P-Model (album)

P-Model
Studio album by P-Model
Released	February 26, 1992 (1992-02-26)
Genre	New Wave Electronic rock Techno Technopop
Label	Polydor K.K.
Producer	Susumu Hirasawa Yuichi Kenjo
P-Model chronology
One Pattern (1986) P-Model (1992) big body (1993)

P-Model is the eighth studio album by P-Model.

Overview

The band's lineup changed before recording this album. The new lineup was formed, with returning members Katsuhiko Akiyama and Hikaru Kotobuki joined by new member Yasuchika Fujii. Although P-Model had performed a show on the "Error Force" event, it was not their last lineup change (although the band contained Akiyama and Kotobuki), it was a joke revival of the band, and they officially came back at the "Error of Universe" show, reflecting the style of this album. Although they did not play any of the songs from this album, they performed once at the "I3DAYS" event, where they played "Speed Tube" and "2D or Not 2D".^[1]

This album has P-Model returning to technopop, which they had abandoned on Potpourri. However, they played a cyber-techno style, with lyrics focusing on science, technology, and computers. The bassist was also replaced by a second keyboard. Kotobuki's voice had a robotic filter applied to it when he sang backing vocals, and the band started using a sequencer, which was activated by Fujii with a trigger on his bass drum. This album shares this style with big body, which has a dual relationship with this album.

The album's liner notes feature photos of the band wearing black leather outfits with straps, which they used on their 1992 shows ("P-Model Tour '92", "Tour On Grid" and "Nōritsu no Yokan"), which limited movement of the upper body.^[2]

Track listing

Tracks 1, 3-4, 6-7, 9, 11-12 arranged by Susumu Hirasawa, tracks 2 & 8 arranged by Hikaru Kotobuki, tracks 5 & 10 arranged by Katsuhiko Akiyama.

Track information

Speed Tube

Uses vocals from "Stone Age!" played backwards in its bridge.

• Live versions by P-Model were included in the BITMAP 1979-1992 video and the Pause album.
• A live version performed by Hirasawa as KAKU P-Model was included in the LIVE VISTORON video.

2D or Not 2D

Has a Promotional Video filmed for it, with CG models made on an AMIGA by Hirasawa, the band appears through the video by chroma key, dressed with the costumes used on the album's liner notes.

• Live versions were included in the BITMAP 1979-1992 video (which also included the song's PV) and the Pause album
• It was used as a tie-up song on WOWOW.
• The song has a big body counterpart in NEOTENY BOX.

Stone Age!

Has its vocals played backwards in the bridge of "Speed Tube".

• Live versions by P-Model were included in the BITMAP 1979-1992 video and the Pause album
• A live version performed by Hirasawa as KAKU P-Model was included as a bonus in the Live Vistoron video (it includes a recording of the last KAKU P-Model show as the feature presentation, with recordings of songs that were played in other KAKU P-Model shows but not the last one as a bonus).

Wire Self

• Live versions by the Defrosted P-Model were included in the BITMAP 1979-1992 video and the Pause album
• A live version performed by Revised P-Model was included in the Ending Error video.
• Hirasawa remade the song in a symphonic, orchestral, string-oriented style as part of "The Aggregated Past KANGENSHUGI 8760 HOURS" project. This version was released on the Totsu-Gen-Hen-I album, where Hirasawa used the English Amiga narration with Japanese text-to-speech narration overlaid on it. This version of the song had 4 sketches released by Hirasawa on the Kangen Shugi website as he worked on it.^{[3][4][5][6][7]} A live performance of this version by Hirasawa was included in the Tokyo I-jigen Kudou video.

Clear

Akiyama singing lead vocals. Uses composition similar to that of P-Model songs from In a Model Room/Landsale.

Grid

Has a PV filmed for it, with Hirasawa singing while green-screened on top of his AMIGA generated footage, with filters being heavily applied throughout the video. Images of the other P-Model members appear occasionally through the video, it was included in BITMAP 1979-1992.

• A live version was included on the Pause album, where the song is stopped halfway through due to "machine trouble", which gives the album its title.
• A live version performed by Hirasawa as KAKU P-MODEL was included as a bonus in the Live Vistoron video.

Lab=01

Both Hirasawa and Kotobuki sing lead vocals. The song has 2 sets of lyrics: "Lab-0" and "Lab=1", Hirasawa sings 0, while Kotobuki sings 1. 0 and 1 are played, in stereo, from the left to right channels.

• Kotobuki (with Phnonpenh MODEL) rerecorded the song in a parodic, A cappella style as "LuLuLu-Man" (ルルル男, RuRuRu Otoko). This version was released on the Desk Top Hard Lock album, where Hirasawa does not receive any credit on the song.
• A live version was included on the Pause album, where a guitar solo was added.

Error of Universe

The AMIGA program "Say" sings lead, heavily filtered in English and Japanese (delivered as monologue), with the main vocal being low-pitch, and a high-pitch secondary vocal, delivered as if it was sung by a broken machine.

• A live version was included in the BITMAP ～1979-1992～ video.

Psychoid

The song features Hirasawa groaning and an abrupt end.

• A live version performed by the Defrosted P-Model was included in the BITMAP 1979-1992 video.
• A live version performed by the Revised P-Model was included in the Ending Error video.

No Room

a bonus/secret track, starting 3 minutes after the end of "Psychoid". The song is a self-tribute of ART MANIA, the opening song of "In a Model Room", which was P-Model's first single and their biggest hit, with its intro and bridge being re-recorded for this song. The song also shares its name with Hirasawa's website. The song's lyrics were written in the inside of the back-jacket of the CD, but were omitted in Golden Best.

• A live version was included in the BITMAP 1979-1992 video. The song was played live in an up-tempo version, with new lyrics added to the fourth set.

Personnel

• Susumu Hirasawa - Vocals, Guitar, Synthesizer, Computer programming, Amiga, Production, Mixing Engineer
• Katsuhiko Akiyama - Synthesizer, Computer programming, Amiga, Vocals
• Hikaru Kotobuki - Synthesizer, Computer programming, Amiga, Vocals
• Yasuchika Fujii - Electronic Drums, Backing vocals on "Vista"
• Yuichi Kenjo - Production, Backing vocals on "Vista"
• Masanori Chinzei - Engineering (Mixing/Recording), Backing vocals on "Vista"

Release history

References

1. ↑ "P-MODEL Live Data 1990-1993". MODEROOM. Fascination, inc. 
2. ↑ SPEED TUBE performance and Interview
3. ↑ Hirasawa, Susumu. "WIRE SELF　スケッチ１". The Aggregated Past KANGENSHUGI 8760 HOURS. Chaos Union. 
4. ↑ Hirasawa, Susumu. "WIRE SELF スケッチ２". The Aggregated Past KANGENSHUGI 8760 HOURS. Chaos Union. 
5. ↑ Hirasawa, Susumu. "WIRE SELF　スケッチ１". The Aggregated Past KANGENSHUGI 8760 HOURS. Chaos Union. 
6. ↑ Hirasawa, Susumu. "WIRE SELFスケッチ３". The Aggregated Past KANGENSHUGI 8760 HOURS. Chaos Union. 
7. ↑ Hirasawa, Susumu. "WIRE SELFスケッチ4 ギター間奏". The Aggregated Past KANGENSHUGI 8760 HOURS. Chaos Union. 

External links

• P-MODEL at NO ROOM - The official site of Susumu Hirasawa (P-MODEL)
• P-MODEL at MusicBrainz
• P-MODEL at Universal Music Japan's official site
• GOLDEN☆BEST (reissue) at Universal Music Japan's official site
• P-MODEL at Tower Records Online