular indie music store in Tokyo, and number 35 on the Oricon Indies chart. In April 2003, Sony's Ki/oon Records re-released
Houkai Amplifier, and the band followed up that summer with slots at Fuji Rock Festival and Summer Sonic '03. In October of the same year, the band released another single, followed in November by their first full-length
Kimi Tsunagi Five M, which charted at number 5 on the Oricon charts the week it was released. Early the following year, they nabbed an award for Best New Artist Video at the Space Shower Music Video Awards for their song "Kimi to iu Hana", did a sold out tour of Japan, and followed up with two more singles by early summer. Continuing the trend of holding events, Ajikan put on the Nano-Mugen Fes at Budokan in July, also appearing at more festivals later in the summer. The second full-length,
Solfa, was released in October 2004, parking at number 1 on the charts for several weeks and quickly topping 600,000 units, making them one of the better selling acts of the year. While the band has won over a strong following in Japan through touring and festival participation, their involvement with anime including the popular
Naruto and
Full Metal Alchemist has also considerably raised their profile overseas, where they enjoy an enthusiastic and growing fan base.
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