underground idol

Let’s Put Some Hocus-Pocus Focus On MagicTime…

/ supremenothing

In our secret high-level Homicidols share-holder’s meetings, we sometimes bounce around stuff that one of us has discovered just to toss it out there to be shared amongst us, or to possibly consider it’s inclusion in Maniac’s Weekender, if not a full article in it’s own right. Today we’ve got something that Chris came across and brought to our attention. Whether it’s true sorcery or merely an illusion, I found myself taken in by their spell, so ladies and gents, please note that there’s nothing up my sleeves as I present MagicTime…

Now I don’t know a heck of a lot about MagicTime other than they’re from Osaka, kick-started their activities in February of this year, and around six months later they still have the same three members, which in the idol world is quite an achievement! The members are Natsuki, Shizuku, and Mio. Natsuki (Megane girl) is the leader and Shizuku is also part of a duo called Strawberry♡Smile. Mio appears to have a superpower but we’ll get to that later. Now let’s check out their recent MV!

Continue reading →

Importing the Kawaii Underground

/ DAEMON / 5 Comments

Meet the people bringing Japan’s most compelling music acts to the West

For those Westerners who have fallen down the JPop rabbit hole, there are a few common stages that just about everyone goes through. Somewhere after devouring any English-language sites Google can find and consuming all unblocked videos on YouTube, comes the burning desire to see our newfound musical idols live. North America and Europe have been fortunate the last few years to see almost annual tours by BABYMETAL, Perfume, One OK Rock and Hatsune Miku, but for those whose tastes are a bit less mainstream, the chance to see independent and alternative artists usually involves pricing plane tickets to Japan.

Fortunately for us, a small group of fans-turned-promoters have taken it upon themselves to bring live underground idol and alternative JRock to the West. A few of these intrepid souls were gracious enough to answer our questions about why they decided to jump into the business of international music booking and promotion, the biggest challenges they encounter, and what plans they have for the future.

Continue reading →