Avant Garde | Profile The vehicle of Ai Uchida and Hiroshi Kim, Avant Garde makes music that runs the stylistic gamut - from electronica to ballads to jazzy numbers. The duo was formed in 2000 by keyboardist and composer Kim after he purchased his first synthesizer while still a student at Sophia University. Vocalist and songwriter Uchida, the daughter of a caucasian mother and Japanese father, spent most of her life in the United States, where she studied classical piano and sang in the Seattle Symphony Chorus before returning in her late 20s to Japan to pursue music. Kim, a Korean who has spent his whole life in Japan, also has a classical background, having studied classical piano. The duo run their own label, Spinshell, which released their debut mini album Just a Dream in March 2005. In addition to recording their own music and gigging in and around Tokyo, the members of Avant Garde have worked with some of the Japanese music scene's biggest artists, due no doubt in part to their international perspective, fluency in English, and formal training. Kim has producer and/or composer credits with artists including BoA, hitomi, hiro (formerly of Speed), Kumi Koda, and Kumiko Kato, while Uchida has worked as a lyricist and vocalist for hitomi, hiro, Koda, Kato, and others. Uchida also has a radio DJ gig at Shibuya FM, and Kim DJs in Tokyo under the name Kapitalizt. by Bill Haw
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