Halcali is a sort of manufactured band, but like the Monkees, it works out well, so why complain? The band started with members of Rip Slyme Ryo-z and DJ Fumiya (AKA Oshare Track Factory) looking for outside projects to write for and produce. Through Tanabe Agency auditions were arranged looking for front people that could rap. Somewhat unexpectedly the winners of this competition were two young girls, one who called herself Halca and was still in middle school and a high school student going...

Halcali is a sort of manufactured band, but like the Monkees, it works out well, so why complain? The band started with members of Rip Slyme Ryo-z and DJ Fumiya (AKA Oshare Track Factory) looking for outside projects to write for and produce. Through Tanabe Agency auditions were arranged looking for front people that could rap. Somewhat unexpectedly the winners of this competition were two young girls, one who called herself Halca and was still in middle school and a high school student going by Yucali (neither is the traditional rendering of a Japanese name), and thus together their names made Halcali. Both of the girls were from the same area, Meguro, but it seems that they did not know each other previously, and neither had rapped before. In fact, it is claimed they had never heard the term "hip hop" before this venture. The songs were written entirely by O.T.F., and somehow hip hop mixed with vocals by young, nave sounding girls sounded very different, fresh and fun. Their lyrics are often nonsense, and some of their songs have obvious "borrowed" parts, some clever, some clumsy, which gets mixed reactions, but tends to delight more than disgust music trainspotters. We can not sure if their "history" is the real story, but it is not much concern, as the music itself tickles. Halcali made their debut album with For Life Records in 2003, Halcali Bacon, which has a cover of their name written on various fast food items. Their second album Ongaku Nosusume features a photo by the highly regarded photographer Muga Miyahara, based on a painting by Makoto Aida, furthering their pop art cred. Is their music like fast food, manufactured fast and cheap with help of machines, yet tasty and satisfying in a simple way? A guilty pleasure.