+ brief band history +
Quotes indicate that Dragon Ash was always meant to be based upon hip-hop, but that the three founding members were told to style themselves after punk to meet public interest. Regardless, that is how the trio of vocalist & guitarist Furuya "Kj" (Kenji), percussionist Sakurai Makoto, and bassist Baba Ikuzo (Iküzöne) began in 1997. This type of rock sound remained with them until collaborating with DJ Bots a year later for the album Buzz Songs. Aside from adding Bots to the group, this also marked a new sound which would quickly become the group's basis for future productions. From this point on, most of their songs consisted of hip-hop with light rock influences, though with some exceptions. 2001's Lily of da Valley again brought more to the ensemble, this time with guitarist Hiroki and dancers Atsushi and DRI-V. These seven are still continuing on, and their variations of musical genres show no signs of halting either. The year 2005 signaled another evolution for the band, and with the release of Rio de Emocion, Dragon Ash had added an almost flamenco Spanish influence to their music. This style has remained with the band since then, and early 2009 marked the release of Freedom, their 8th album. This possibly showcases the best fusion of their current Spanish and previously rap-rock brands of music thus far. Time will tell how the band will progress from here. Since the inception of the band, the members of Dragon Ash have also managed to keep busy with other projects, such as forming production and musical group Steady & Co. (Kj/Bots) and rock sideband Motör Headphone (Makoto/Ikuzo), assisting with various artist collaborations (including Sugar Soul, MONDO GROSSO, SBK, m-flo, etc.), and forming the "MOB SQUAD" label in 2003 which the bands SOURCE, Mach25, and Dragon Ash itself reside under. + additional info +
birthdates:
Kj: 1979, Sakurai: 1979, Ikuzo: 1965, Bots: 1978
notable tidbits:
-Dragon Ash has done several opening themes for anime series, including "Rainy Day and Day" (Virus Buster Serge) and "Hi Wa Mata Noborikuri Kaesu" (DT Eightron).
-"Shizukana Hibi no Kaidan Wo" was the credits theme for the live-action adaption of Battle Royale.
-"Resound" was used in the film The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.
-"Fantasista" was an official song of the 2002 Fifa World Cup.
-"Fantasista" also won the MTV VMAs Japan award for "Best Rock Video" in 2002.
-Nissan Latin America used "For Divers Area" as the BGM for a television commercial.
-The drama Shabake uses the song "Thought and Action" for its main theme.
+ site info +
"House of Velocity" is a Dragon Ash fansite and fanlisting. This site is not affiliated with the band itself or any related parties therein. HoV is recognized as an official fanlisting by TFL. HoV has been online since October 2003 (version 1), was revised in 2004 (version 2), and now features version 3 titled "Crush the Window" as of March 2009. Both version and site names are derived from song titles; the site name from the leading track of Harvest (2003), and version name from the single track later appearing on the album Rio de Emocion (2005). House of Velocity: Dragon Ash fansite and fanlisting, version 3 currently online. Graphic work, design, and site content by Domo, 2009. Dragon Ash, all members, production staff, and related parties © themselves
Quotes indicate that Dragon Ash was always meant to be based upon hip-hop, but that the three founding members were told to style themselves after punk to meet public interest. Regardless, that is how the trio of vocalist & guitarist Furuya "Kj" (Kenji), percussionist Sakurai Makoto, and bassist Baba Ikuzo (Iküzöne) began in 1997. This type of rock sound remained with them until collaborating with DJ Bots a year later for the album Buzz Songs. Aside from adding Bots to the group, this also marked a new sound which would quickly become the group's basis for future productions. From this point on, most of their songs consisted of hip-hop with light rock influences, though with some exceptions. 2001's Lily of da Valley again brought more to the ensemble, this time with guitarist Hiroki and dancers Atsushi and DRI-V. These seven are still continuing on, and their variations of musical genres show no signs of halting either. The year 2005 signaled another evolution for the band, and with the release of Rio de Emocion, Dragon Ash had added an almost flamenco Spanish influence to their music. This style has remained with the band since then, and early 2009 marked the release of Freedom, their 8th album. This possibly showcases the best fusion of their current Spanish and previously rap-rock brands of music thus far. Time will tell how the band will progress from here. Since the inception of the band, the members of Dragon Ash have also managed to keep busy with other projects, such as forming production and musical group Steady & Co. (Kj/Bots) and rock sideband Motör Headphone (Makoto/Ikuzo), assisting with various artist collaborations (including Sugar Soul, MONDO GROSSO, SBK, m-flo, etc.), and forming the "MOB SQUAD" label in 2003 which the bands SOURCE, Mach25, and Dragon Ash itself reside under. + additional info +
birthdates:
Kj: 1979, Sakurai: 1979, Ikuzo: 1965, Bots: 1978
notable tidbits:
-Dragon Ash has done several opening themes for anime series, including "Rainy Day and Day" (Virus Buster Serge) and "Hi Wa Mata Noborikuri Kaesu" (DT Eightron).
-"Shizukana Hibi no Kaidan Wo" was the credits theme for the live-action adaption of Battle Royale.
-"Resound" was used in the film The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.
-"Fantasista" was an official song of the 2002 Fifa World Cup.
-"Fantasista" also won the MTV VMAs Japan award for "Best Rock Video" in 2002.
-Nissan Latin America used "For Divers Area" as the BGM for a television commercial.
-The drama Shabake uses the song "Thought and Action" for its main theme.
+ site info +
"House of Velocity" is a Dragon Ash fansite and fanlisting. This site is not affiliated with the band itself or any related parties therein. HoV is recognized as an official fanlisting by TFL. HoV has been online since October 2003 (version 1), was revised in 2004 (version 2), and now features version 3 titled "Crush the Window" as of March 2009. Both version and site names are derived from song titles; the site name from the leading track of Harvest (2003), and version name from the single track later appearing on the album Rio de Emocion (2005). House of Velocity: Dragon Ash fansite and fanlisting, version 3 currently online. Graphic work, design, and site content by Domo, 2009. Dragon Ash, all members, production staff, and related parties © themselves
future will be bright
start again from square one //main
find out how the wind blows now //info
freedom is in our hands //to join
we can't stop shinin' //the fan list+updating
see you in a flash //affiliates+exit