Queen of Japan
Encyclopedia
Queen of Japan is a music trio from Europe
, known for its synthpop
sound and cover versions of hits
from the 1970s and 1980s.
Queen of Japan's 1999 debut EP Mercury Rising (a reference to Freddie Mercury
) features New Wave
-sounding versions of Queen
songs and is probably the basis for the group's name.
The trio's versions of "I Love Rock 'n' Roll
" and "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" (originally hits for Joan Jett
and Rod Stewart
, respectively) appear on several different compilation CDs. Their version of "I Was Made for Loving You" (a hit for KISS
) was featured on the award-winning short movie Icicle melt starring Greta Scacchi
.
Some of their cover songs, such as "Mother
" (written and originally recorded by John Lennon
) and "Wanted Man" (written by Bob Dylan
for Johnny Cash
) infuse an electronic sound into songs which previously had a different style. They have also covered songs by Soft Cell
, The Who
, Olivia Newton-John
, Marvin Gaye
, Duran Duran
, Thin Lizzy
, Klaus Nomi
and Frank Zappa
.
Remix
es of Queen of Japan's work have appeared on a CD by DJ Keoki
. Their music has also been featured at Fashion Week
and appears on two CDs of music thereof.
One reviewer writes:
A review for the CD Foreign Politics describes:
scene, the identity of Queen of Japan is more complex than casual inquiry reveals. Neither their official website nor their page on My Space explains it. It is, however, an "open secret" and is discussed in interviews and on other websites.
Credited group members are Koneko (vocals), Jo Ashito (vocals, guitar
) and Jason Arigato (bass guitar
). Their website features the following description "translated from the japanese
by arakiha miho":
Despite the name of the band and the Japanese-sounding names
(actually stage name
s) of its members, the group has no direct connections to Japan
and no member of the trio is of Japanese ethnicity
.
Catriona Shaw (a.k.a. Koneko, Miss le Bomb
), a Scot
and the youngest member of the band, is the lead singer and was hailed as a "new exceptional singer". The first Queen of Japan CD "Mercury Rising" only features Platzgumer and Shaw as a duo. Her vocal talents are also featured on the CD Miss Me credited as "HP:CS" (Hans Platzgumer:Catriona Shaw) as well as with Electronicat
.
Hans Platzgumer (a.k.a. Jo Ashito, Seperator, Disko B), is an Austria
n-born musician and music producer and lead guitarist/backing singer. He is co-founder (with Andi Pümpel) of the Grammy-nominated NYC band HP Zinker in the late 1980s and is member the punk band Die Goldenen Zitronen
(founded 1986 in Hamburg
) since the late 90s. More recently he has collaborated with other artists and released music under such codenames as Convertible, Aura Anthropica, Cube & Sphere, Fingerfood, and Shinto.
Albert Pöschl (a.k.a. Jason Arigato), Queen of Japan's bass player and co-producer, is from Bavaria and has a diverse portfolio as a musician and music producer. He has worked as a sound technician for various bands including Chicks on Speed
and Die Goldenen Zitronen, which is presumably where he and Platzgumer made their acquaintance. He joined Queen of Japan in 1999, one year after they had formed.
es through traditional, non-digital
DJ-ing methods) but were later released as compact disks.
In addition, many Queen of Japan songs have appeared on compilations. For example, "Mother" appeared only on a Mother's Day
compilation before its inclusion in Tokyo Rising and "Wanted Man" is among those songs on the tribute album Boy Named Sue: Johnny Cash Revisited.
Clips attempt to open in Windows Media Player
.
Clips attempt to open in Windows Media Player.
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, known for its synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
sound and cover versions of hits
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
from the 1970s and 1980s.
Career
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range...
) features New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
-sounding versions of Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
songs and is probably the basis for the group's name.
The trio's versions of "I Love Rock 'n' Roll
I Love Rock 'n' Roll
"I Love Rock 'n Roll" is a rock song written in 1975 by Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker of Arrows, who recorded the first released version. The song was later made famous by the hit version recorded by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts in 1981....
" and "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" (originally hits for Joan Jett
Joan Jett
Joan Jett is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress.She is best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts including their hit cover "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982, as well as for their other popular...
and Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
, respectively) appear on several different compilation CDs. Their version of "I Was Made for Loving You" (a hit for KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
) was featured on the award-winning short movie Icicle melt starring Greta Scacchi
Greta Scacchi
Greta Scacchi is an Italian-Australian actor.-Early life:Scacchi was born Greta Gracco in Milan, Italy, on 18 February 1960, the daughter of Luca Scacchi Gracco, an Italian art dealer and painter, and Pamela Carsaniga, an English dancer and antiques dealer...
.
Some of their cover songs, such as "Mother
Mother (John Lennon song)
Mother is a song by British musician John Lennon, first released on his 1970 album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. An edited version of the song was issued as a single in the United States on Apple Records, catalogue 1827, about three weeks after the album. The single runs about fifteen seconds...
" (written and originally recorded by John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
) and "Wanted Man" (written by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
for Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
) infuse an electronic sound into songs which previously had a different style. They have also covered songs by Soft Cell
Soft Cell
Soft Cell are an English synthpop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. They consist of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball. The duo is most widely known for their 1981 worldwide hit version of "Tainted Love" and platinum debut Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret...
, The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
, Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
, Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
, Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Two of the founding members, drummer Brian Downey and bass guitarist/vocalist Phil Lynott met while still in school. Lynott assumed the role of frontman and led them throughout their recording career of thirteen studio albums...
, Klaus Nomi
Klaus Nomi
Klaus Sperber , better known as Klaus Nomi, was a German countertenor noted for his wide vocal range and an unusual, otherworldly stage persona....
and Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
.
Remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
es of Queen of Japan's work have appeared on a CD by DJ Keoki
DJ Keoki
Superstar DJ Keoki is an Electronic music,among other genres DJ. Born in El Salvador and raised in Hawaii, Keoki reached 'Superstar' status shortly after moving to New York City.-Bio:...
. Their music has also been featured at Fashion Week
Fashion Week
A fashion week is a fashion industry event, lasting approximately one week, which allows fashion designers, brands or "houses" to display their latest collections in runway shows and buyers and the media to take a look at the latest trends. Most importantly, these events let the industry know...
and appears on two CDs of music thereof.
One reviewer writes:
Queen of Japan [...] manage to inject their brand of sleazy sexuality into this revivalist template. I can’t say this is original stuff, but in all its worrying energy and zany spunk, it’s actually quite a lot of fun. At times it even reminds me of BlondieBlondie (band)Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
(which is a good thing!) if their over-reliance on cheesy retroRetroRetro is a culturally outdated or aged style, trend, mode, or fashion, from the overall postmodern past, that has since that time become functionally or superficially the norm once again. The use of "retro" style iconography and imagery interjected into post-modern art, advertising, mass media, etc...
sounds was curbed slightly, they might even stumble across a decent track every once in a while.
A review for the CD Foreign Politics describes:
You'd think that after the success of the sex-citing cover CD Head-Rush, (an album of full of electric-socket boogie-nights versions, which could be mistakingly [sicSicSic—generally inside square brackets, [sic], and occasionally parentheses, —when added just after a quote or reprinted text, indicates the passage appears exactly as in the original source...
] described as electroclash) [...] the glitter-spangled threesome [...] would carry on playing the high-voltage karaokeKaraokeis a form of interactive entertainment or video game in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol,...
-sex-machine for a generation who grew up between Saturday Night FeverSaturday Night FeverSaturday Night Fever is a 1977 drama film directed by John Badham and starring: John Travolta as Tony Manero, an immature young man whose weekends are spent visiting a local Brooklyn discothèque; Karen Lynn Gorney as his dance partner and eventual friend; and Donna Pescow as Tony's former dance...
& FlashdanceFlashdanceAnother song used in the film, "Maniac", was also nominated for an Academy Award. It was written by Michael Sembello and Dennis Matkosky, and was inspired by the 1980 horror film Maniac. The lyrics about a killer on the loose were rewritten so that it could be used in Flashdance...
, Repo Man & AlienAlien (film)Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. The film's title refers to its primary antagonist: a highly aggressive extraterrestrial creature which...
[...] But Queen of Japan are not just your run-of-the-mill cheeky anarchistic electro-karaoke dandies [...but are instead] A tour de force in discology."
Identity
As is often the case with artists on the electronic musicElectronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
scene, the identity of Queen of Japan is more complex than casual inquiry reveals. Neither their official website nor their page on My Space explains it. It is, however, an "open secret" and is discussed in interviews and on other websites.
Credited group members are Koneko (vocals), Jo Ashito (vocals, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
) and Jason Arigato (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
). Their website features the following description "translated from the japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
by arakiha miho":
The band naming their persons queen of Japan was not always in the threesome they hold to their beating hearts today [..] After many tours of hard sexual energy and costume change the queen of Japan became known well across country and town never giving in to a life of modest no glamour [...] Schools will replace sexual theory lessons with headrush album in order to save the money of tax pay. Queen of Japan influence politics and reforming. Everybody loves everybody and fun and feeling.
Despite the name of the band and the Japanese-sounding names
Japanese name
in modern times usually consist of a family name , followed by a given name. "Middle names" are not generally used.Japanese names are usually written in kanji, which are characters of usually Chinese origin in Japanese pronunciation...
(actually stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
s) of its members, the group has no direct connections to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and no member of the trio is of Japanese ethnicity
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
.
Catriona Shaw (a.k.a. Koneko, Miss le Bomb
Miss le Bomb
Miss le bomb is the pseudonym of artist and musician Catriona Shaw born in Edinburgh, Scotland. After finishing her studies at Edinburgh College of Art in 1997 she moved to Munich, Germany to continue her studies at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts and quickly became involved in the underground...
), a Scot
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
and the youngest member of the band, is the lead singer and was hailed as a "new exceptional singer". The first Queen of Japan CD "Mercury Rising" only features Platzgumer and Shaw as a duo. Her vocal talents are also featured on the CD Miss Me credited as "HP:CS" (Hans Platzgumer:Catriona Shaw) as well as with Electronicat
Electronicat
Electronicat is the alter ego of French musician and performer Fred Bigot, whose work is characterized by its constant switch between experimental noise and pop music....
.
Hans Platzgumer (a.k.a. Jo Ashito, Seperator, Disko B), is an Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n-born musician and music producer and lead guitarist/backing singer. He is co-founder (with Andi Pümpel) of the Grammy-nominated NYC band HP Zinker in the late 1980s and is member the punk band Die Goldenen Zitronen
Die Goldenen Zitronen
Die Goldenen Zitronen are a punk rock band from Hamburg, Germany that are known for their entertaining and politically relevant style. Their original name was Die Deutschen Nazikartoffeln . When the band formed in 1984 at the beginning of the “Fun-Punk”-movement, punk was their main style...
(founded 1986 in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
) since the late 90s. More recently he has collaborated with other artists and released music under such codenames as Convertible, Aura Anthropica, Cube & Sphere, Fingerfood, and Shinto.
Albert Pöschl (a.k.a. Jason Arigato), Queen of Japan's bass player and co-producer, is from Bavaria and has a diverse portfolio as a musician and music producer. He has worked as a sound technician for various bands including Chicks on Speed
Chicks on Speed
Chicks on Speed is a multi-national musical ensemble, formed in Munich in 1997, when members Melissa Logan, Kiki Moorse and Alex Murray-Leslie met at the Academy of Fine Arts....
and Die Goldenen Zitronen, which is presumably where he and Platzgumer made their acquaintance. He joined Queen of Japan in 1999, one year after they had formed.
Discography
Queen of Japan's music is mostly available via European independent record labels. Some of their work was originally released on vinyl records (facilitating their use in dance mixDance mix
Dance mix is a form of music, created by mixing Techno House and Electronica. It reached its peak of popularity in the mid to late 1990s. However, it can also imply manipulating alternative rock and adult contemporary songs that are otherwise not dance songs so that "pop songs" can be more...
es through traditional, non-digital
Digital
A digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...
DJ-ing methods) but were later released as compact disks.
- Mercury Rising (1999) compact disk, label: Angelika Koehlermann
- I Was Made for Loving You (2000) 12" vinyl record, label: Hausmusik
- Physical (2001) 12" vinyl record, label: Echokammer
- Cool Cat/Total Eclipse (2001) 10" vinyl record, label: Fortina
- Nightlife in Tokyo (2001) LP vinyl record, label: Erkrankung Durch MusiqueErkrankung Durch MusiqueErkrankung Durch Musique is a record label based in Munich, Germany. Specialising in electronic music it is run by the DJ, musician and producer Emanuel Guenther .-Releases:-External links and references:**...
- Nightlife in Tokyo (2001) compact disk, label: Angelika Koehlermann. Later re-released as Tokyo Rising in 2006 with added material.
- Headrush (2002) LP vinyl record, label: Erkrankung Durch MusiqueErkrankung Durch MusiqueErkrankung Durch Musique is a record label based in Munich, Germany. Specialising in electronic music it is run by the DJ, musician and producer Emanuel Guenther .-Releases:-External links and references:**...
- Headrush (2002) compact disk, label: Echokammer. Released in Japan by Sausage Records.
- Kings, Queens, Wasps & Lust (2003) LP vinyl record, label: QOJ
- Foreign Politics (2004) LP vinyl record, label: Erkrankung Durch MusiqueErkrankung Durch MusiqueErkrankung Durch Musique is a record label based in Munich, Germany. Specialising in electronic music it is run by the DJ, musician and producer Emanuel Guenther .-Releases:-External links and references:**...
- Foreign Politics (2004) compact disk, label: Echokammer
- Tokyo Risen (2006) compact disk, label: Echokammer
In addition, many Queen of Japan songs have appeared on compilations. For example, "Mother" appeared only on a Mother's Day
Mother's Day
Mother's Day is a celebration honoring mothers and celebrating motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, yet most commonly in March, April, or May...
compilation before its inclusion in Tokyo Rising and "Wanted Man" is among those songs on the tribute album Boy Named Sue: Johnny Cash Revisited.
Audio clips
Windows Media Player
Windows Media Player is a media player and media library application developed by Microsoft that is used for playing audio, video and viewing images on personal computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system, as well as on Pocket PC and Windows Mobile-based devices...
.
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Video clips
Clips attempt to open in Windows Media Player.