Asian Kung-fu Generation (アジアン・カンフー・ジェネレーション, Ajian Kanfū Jenerēshon) is a Japanese band signed by Sony Music. History The band was f...

Asian Kung-fu Generation (アジアン・カンフー・ジェネレーション, Ajian Kanfū Jenerēshon) is a Japanese band signed by Sony Music.

History
The band was first formed in 1996 by Kensuke Kita, Takahiro Yamada, and Masafumi Gotō who met in college, with Kiyoshi Ijichi joining the band shortly after. They played many small venues until they released their first indie EP in 2000, a six-song EP of English cover songs. In the following year, the band tried to get their first Japanese single, "Kona Yuki" (粉雪, "Kona Yuki"), onto indie radio shows. The song was eventually picked up by a popular radio DJ and put into heavy rotation due to the demand of listeners. The band released their second indie CD containing songs with Japanese lyrics later in the same year. In 2002, the band would release their first mini-album Hōkai Amplifer (崩壊アンプリファー, Hōkai Amplifer?), which received immense critical acclaim with the sales of the album reaching 35 on the Oricon charts.

In 2003, the band released the singles "Mirai no Kakera" (未来の破片, "Mirai no Kakera" and "Kimi to Iu Hana" (君という花, "Kimi to Iu Hana"?), which would catapult them to fame. Their first full album, Kimi Tsunagi Five M (君繋ファイブエム, Kimi Tsunagi Five M?), sold over 25,000 copies and landed in the number 5 spot on the Oricon charts in its first week. As their fame grew, fans began calling them simply Ajikan (アジカン, Ajikan), the shortened version of their full name.

When 2004 came around, the band won the award for Best New Artist; their video "Kimi to Iu Hana" also won the award for Best Music Video. Over the course of the year, the band would release four more singles: "Siren" (サイレン, "Siren"), "Loop & Loop" (ループ＆ループ, "Loop & Loop"?), "Rewrite" (リライト, "Rewrite"), and "Kimi no Machi Made" (君の街まで, "Kimi no Machi Made"?). "Rewrite" was featured as the fourth opening song to the anime Fullmetal Alchemist. The band also released their second album, Sol-fa (ソルファ, Sol-fa), in 2004. The album would go on to sell more than 600,000 copies and reach number one on the Oricon charts for two weeks straight.

In 2005, they released a DVD that stayed at number one on the Oricon DVD charts for an entire month, and played at sold out venues during their Re:Re: tour. The band also held the NANO-MUGEN FES. 2005, where eight different bands played to a sold out crowd. Later that year, the band released another single "Blue Train" (ブルートレイン, "Blue Train"?), and held a short tour in the winter.

The band released two albums in 2006 Fanclub (ファンクラブ, Fanclub?) and a B-side compilation called Feedback File. Fanclub stayed in the Oricon top five for nearly two months while Feedback File entered the charts at number two. In July, band held a sequel to their NANO-MUGEN FESTIVAL known as NANO-MUGEN FESTIVAL 2 which featured 12 different artists and sold out for all of its performances. The band then went on to to release three singles in 2006, Blue Train, World Apart and Aru Machi no Gunjo. Blue Train managed to obtain a #5 spot on the charts while World Apart went on to become the band's first number one single.

Members

Name: Goto Masafumi
From: Chuubu.
Birth Date: December 2, 1976
Birth Place: Shizuoka, Japan.
Favorite artists: Weezer,Teenage Fanclub, NUMBER GIRL ,Eastern Youth, and Howard Jones.
Instrument: Guitar and lead singer.
Instrument Equipment: '75 Gibson Marauder, Gibson Les Paul Faded Double-Cut (Faded Yellow), Gibson Les Paul Junior Faded Double-Cut (Worn Cherry), and Roland Custom JC-160 amp.

Name: Kita Kensuke (喜多建介)
From: Tokyo
Birth Date: January 24, 1977
Birth Place: Kanagawa, Japan
Favorite artists: Radiohead, Manic Street Preachers, Supergrass and XTC

Name: Yamada Takahiro (山田貴洋)
From: Chuubu
Birth Date: August 19, 1977
Birth Place: Shizuoka, Japan
Favorite artists: The Beatles, Oasis, Smashing Pumpkins and Pet Shop Boys

Name: Ijichi Kiyoshi (伊地知潔)
From: Tokyo
Birth Date: September 25, 1977
Birth Place: Kanagawa, Japan
Favorite artists: Brian Setzer, Hi-Standard, LINK

Discography

Albums
[2003.11.19] Kimitsunagi Five M (君繋ファイブエム)
[2004.10.20] Sol-Fa (ソルファ)
[2006.03.15] Fan Club (ファンクラブ)
[2006.10.25] Feedback File (フィードバックファイル)
[2008.03.05] World World World (ワールド ワールド ワールド)
[2008.11.05] Surf Bungaku Kamakura (サーフ ブンガク カマクラ)
Mini-Albums
[2003.04.23] Houkai Amplifer (崩壊アンプリファー)
[2008.06.11] Mada Minu Ashita ni (未だ見ぬ明日に)
Singles
[2003.08.06] Mirai no Kakera (未来の破片)
[2003.10.16] Kimi to Iu Hana (君という花)
[2004.04.14] Siren (サイレン)
[2004.05.19] Loop & Loop (ループ&ループ)
[2004.08.04] Rewrite (リライト)
[2004.09.23] Kimi no Machi Made (君の街まで)
[2005.11.30] Blue Train (ブルートレイン)
[2006.02.15] World Apart (ワールドアパート)
[2006.11.29] Aru Machi no Gunjou (或る街の群青)
[2007.11.07] After Dark (アフターダーク)
[2008.02.06] Korogaru Iwa, Kimi ni Asa ga Furu (転がる岩、君に朝が降る)
[2008.10.15] Fujisawa Loser (藤沢ルーザー)
[2009.12.02] Shinseiki no Love Song (新世紀のラブソング)
DVDs
[2004.11.26] Eizou Sakuhin-shuu Vol.1 (映像作品集 1巻)
[2005.04.20] Eizou Sakuhin-shuu Vol.2 (映像作品集 2巻)
[2007.03.21] Eizou Sakuhin-shuu Vol.3 Tour Suihai 2006-2007 "The start of a new season" (映像作品集 3巻 Tour酔杯2006-2007 "The start of a new season")

Last edit by DeathBerry on Wednesday 11 Nov, 2009 at 21:39 +4.1% Reason: Added the date of upcoming single.

Last edit by topaz91385 on Thursday 13 Nov, 2008 at 21:46 +43.2%

Last edit by Arekesu on Saturday 14 Jun, 2008 at 14:47 +1.7% Reason: to add the nicknames

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