Dragon Ash

Dragon Ash
Origin Tokyo, Japan
Genres
Years active 1996–present
Labels Victor Entertainment/Mob Squad
Website dragonash.co.jp
Members KJ
Makoto Sakurai
Bots
Hiroki
Dri-V
Atsushi
Past members Iküzöne

Dragon Ash (ドラゴンアッシュ, Doragon Asshu) is a Japanese rap rock group founded in 1996 by Kenji "KJ" Furuya and Sakurai Makoto.[1] They were one of the first groups to popularize hip hop in Japan. Dragon Ash is a member of Mob Squad, which is an affiliation with the bands Source and Endive. Dragon Ash uses the French fleur-de-lis as their band logo/symbol.

History

Dragon Ash started out as a punk rock group. Lead singer and guitarist Kenji Furuya, son of actor Ikko Furuya, met drummer Makoto Sakurai when they were junior high students in a Tokyo suburb, and the two started playing together. Though temporarily sidetracked into following in his father's footsteps, Furuya gave up the few acting gigs that he was getting on TV dramas to concentrate on music in high school. In 1996, they took on bass player Ikuzo Baba, ten years their senior. The group debuted in 1997 with two EPs at the beginning of the year, The Day Dragged On and Public Garden, influenced by Nirvana. By the end of the year and time of their release, Mustang!, the group had progressed to a blend of various pop and rock influences.

Through 1998 their popularity increased, and by the time of Buzz Songs, their sound had solidified to rap rock, helped with the mixing skills of DJ Bots, who occasionally appeared on some songs. Two singles – "Let Yourself Go, Let Myself Go" and "Grateful Days," the latter featuring hardcore rapper Zeebra and soulstress ACO – sold so well that they cracked the Japanese Oricon charts, usually reserved for pop music.

Their fourth single, "Let Yourself Go, Let Myself Go", reached number 7 on the Oricon Weekly Singles chart, and eventually climbed to number 4, selling a total of 640,000 copies. The band simultaneously released their fifth and sixth singles, "Grateful Days" and "I Love Hip Hop", which debuted at number 3 and number 4, respectively. When these two singles debuted, "Let Yourself Go, Let Myself Go" had not yet dropped off the top 10 chart, giving Dragon Ash three top 10 singles at the same time.

The band finally reached the peak of their success when they released their third album, Viva la Revolution, in July 1999 and it hit number 1 on its debut week. The album has sold in excess of 2,000,000 copies.

During 1999, Dragon Ash had become a four-piece, with DJ Bots essential to the mix. In 2000, Dragon Ash undertook the Total Music Communication Tour, touring Japan with a lineup that included other rising rock acts, such as Missile Girl Scout, Penpals, and Skebou Kings. Meanwhile, Furuya and DJ Bots formed a duo of sorts, writing and producing songs for acts such as Sugar Soul under the name Steady & Co. Likewise, Baba and Sakurai sidelined as a remixing unit called Motor Headphone, popping up on various compilations. The full band released Lily of da Valley in 2001.

Dragon Ash collaborated with the hip hop group Rappagariya on "Deep Impact" in 2000. In 2003 the group expanded to include its full current roster of members, bringing in Hiroki, Atsushi, and Dri-V.[2] In 2007 they celebrated their 10th anniversary by simultaneously releasing two best-of albums, The Best of Dragon Ash with Changes Vol. 1 and The Best of Dragon Ash with Changes Vol. 2. Both albums hit number 1 upon their debut.[3]

Bandleader Kenji Furuya released his first solo album Everything Becomes The Music from Victor Entertainment in mid-2015. Following his solo debut song "Swallow Dive" in March 2015, anime director Kenji Kamiyama directed a music video for "Stairway", the leading track from the album.

Members

Former members

Support member

Album/single Oricon sales milestones

Album

Single

Best Selling Music Artists List in Japan (Top 50 of all time)

Top 5 highest weekly Oricon chart ranking milestones

Album

Single

DVD/Blu-ray

Awards

Tours

Accomplishments Timeline

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017

Discography

EPs
Albums
Compilation albums
Side Project/Remix Albums
Vinyl records
Singles
Side Project Singles

Digital download-limited singles

B-Side exclusive songs from singles
Collaborations [With Dragon Ash]
Remixes [Produced by Dragon Ash]
Hidden tracks from albums
List of songs inspired by 'Floriography' (The Language of Flowers)
Cover Songs
Tribute/Inspired Songs
Songs included in Anime/Film Soundtracks & Official Commercials
Unreleased Songs/Live Performed Only
Cover Songs Performed Live Only
VHS/Video
DVD
Blu-ray
iTunes Store Concert Film Download
Photobooks
Cookbooks
Mobile Phone Apps
Songs by other artists produced by Dragon Ash

Music videos

1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017

Collaboration music videos

1999
2000
2001
2003
2004
2006
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2015
2016
2017

References

  1. "Dragon Ash Official Website : BIOGRAPHY 1996". Dragon Ash Official Website (in Japanese). Retrieved 2010-12-22.
  2. "Dragon Ashのプロフィール・ヒストリーならオリコン芸能人事典-ORICON STYLE". Oricon Style (in Japanese). Retrieved 2010-12-22.
  3. "Dragon Ashのベスト2作が初日1、2位独占!". Oricon Style (in Japanese). Retrieved 2010-12-22.
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