Puffy Ami Yumi - Artist Profile

Though the Japan pop duo Puffy may be relatively unheard of in the U.S., they have achieved superstar status in Japan. Puffy, who are Yumi Yoshimura and Ami Onuki, originally busted onto Japan's pop music scene back in 1996 with their hit single "Asia No Junshin." Regularly appearing in magazines and on TV (even hosting their own show), Puffy has put out its own line of shoes, clothes, and toys. The youthful and attractive Puffy manage to combine traditional rock instrumentation, Japan pop sensibilities, and their energetic vocals into a coherent style all their own. Hints of rockabilly, disco, classic rock, country, surf, bossa nova, and still other styles pervade the sounds found on Puffy's five CDs. On these CDs, which include Jet CD, Fever*Fever, and the remixed compilation Puffy Re-Mix Project, Puffy collaborated with such musicians as Pizzicato Five's Yasuharu Konishi and former Jellyfish member Andy Sturmer. In 1997, Puffy released the double CD Solo Solo. With 1998 came five hit singles from the duo's Jet CD. Taking note of their growing popularity in China, Puffy recorded a song with Mandarin lyrics on this CD. 1999 saw the release of two CDs by this prolific and unflagging duo: Fever*Fever and PMRX, respectively. The former is somewhat reminiscent of the Posies and Rockpile, while their latter is a remixed amalgam of their most popular tunes. Such notables as Fantastic Plastic Machine, producer and DJ Yasuharu Konishi, the electro-techno Freddy Fresh, and one-time New York Dolls and Sex Pistols promoter Malcolm McLaren all lent helping hands in the sculpting of PMRX.

Click here to check out the Puffy Ami Yumi titles in the Media Center's Collection.

Ruins - "Burning Stone" (CD SHIMMY 001)

This early-90's release from Japan's premier complexi-core duo, Ruins, takes the listener on an unpredictable sonic journey. Like being blindfolded and put on a psychotic roller coaster ride, bandleader/drummer/singer Tatsuya Yoshida and bassist/singer Ryuichi Masuda toss the listener about by throwing hairpin-turn changes and free-fall melodic dementia into the mix. Driving polyrhythmic drumbeats, a heavily processed bass guitar, and vocal lines that dip into the operatic, comedic, and ominous characterize the tunes on this CD. Though the vocals sound and are meant to be nonsensical, their phonetic renderings are written down in liner notes in case you want to try following along.
Check it out from the Media Center today: Call # CD SHIMMY 001