Asaki

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Asaki (あさき) is an artist hired by Konami Corporation to create music for their Bemani game series. His lyrics are mostly ballad based and sung in a scat singing style (indeed, many listeners have a hard time understanding his singing), while his music incorporated the style of Japanese Visual kei, classical Japanese, classical European, and jazz, with most of his music appearing in the Guitar Freaks/Drummania series. He also did Elegy (Shiawase wo Utau Shi), Lament (Shizuku) and Enzetsu (Saru no kyou) for the Pop'n Music series. Compared to most other Bemani musicians, he's the most reclusive, and is quite unheard of in North America, especially among bemani fans who do not play Drummania often. This is due to the fact that most of his songs are featured on Drummania and are very difficult, and thus not commonly heard by beginners.

Due to the similarity with emo-songs and angsty songs, some drummania fans stated only unstable people play his songs. Others, however, use this as a true benchmark for a drummania player skills, as not only are the songs pleasing to listeners, they are quite challenging, as much as Jimmy Weckl's bebop-style songs. (In fact, one saying in Drummania fan-cycle is "Otaku play Dragon Blade, real player plays Asaki", in reference to most people play Dragon Blade during their first time)

About all that is known about Asaki is that he likes curry and cats, and was quoted in a Konami interview that he had previously been a bassist in a visual kei band. He also composes his own music, writes his own lyrics, and plays all of his own instruments. Even in a recently publicized photo, his face was covered up with a cat plushie.

Contents 1 Songs 1.1 Discography 1.2 Other works 1.2.1 Cover 1.2.2 Under other names 1.2.3 Collaboration 2 Trivia

[edit] Songs

This is a list of most of Asaki's works, using his own name, and appear in the game:

• Sanagi (蛹) (Guitar Freaks 7th Mix/drummania 6th Mix)
• Tsuminagara...to kanojo waifu (ツミナガラ...と彼女は謂ふ) (Guitar Freaks 8th mix/drummania 7th Mix)
• Gekkou chou (月光蝶) (Guitar Freaks 9th mix/drummania 8th Mix/Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA)
• Shiawase wo utau shi (幸せを謳う詩) (pop'n music 10)
• Konoko no nanatsu no oiwaini (この子の七つのお祝いに) (Guitar Freaks 10th mix/drummania 9th Mix/Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA)
• Agnus Dei (Guitar Freaks 10th mix/drummania 9th Mix/beatmania IIDX 12 HAPPY SKY) (Instrumental)
• Akai suzu (赤い鈴) (Guitar Freaks 11th mix & Drummania 10th mix)
• Hotaru (蛍) (Guitar Freaks V2 & DrumMania V2)
• Shizuku (雫) (pop'n music 12 IROHA)
• Neji no hito (螺子之人) (KONAMI ee'MALL/ Guitar Freaks & DrumMania MASTERPIECE SILVER)
• Saru no kyou (猿の経) (pop'n music 14 FEVER!)
• 002 (Guitar Freaks V3 & DrumMania V3)

[edit] Discography

Asaki released his first album, "Kami Kyoku" (神曲) (officially pronounced as Shinkyoku) in September 16, 2005. The CD track list is the following:

1. Sanagi (蛹)
2. Hotaru (蛍)
3. Shiawase wo utau shi (幸せを謳う詩)
4. Konoko no nanatsu no oiwaini (この子の七つのお祝いに)
5. Yogo no oto (予後の音)
6. Gekkou chou (月光蝶)
7. Akai suzu (赤い鈴)
8. Shizuku (雫)
9. Shinkyoku (神曲)
10. Sorasumi no hiyodori to (空澄みの鵯と)

Do note that 神曲 (divine songs) is actually a pun: it can also read as shinkyoku, "new songs", a type of shakuhachi music, which would fit well with his zen-influenced music. Also, the kanji means Divine Comedy in Japan.

[edit] Other works

[edit] Cover

• Romance (ロマンス)(GF8th／dm7th: as Captain Rock, cover/singing PENICILLIN)
• BEAMS (GF9th/dm8th： covering as Captain Rock, covering Kuroyume)

[edit] Under other names

• Hana no uta (花の唄) (GF9th／dm8th: arrange for Chi-chan)
• Onihime (鬼姫) (GF11th/dm10th: original as 鬼の子合唱団 (Devil's Choir))
• mushroom boy (GFV/dmV: original, singing and arranging as Poo)
• Plastic Umbrella (GFV/dmV: original, singing and arranging as "chico")
• Micro fin（GFV3 / DMV3 : original, singing and arranging as Rotten Blotch）

[edit] Collaboration

• Dare? (誰?) (GF7th/dm6th: with Handsome JET Project)
• Wasuremono (わすれもの) (GF8th/dm7th, power-up ver.: with Handsome JET Project feat.みずしな孝之)
• Shun teki ai uta (JET LOVE) [瞬的愛歌(JET LOVE)] (GF9th/dm8th: with Handsome JET Project/コーラス)
• Helicopter (ヘリコプター) (GF10th/dm9th: lyrics, working as Pink Capsule)
• Kagonotori (カゴノトリ) (GF10th/dm9th: working with Orange Special Lounge)
• Handsome JET L-Project (GF10th/dm9th: with Handsome JET Project）
• Timepiece phase II (GF10th/dm9th: with Hirofumi Sasaki）
• Futari wa love love (kari) [二人はラブラブ(仮)] (GF11th/dm10th: with Handsome JET Project）
• Kotatsu to mikan (こたつとみかん) (GF11th/dm10th/pm12: with Pink Capsule）
• Meikyou shisui (明鏡止水) (pm10/GF11th/dm10th: with Tomosuke Funaki）
• Aishuu no korigorira (哀愁のコリゴリラ) (GFV/dmV: with ハンサムジェットプロジェクト and みずしな孝之）
• Hitori botchi (ひとりぼっち) (GFV/dmV:with Pink Capsule）
• 純勉歌 (ee'MALL2nd: with ションボリくらぶ and ジェットさん）
• You can't do it if you try (GFV/dmV: with 遠藤一馬）
• Die Zauberflöte(GFV/DMV: with わんにゃん☆パニックス）
• キャッシュレスは愛情消すティッシュ(IIDX HAPPYSKY: with GINGER and Jimmy Weckl）
• ShinchoushinTION (真超深TION) (pm13カーニバル; remix of this song is in GFDM V2): with Des-ROW (右寺修))
• Ru-Ru-Ru（GFV3 / DMV3 : with Sis Bond Chit）

[edit] Trivia

• He is sometimes depicted as a cat with the letter "A" on its forehead
• Based from Asaki's comment on the song "ONIHIME" (from GF11DM10), "ONINOKO GASHODAN" is "12 Asakis". [１２人くらいのあさき]