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P-MODEL

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P-MODEL was a zolo/techno band fronted by Susumu Hirasawa. They lasted for 21 years, going through various lineup changes, but Hirasawa as the single constant member.

Members[]

Yasumi Tanaka[]

First met and joined Hirasawa by answering a magazine advertisement Hirasawa had placed in search of musicians in 1973. Only person to have equally matched Hirasawa conceptually, both of them worked equally creatively on P-MODEL's first 4 years of existence. Departed as he felt that he wasn't having any new ideas. Hirasawa once said in a 1989 interview that the concept of P-MODEL as a band "died" when Tanaka left, fans have theorized that the lyrics of LEAK are about Tanaka. As he left P-MODEL, Tanaka retired from the music world and set about working as a businessman, founding the Ebisu-based Asian-African textiles & crafts shop OUIJA (ウィージャ Uīja?) in 1987, where he now works as president. It was announced that Tanaka would perform with P-MODEL after 30 years in Gazio's "CYCLE-Z" opening event in April 2013, he appears on the Gipnoza track Go for it! Halycon, playing a keyboard solo using a combo organ-like sound.

Sadatoshi Tainaka[]

  • (田井中貞利?), born October 29 1953 in Chikujō District, Fukuoka.
  • Membership: 1973 - 1978 (Mandrake), January 1 1979 - December 22 1984, March 14 1987 - December 28 1988, September 23 1990.
  • Instrument(s): Percussion (Drums, Electronic Drums, Gong Bass, Cowbell), Programming, Backing Vocals
  • Appearance(s):
  • Song(s): Canary, Sadatoshi Tainaka's Legend
  • Other act(s): none
  • Collaborative(s): The Bach Revolution
  • Link(s): Karakuri-ya

First met and joined Hirasawa by answering a magazine advertisement Hirasawa had placed in search of musicians in 1973. Renowned by his intense playing style, which gave the band's sound a "solid" element. Popular among fans for the trademark sunglasses that he was rarely seen without and for his quiet demeanor. Tainaka moved to the Galápagos Islands to study iguanas and biology, returning after his replacement Yasuhiro Araki departed and stayed on until the band's "freezing", when he retired from music. Upon returning, his previous tenure with the band was retroactively called "Part 1" and the then current one "Part 2", on "ONE PATTERN Band" shows he was referred to as "Part 1". Tainaka briefly got out of retirement and played what ended up being his final show at the ERROR FORCE event in 1990, he spent his time afterwards as a chiropractor. In 1997, P-MODEL started using the virtual drummer TAINACO on its live shows, Tainaka approved and cooperated by shooting photographs of himself to be used as visual representation of the Enhanced model in 1999. Also in that year, Tainaka founded the Sangenjaya-based figure and plastic model store (からくり屋 Karakuri-ya?), which closed down the following year, he tried to continue by setting shop in the internet. Tainaka has since retired from being a public figure, there was a slight panic in 2011 as Hirasawa found him unreachable, in July 2012 his current status was explained to fandom.

Katsuhiko Akiyama[]

Former keyboardist of a prog band, he first met Hirasawa when he was the only concert-goer in a crowd of 3 people (progressive rock wasn't popular in 1970s Japan, and the custom was to lump progressive acts with "fusion" bands, Mandrake was the sole performer at that show) to praise Mandrake. Akiyama appeared in transition of Mandrake's last show (a two-and-a-half hour long affair divided into 2 parts, the progressive songs and the zolo songs) wearing a white coat and holding a fetus that shined red, blue and green, he subsequently joined P-MODEL as the founding bassist (as well as holding other roles. Akiyama had a "feel-good" style, his songs are the poppiest that P-MODEL ever performed. However, outside of TOUCH ME, his other songs were rarely performed in live shows (TOUCH ME was sung by Akiyama, while KA-KA-YO-SHI and GLOBE had to be sung by Hirasawa), and, as P-MODEL's style grew increasingly un-technopop, Akiyama's overall style was drastically going the opposite direction, and he ended up kicked out of the band. After leaving, Akiyama worked as a fashion model, enrolling in Nihon University's School of Dentistry in 1982, later dropping out in 1985. After wandering through India, he formed the band HERE IS EDEN in 1989 with Toshirō Sensui (drummer, Hikashu and Yapoos), their first album, (夜になっても遊び続けろ Yoru ni natte mo Asobi Tsudukero?, I'll Continue to Play Even After the Night Falls), was set to be produced (and to feature guitar playing) by Hirasawa, but in the end he only worked on two tracks. Hirasawa employed Akiyama as bassist/backing vocalist from live shows in 1990-92, and later on Akiyama returned to P-MODEL in their "Defrosted" lineup, where he got popular among fans for his on-stage antics (dancing, shaking his large mane of blond dreads, performing shirtless, and intense maraca-shaking), leaving it with the rest of the "Defrosted" lineup in 1993. He continued performing with HERE IS EDEN until the band's end in 1998, spent some time working as a session musician and formed the solo unit after the rain in 1999, releasing 2 albums under it and performing sporadically to this day. Akiyama has also worked as a drummer when guesting with some bands.

Tatsuya Kikuchi[]

  • (菊池達也?) (later on Tatsuya Sakuma (佐久間達也?)), born July 30 1963 in Tokyo.
  • Membership: November 21 1980 – August 5 1984.
  • Instrument(s): Bass, Keyboard (Synthesizer), Backing Vocals
  • Appearance(s):
  • Song(s): LUCKY TIME
  • Other act(s): none
  • Collaborative(s): none
  • Link(s): COLOUR FIELD INCORPORATED (archival page, last seen active in 2011)

A student of the synthesizer classes that Hirasawa taught for Yamaha, the tall and slender Tatsuya Kikuchi first performed with P-MODEL in late 1980 after Katsuhiko Akiyama's departure, Kikuchi later dropped out of high school and joined P-MODEL as full-time bassist in 1981. Kikuchi, overall, had a very minor influence on the P-MODEL sound (he didn't appear in the recording of LUCKY TIME, the one song he wrote, and his last non-live appearance was on the promotional photos for SCUBA, he didn't appear on the album itself). He's best remembered for an incident in 1984 where he threw his bass in a couple of raucous concert-goers in a show P-MODEL co-headlined with The Stalin, this got P-MODEL credibility with the japanese punk scene. Sometime after leaving P-MODEL Kikuchi (Sakuma) became manager of the Harajuku-based record store ROCKSHOP (closed in 2004), in 1997 he founded the Sendagi-based company COLOUR FIELD, a publisher and retailer of books (and later on, records). Sakuma has made sporadic appearances as DJ in P-MODEL fan events, he also appeared on Gazio's "CYCLE-Z" opening event in April 2013.

Shunichi Miura[]

  • (三浦俊一?) (first name at times translated as "Syuniti", also known as (ミュー "Myū"?)), born August 18 1964 in Edogawa, Tokyo.
  • Membership: March 27 1983 – December 27 1985, May 1 & September 9 1987 (ONE PATTERN Band).
  • Instrument(s): Keyboard (Synthesizer), Drum Machine, Sequencer, Programming, Echo Machine, Guitar, Vocals
  • Appearance(s):
  • Song(s): NO PERSPECTIVE, REM SLEEP, D-SIDE, C-SIDE, DANCE SUBOMP
  • Other act(s): solo, Uchōten, SONIC SKY, THE SYNTHESIZERS, Space Shopping Center, Young 100V, FLOPPY
  • Collaborative(s): THE LOODS, Miina Tominaga, Girls Club, Microchips and Fish, soyuz project, Teruo Nakano
  • Link(s):

Tadahiko Yokogawa[]

  • (横川理彦, later on 横川タダヒコ?), born January 29 1957 in Tottori, Tottori.
  • Membership: August 28 1984 – December 27 1985, June 25 1991 & September 23 1994 (Hirasawa Solo Backing Band), July 1 2006 (4-D mode1).
  • Instrument(s): Bass, Violin, Ocarina, Piccolo, Vocals
  • Appearance(s):
    • RE;
    • KARKADOR
    • MOIRE CLUB Vol.03
    • TWO OF US
    • BITMAP 1979-1992 (KARKADOR)
    • Errors of P-MANIA! (all volumes)
    • HIRASAWA error ENGINE - Hirasawa Three Acts in Three Hours: Lower
    • DIVE
    • Chiputan
    • Die offizielle Raubkopie
    • Rekonnekted
    • Hiiro no Crew
    • DENKMAL
    • DRIVE
    • Wieder
  • Song(s): AFTER DINNER PARTY, LIFE PLAN, PIPER IN THE WOOD, RE;, DANCE SUBOMP, OAR, HOURGLASS, PIPER, KAR￠ADOR, Birds, Truk Lagoon, CALL, Session7_1, My Neighbor Upstairs, Hiiro's Crew, CREST, Wieder
  • Other act(s): solo, 99.99, 4-D, After Dinner, Metrofarce, Meatopia, TWO OF US, installing
  • Collaborative(s): Meteor, Shinobu Narita, Takashi Kokubo, Hisakatsu Igarashi, Haco, Eisuke Sasai, Katsuhide Suzuki, Kenji Konishi, Katsuhiko Akiyama, Teruo Nakano
  • Link(s):

Yasuhiro Araki[]

  • (荒木康弘?), born January 22 1959 in Kashiwazaki, Niigata.
  • Membership: December 22 1984 – March 14 1987, September 23 1990, 6-8 June 2012 (Hirasawa Solo Backing Band).
  • Instrument(s): Percussion (Drums, Electronic Drums, Gong Bass, Cowbell, Timpani, Wind Chimes)
  • Appearance(s):
    • ANOTHER ACT 6 (PROT DRUM)
    • KARKADOR
    • MOIRE CLUB Vol.03
    • BITMAP 1979-1992 (KARKADOR, BOAT)
    • Siege of Doldrey
    • PHONON 2555 VISION
  • Song(s): PROT DRUM
  • Other act(s): ALLERGY, Tsunematsu Masatoshi
  • Collaborative(s): PEVO 1go
  • Link(s): none

Teruo Nakano[]

  • (中野照夫, later on 中野テルヲ?), born August 12 1963 in Tokyo.
  • Membership: December 22 1984, January 15 1985 (Shun), January 23 1986 – March 14 1987, 12 - April 23 1999 (Hirasawa Solo Backing Band).
  • Instrument(s): Bass, Timpani (Shun), Keyboards, AMIGA, Under Techno System (Hirasawa Solo Backing Band), Programming, Vocals
  • Appearance(s):
    • SHUN 2nd
    • ANOTHER ACT 6 (D-SIDE)
    • ONE PATTERN
    • MOIRE CLUB
      • Vol.01 (all 5 versions of Matsuden Home Shopping, Hai)
      • Vol.05
      • Vol.09
      • Vol.11
    • MOIRE VISION
    • The Human Atlas Of Three Worlds
    • BITMAP 1979-1992 (BOAT, Train, OH MAMA!, 1778-1985 [SHUN II])
    • Errors of P-MANIA! Vol.3
    • USER UNKNOWN
    • Ashu-on [Sound Subspecies] in the solar system (MONSTERS A GO GO, CRUEL SEA, CALL UP HERE)
    • DENKMAL
  • Song(s): LICORICE LEAF, Möbius band, Sunpaleets, MONSTERS A GO GO, CRUEL SEA, CALL UP HERE, Matsuden Home Shopping, Hai
  • Other act(s): solo, SONIC SKY, LONG VACATION, MONOGRAMME, Masami Orimo
  • Collaborative(s): Yoshio Ojima, Miyuki Kajitani, Minosuki, THE GROOVERS, Hikaru Kotobuki, 4-D, soyuz project, Shampoo, Shunichi Miura, NESS, FLOPPY, Tadahiko Yokogawa, Yoshikazu Takahashi
  • Link(s):

Yoshikazu Takahashi[]

  • (高橋芳一?), born August 2 1961 in Tokyo.
  • Membership: January 23 1986 – September 27 1987.
  • Instrument(s): Systems (Synthesizers, Sampler, Cassette Deck, Programming, Engineering), Backing Vocals
  • Appearance(s):
  • Song(s): 1-3 unreleased/untitled songs
  • Other act(s): solo, Room
  • Collaborative(s): 4-D, soyuz project, Meteor, Katsuhiko Akiyama, Teruo Nakano
  • Link(s):

Hikaru Kotobuki[]

  • (こと寿光, later on ことぶき光?), born March 30 1964 in Numata, Hokkaido.
  • Membership: November 1 1987 – December 28 1988, September 23 1991 - October 11 1993.
  • Instrument(s): Synthesizers, Sampler, Cassette Deck, AMIGA, Victory 3000, Sequencer, Programming, Engineering, Vocals
  • Appearance(s):
  • Song(s): OPENING SE (ERROR OF UNIVERSE), 2D OR NOT 2D, LAB=01, ERROR OF UNIVERSE, OPENING SE 1992, NEOTENY BOX, BIASTECHNOLOGIST, all (or most) of the arrangements of older P-MODEL songs for the "Defrosted" lineup
  • Other act(s): solo, Phnonpenh MODEL, Orange Peelers (みかんむくっ?), Yukiyama Brothers, VARICHEF HOMIUM
  • Collaborative(s): Morio Agata, Shigeru Izumiya, Isao Tomita, Jun Togawa, Wataru Kamiryo, soyuz project
  • Link(s):

Yasuchika Fujii[]

Kenji Konishi[]

  • (小西健司?), born October 20 1955 in Osaka.
  • Membership: 1987 - 1993 (Fukō Project), May 7 1990 - December 18 2000 (Hirasawa Solo Backing Band), December 1 1994 - December 20 2000, 1999 (Global Trotters).
  • Instrument(s): Synthesizers (Keyboards, Modules), Computers, Drum Machines, Samplers, Sequencers, Miburi, Power Glove, Turntable, Programming, Tambourine, Bass, Vocals
  • Appearance(s):
    • How about FUKO?
    • error CD (Rocket)
    • Subconscious Unity
    • HIRASAWA error ENGINE - Hirasawa Three Acts in Three Hours: Upper (STONE GARDEN, FGG, ISLAND DOOR (PARANESIAN CIRCLE))
    • Corrective Errors〜remix of Fune (all except Julia Bird re-mix, Home re-mix)
    • DIVE
    • Errors of P-MANIA! Vol.3
    • Fune
    • ENDING ERROR
    • SAKSIT North Passage MIX
    • Chiputan
    • Rocket Shoot
    • ASHURA CLOCK
    • LAYER-GREEN
    • Electronic Tragedy/〜ENOLA
    • Non-Locality LIVE Video
    • Drive
    • GLOBAL TROTTERS PROJECT - volume I: DRIVE
    • Music Industrial Wastes〜P-MODEL OR DIE
    • Illegal Dumping (Manifesto, en Soirée de Chérubin, Falling Rain)
    • Global Tribute Battle
    • LIVE VIDEO "Music Industrial Wastes〜P-MODEL OR DIE"
    • INTERACTIVE LIVE SHOW 2000～Philosopher's Propeller - version 1.4
    • Die offizielle Raubkopie
    • Rekonnekted
    • Hiiro no Crew
    • DENKMAL
    • DRIVE
    • Wieder
  • Song(s): AFTER DINNER PARTY, LIFE PLAN, en Soirée de Chérubin, Yon Jigen in no Yūutsu, Fukō Sono Ichi, Fukō Sono Ni, Fukō Sono San, Kyokudome Fukō, Fukō Sono Go, Fukō Sono Roku, FRONTIER, 11th fact, Power to Dream, Fune, Preparation, Tide (arrangement), Mirror Image, 3/4 [March 4th, Home, Wrecked Ship Saksit re-mix, Welcome re-mix, CALL, http, The Day of Beginning, HIDDEN PROTOCOL, AFFIRMATION, ENN, Spiritus, A Strange Fruit, Parallel Motives, Lauretian, Heaven 2000, Ancient Sounds, Rehash, Mind Scape, Manifesto, Session7_1, My Neighbor Upstairs, Hiiro's Crew, CREST, Wieder
  • Other act(s): solo, (飢餓同盟 Kiga Dōmei?), DADA, 4-D, T.K.M.F.
  • Collaborative(s): TAKA, Shinobu Narita, Tadahiko Yokogawa, Wataru Kamiryo
  • Link(s):

Wataru Kamiryo[]

  • (上領亘?), born September 3 1964 in Tokyo.
  • Membership: December 31 1992 - December 12 1994 (Hirasawa Solo Backing Band), December 1 1994 - May 15 1997.
  • Instrument(s): Drums, Gong Bass, Percussion, Backing Vocals
  • Appearance(s):
    • making of tokyo paranesian
    • HIRASAWA error ENGINE - Hirasawa Three Acts in Three Hours: Lower
    • Corrective Errors〜remix of Fune
    • Fune
    • ENDING ERROR
    • Rocket Shoot
    • Karasu (Crow)
  • Song(s): voix, Karasu (Crow)
  • Other act(s): solo, GRASS VALLEY, CROW, NeoBallad
  • Collaborative(s): SOFT BALLET, Koji Kikkawa, T.M. Revolution, Ruri, Ryuichi Kawamura, ν[NEU], Hikaru Kotobuki, Phnonpenh MODEL, soyuz project, 4-D
  • Link(s):

Hajime Fukuma[]

  • (福間創?), born November 10 1970 in Osaka.
  • Membership: December 1 1994 - December 20 2000.
  • Instrument(s): Synthesizers (Keyboards, Modules), Computers, Drum Machines, Samplers, Sequencers, Miburi, Programming, Backing Vocals
  • Appearance(s):
    • Corrective Errors〜remix of Fune (Julia Bird re-mix, Home re-mix)
    • Errors of P-MANIA! Vol.3
    • Fune
    • ENDING ERROR
    • SAKSIT North Passage MIX
    • e-mix〜Ai wa Shizukana Basho e Orite Kuru
    • Rocket Shoot
    • Karasu (Crow)
    • Unreal Soprano～INTERACTIVE LIVE SHOW - SIREN
    • ASHURA CLOCK
    • LAYER-GREEN
    • Electronic Tragedy/〜ENOLA
    • Non-Locality LIVE Video
    • Music Industrial Wastes〜P-MODEL OR DIE
    • Illegal Dumping (Manifesto, Falling Rain)
    • Global Tribute Battle
    • LIVE VIDEO "Music Industrial Wastes〜P-MODEL OR DIE"
  • Song(s): ASHURA CLOCK, COLORS, BOGY, Satellite ALONE
  • Other act(s): solo, soyuz project, Controlled Voltage, Yapoos, THE SYNTHESIZERS, Electric Butter
  • Collaborative(s): Missa Fukuma, Yoko Ueno, Shunichi Miura, Teruo Nakano, Yoshikazu Takahashi, Hikaru Kotobuki, Phnonpenh MODEL, Wataru Kamiryo, NESS, FLOPPY
  • Link(s):

Related personnel[]

Yuichi Hirasawa[]

平沢裕一 ({{{2}}}?). Susumu's older brother, headed the stage effects team Device Mandragora (ディバイス・マンドラゴラ?) (part of a scheme to get Mandrake expensive instruments for cheap), concept director for P-MODEL ('79-'83), did artwork for most of their releases ('79-'88) and some of Hirasawa's ('13-present). Did backing vocals on "Rocket". In 2013 opened GAZIO, a café bar (spiritually inspired by Nylon 100%), reformed in 2015 as STUDIO GAZIO.

Akiro "Kamio" Arishima[]

有島（神尾）明朗 ({{{2}}}?). Grandson of writer Takeo Arishima, son of Gyosan, Akiro was born with the surname "Kamio". He's said that the "entire Arishima family" (most likely Takeo's children) decided nobody should inherit the surname. Gyosan married Yasuko, second daughter of General Baron Mitsuomi Kamio, whose title and lineage were inherited by Gyosan; Akiro is their second son. At some point later in life he reverted his surname to "Arishima". His name is rendered in his business card as "有島KAMIO明朗". Akiro formed and lead am experimental synthesizer trio, The Bach Revolution, releasing three albums and appearing on various compilations and side releases from 1976 to 1979. Hirasawa met him when applying for a teaching position at the Yamaha Synthesizer School, where Akiro was his "sempai" and got him (occasionally with Mandrake) to collaborate on some of Akiro's side-work and the last Bach Revolution album No Warning, the first Hirasawa releases. Akiro also pointed out a Playboy contest for Hirasawa, which led to the creating of "Temptation from Necessity Bees" and let him use The Bach Revolution's private studio Electro Sound for the recordings of Air On The Wiring, demo and IN A MODEL ROOM. Following The Bach Revolution's disbanding he, Hirasawa and Takashi Kokubo (of the prog band RING) formed the "No.1 Synthesizer Team" E-PROJECT, releasing one album (Synthesizer Trek) and a sound track to X-BOMBER (alongside BOW WOW). Akiro later formed the production company AC UNIT, whose studios were used by P-MODEL to record some of the ANOTHER ACT singles (Akiro participated on shun I and "rejoined" the "group" for Landscapes) and SCUBA; Akiro and stylist Akemi Tsujitani continued work with Hirasawa on KARKADOR, ONE PATTERN, Water in Time and Space and The Ghost in Science. AC UNIT produced the Kamui Mintara documentary and hired Hirasawa to make its soundtrack. Hirasawa hired AC UNIT multiple times to work in home video rekeases of live shows, with their work on the Philosopher's Propeller one earning an award from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's 16th Digital Contents Grand Prix of 2001. Akiro returned to work with Hirasawa in 2014, directing the Parallel Kozak video.

Masanori Chinzei[]

Sound Engineer from MAGNET, first worked with Hirasawa in Virtual Rabbit, has since engineered almost everything he worked on and all of the "main" albums (except for the Bangkok sessions of Electronic Tragedy/〜ENOLA due to scheduling conflicts.

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