Band break-ups are a common sight. Every year bands part ways, some leaving us forever wondering about untapped potential we’ll never hear, and some splits leaving a legacy that is still felt decades later.
There are a number of reasons for a band parting ways, be it creative differences, loss, or not wanting to overstay their welcome and leave the limelight on a high note. Either way, we have nothing but respect for the bands that mobilised their passions and created outstanding music along the way.
With that said, let’s dive into the history of 5 disbanded Japanese groups we still find ourselves missing to this day.
Midori (2003 – 2010)
Formed in 2003 in Osaka, Midori were a ferocious four-piece jazz-punk fusion band that created some of the most hectic yet hypnotic sounds of the 2000s.
Effortlessly cool jazzy piano melodies, hard yet smooth drums and slick double bass backing, infused with Mariko Gotō’s distorted guitar, manic vocals and wild stage antics, Midori were truly a sight to behold.
Originally formed with the intention of playing Showa-era pop covers, the group quickly discovered it wasn’t their forte and started moulding the sound that gained them a zealous cult following.
After disbanding in 2010, Goto had a stint as an alternative idol releasing 3 solid noise pop albums between 2012 – 2014.
Mariko can now be found creating music for her electronica/trance project DJ510Mariko. Dropping her lastest single fuckin’ kill you in 2021, she’s still delivering her iconic frenzied sounds, but now with an electronic twist.
Essential listening: Aratamemashite, Hajimemashite, Midori Desu (2008)
Midori
Aratamemashite, Hajimemashite, Midori Desu
Release Date: 14/05/2008
Label: Sony Music Entertainment Japan
Get at: Spotify | CDJapan
The Mad Capsule Markets (1985 – 2006)
The Mad Capsule Markets hit their peak popularity during the height of the nu-metal era, and though they were lumped in with other heavy hitters in the genre at the time they managed to stand out with their experimental sound that mixed industrial metal, rap, electronic, and punk rock.
Releasing a total of 10 studio albums over 14 years, the band started their journey as a rough around the edges punk unit, but by the late 90s they were releasing one of a kind thrashers that made them staples of the scene in Japan and internationally.
In 1999 The Mad Capsule Markets released their breakthrough album Osc-Dis which made waves across the US and UK when it was released overseas in 2001.
The album’s single Pulse introduced their never before heard sound to a generation when it made its way onto music television in the UK. Balls to the wall punk riffs, heavy drums and a chant-able chorus served with a Y2K era CGI space fever dream music video embedded this song into the brains of anyone who heard it. Pulse was also featured in Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3, a game series responsible for shaping the music taste of every videogame loving millennial.
In 2022 two of the founding members, frontman Hiroshi Kyono and bassist/programmer Takeshi Ueda, can still be found creating Mad Capsule-esque tunes with Ueda’s band AA= and Kyono’s solo work.
Essential listening: Osc-Dis (1999)
The Mad Capsule Markets
Osc-Dis
Release Date: 25/08/1999
Label: Victor Entertainment
Get at: Spotify | CDJapan
0.8Syooogeki (2008 – 2017)
0.8Syooogeki was formed in 2008 by radio personality Tadaomi Toyama and model J.M. who claimed to be the “Lennon and McCartney of the 21st century”.
The band found their footing by entering numerous music contests and record label auditions, eventually scoring a deal with Evol Records sub-label Actwise.
Soon their cutting edge blend of punk, folk, hip-hop, and dub with intense pop melodies become a hot topic on the internet, leading to the release of their debut album Zoo&LENNON in 2009.
By the time they disbanded in 2017 0.8Syooogeki gained notoriety in the underground music scene, with 5 studio albums and numerous live shows under their belts.
Archive: 00.8Syooogeki to disband this autumn and release new video
The band’s 2015 single Nijiiro no kotoba managed to garner international listeners when it made the rounds on Reddit making it their most watched video to date.
Is there hope of a reunion? In 2019 Toyama and J.M. began releasing very limited runs of new tracks on CD via their Rakuma store which have all sold out in a matter of days after release. Last year the duo created the new composition team Kill Tokyo with its own limited single release.
So in a way they’re already back, you just have to be fast enough to nab their new releases when they drop.
Essential listening: Blast 1 Blast 2 Blast 3 Blast 4 Blast 5 Blast 6, Far East Techno. (2011)
0.8Syooogeki
Blast 1 Blast 2 Blast 3 Blast 4 Blast 5 Blast 6, Far East Techno.
Release Date: 18/05/2011
Label: Actwise
Get at: Spotify | CDJapan
BOOM BOOM SATELLITES (1997 – 2016)
Legends of Japan’s rock scene, BOOM BOOM SATELLITES were a duo formed of Michiyuki Kawashima on guitar and vocals and Masayuki Nakano on bass and programming.
They made their debut in Europe in 1997 where they released their first single 4 A Moment of Silence via Belgian label R&S Records. In 1998 the duo dropped their debut album Out Loud, a genre-bending album that weaved dark beats, jazzy dub sounds and hip-hop elements into rock with hard drums and distorted bass lines.
From there they went on to release 9 studio albums, perform at massive rock festivals across Europe and Japan, and collaborate with big industry names such as Chuck D of Public Enemy, Flo Rida, and Wisconsin rock legends Garbage.
In 2006 their album ON set the stage for the duo’s sonic style going forward. Moving away from the sound that drew comparisons to The Chemical Brothers and The Prodigy, they managed to adapt their sound fit Japan’s rock music landscape while retaining some of the band’s core elements and adopting a more ambient and spacey atmosphere for some of their tracks. This new direction led them to create multiple albums that charted in the top 10 of Japan’s weekly album charts.
The duo released their final EP LAY YOUR HANDS ON ME in June 2016 before disbanding after it was announced that vocalist Kawashima’s brain tumour that first appeared in 2012 had returned. Sadly in October that year he passed away.
BOOM BOOM SATELLITES were a band that came from humble beginnings- two university friends creating music with dreams of taking it to new heights. Fortunately they succeeded and became Japanese rock legends along the way.
After the loss of Kawashima, Nakano formed THE SPELLBOUND with The Novembers frontman Yusuke Kobayashi in 2021. That year they released 5 singles and are due to release their self-titled first album on February 23rd this year.
Essential listening: Out Loud (1997) + To The Loveless (2010)
BOOM BOOM SATELLITES
To The Loveless
Release Date: 26/05/2010
Label: Sony Music Entertainment Japan
Get at: Spotify | CDJapan
Pizzicato Five (1979 – 2001)
Pizzicate Five were a band that seemed doomed to fail with near constant line-up changes and struggles to find a suitable vocalist. However, by the 90s this band turned duo became the icons of a genre that was about to take the country by storm.
Formed in 1979 by founding members Yasuharu Konishi, Keitaro Takanami and Ryo Kamamiya when they were in university, Pizzicato Five released their first single Audrey Hepburn Complex in 1985 with their first singer Mamiko Sakaki. 2 years later they released their debut album Couples and in 1988 both Kamamiya and Sakaki left the band. Soon after their departure Takao Tajima joined as the new vocalist, only to leave the band a year later.
Things changed in 1990 when they enlisted vocalist Maki Nomiya, and in 1991 released their fifth studio album This Year’s Girl. From there the band were on a roll releasing 8 more studio albums including Bossa Nova 2001– the band’s highest ranking album in Japan’s album charts and the home of their worldwide hit single Sweet Soul Revue.
The band flourished with their twist on mainstream J-pop fused with jazz, soul, and lounge influences. In the late 90s they found themselves becoming the face of Shibuya-kei, a music genre that drew heavily from 1960s trends and Western pop music which was spreading across Japan and the States with the help of major indie labels such as Matador and Grand Royal.
In 2001 the now duo of Konishi and Nomiya announced Pizzicato Five were disbanding after one last Tokyo performance.
Though the height of the band’s career might’ve felt short, they managed to pack those years with countless hits and iconic tracks that became the building blocks for modern day J-pop.
In 2022 Nomiya is still releasing music as a solo artist and recently teamed up with Thai act Phum Viphurit to release a reimagined version of Pizzicato Five’s 1994 single On The Sunny Side of The Street.
The new release is part of a project by Nomiya where she aims to collaborate with artists from previously toured cities to make new music to share with people across the globe.
Essential listening: THE BAND OF 20TH CENTURY 1991-2001 Compilation album (2019)
Pizzicato Five
THE BAND OF 20TH CENTURY
Release Date: 06/11/2019
Label: Nippon Columbia Co. Ltd
Get at: Spotify | CDJapan