, stylised as "capsule", is a Japanese electronica

Electronica

Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...

 duo consisting of vocalist Toshiko Koshijima

Toshiko Koshijima

is a Japanese singer. Along with composer/producer and DJ Yasutaka Nakata, she is a member of the group Capsule, which they formed in 1997 when both were 17. Their formal debut came in 2001 with the release of the single "Sakura"...

 and producer Yasutaka Nakata

Yasutaka Nakata

is a Japanese songwriter, music producer and DJ. He formed the group Capsule in 1997 with vocalist Toshiko Koshijima and himself as composer/producer when both were 17. They formally debuted as capsule in 2001....

.

Music

Capsule formed in November 1997, after Nakata Yasutaka and Koshijima Toshiko met at the Teens' Music Festival in the Hokuriku area convention when they were 17 years old. Their first single was "Sakura", released in March 2001 on Yamaha Music Communications. Their first album, High Collar Girl, was significantly different from their later works in that it did not involve nearly as much use of synthesizers or contain futuristic/electronic sounds.

Capsule is frequently referred to as "neo-Shibuya-kei" due to their stylistic similarities, both aesthetically and musically, to acts from the Shibuya-kei

Shibuya-kei

is a sub-genre of Japanese pop music which originated in the Shibuya district of Tokyo. It is best described as a mix between jazz, pop, and electropop.- Overview :...

 movement of the 1990s, most notably Pizzicato Five

Pizzicato Five

Pizzicato Five was a Japanese pop group best known to audiences in the West in their later incarnation as a duo of Maki Nomiya and Yasuharu Konishi...

. Their music contains elements of bossa nova

Bossa nova

Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music. Bossa nova acquired a large following in the 1960s, initially consisting of young musicians and college students...

, lounge

Lounge music

Lounge music is a retrospective description of music popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It is a type of mood music meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place — a jungle, an island paradise, outer space, et cetera — other than where they are listening to it...

, breakbeat

Breakbeat

In 1992, a new style called "jungalistic hardcore" emerged, and for many ravers it was too funky to dance to. Josh Lawford of Ravescene prophesied that the breakbeat was "the death-knell of rave" because the ever changing drumbeat patterns of breakbeat music didn't allow for the same zoned out,...

, and most recently electro house.

Capsule is known for frequently licensing their music for use on television programs in Japan, such as Utawara Hot Hit 10

Utawara Hot Hit 10

was a weekly Japanese music television program broadcast on Sundays 7:58 pm – 8:54 pm on Nippon Television. The series ended its run on January 28, 2007.-Content:...

, Hello! Morning

Hello! Morning

was a weekly Japanese TV show featuring members of Morning Musume, and sometimes other Hello! Project members on TV Tokyo. It is also known by the shorter name of . On April 1, 2007, the show ended after seven years of broadcast and a new show, featuring the same people, , took its place...

, and Nankai Paradise. Yugo Nakamura

Yugo Nakamura

Yugo Nakamura is considered one of Japan's leading web designers. Yugo studied engineering, architecture and landscape design. He is one of the authors of New Masters Of Flash . Yugo has exhibited and lectured in Asia, United States and Europe. His artwork has been shown at Center Pompidou ,...

's studio, Tha of Japan, used Capsule's music for promotional TV and web advertisements for KDDI. Their song Portable Airport (remix) is featured in promos for The Comedy Channel

The Comedy Channel

The Comedy Channel is an Australian subscription television channel available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television.-History:...

 on Australian pay TV. The album More! More! More!

More! More! More!

More! More! More! is the tenth studio album by Japanese electronic duo Capsule, released November 19, 2008. The album achieved #3 and #6 on the Oricon daily and weekly charts, making it the band's most successful album in their career selling a total of 67,309 copies and was the duo's first album...

ranked 6th in its first week on the Oricon

Oricon

, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...

 weekly album chart, and ranked 3rd on the daily chart, marking their first time in the top 10.

On January 19, 2010, Capsule released "Love or Lies" which was used as an insert song for the show Liar Game Season 2 and the upcoming movie Liar Game: The Final Stage. It was included on their newest album, Player

Player (Capsule album)

Player is the eleventh studio album by Japanese electronic duo Capsule, released on March 3, 2010. The album debuted at the 3rd and 4th position in Oricon daily and weekly charts respectively, selling 27,549 copies in its first week of release, setting a new high rank for the group. The album sold...

, which was released on March 3, 2010.

Their twelfth studio album, initially titled KILLER WAVE, was originally slated for a March 23, 2011 release. But following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami

The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...

, the album title was changed to World of Fantasy

World of Fantasy (album)

World of Fantasy is the twelfth studio album by Japanese electronica duo Capsule, released on May 25, 2011 in Japan.The album was originally due for release under the title of Killer Wave...

and its release was postponed to May 25, 2011, an understandable change in light of the situation in Japan following the disaster.

Maxi singles

1. [2001.03.28]
2. [2001.07.04]
3. [2001.10.17]
4. [2002.08.21] Music Controller
5. [2002.11.20]
6. [2003.05.21]
7. [2004.02.04]

12" analog singles

1. [2003.02.20] Cutie Cinema Pre-Play
2. [2003.05.21] Tone Cooking
3. [2003.09.17] Idol Fancy
4. [2004.05.21] Portable Airport
5. [2005.02.02] Space Station No.9
6. [2005.08.06] Aeropolis
7. [2006.04.19] Jelly
8. [2006.12.13] Starry Sky
9. [2007.09.05] Capsule rmx EP
10. [2007.11.07] Musixxx / I'm Feeling You
11. [2008.10.08] Jumper
    Jumper
    -Clothing:*Sweater or heavy sweater pulled on over the head, used in the UK and Commonwealth*Jumper , in the USA, a sleeveless, collarless dress, known elsewhere as a pinafore or pinafore dress* Part of the uniform of the United States Navy...
    
    

Albums

1. [2001.10.21] ハイカラ・ガール
   High Collar Girl
   is the first album released by Japanese group Capsule. Released in 2001, the album's sound is much more pop-like than their later albums. "High collar" is Wasei-eigo for "Westernised".However, the album did not chart on the Oricon charts.- Track listing :...
   
   
2. [2003.03.19] CUTIE CINEMA REPLAY
   Cutie Cinema Replay
   - Singles :"Music Controller" , "Plastic Girl" and "Candy Cutie" were released as maxi singles from this album- External links :* *...
   
    (2,106 copies sold)
3. [2003.11.09] phony phonic
   Phony phonic
   Phony Phonic is the third album by the Japanese electro group Capsule, released in November 2003.-Track listing:...
   
    (3,501 copies sold)
4. [2004.06.09] S.F. sound furniture
   S.F. sound furniture
   S. F. Sound Furniture is the fourth album of the Japanese electro group Capsule, released in 2004.-Track listing:...
   
    (12,172 copies sold)
5. [2005.02.09] NEXUS-2060
   Nexus-2060
   Nexus-2060 is the fifth album of the Japanese electro group Capsule, released in 2005.-Track list:#Nexus-2060#Space station No.9#A.I. Automatic Infection#Q&A#Lucky Love#Happy Life Generator#Beautiful Hour#Urban Complex#World Fabrication...
   
    (9,024 copies sold)
6. [2005.09.21] L.D.K. Lounge Designers Killer
   L.D.K. Lounge Designers Killer
   L.D.K. Lounge Designers Killer is the sixth album of the Japanese electro group Capsule. It was released in 2005.- Track list :# 空飛ぶ都市計画 # テレポーテーション # Lounge Designers Killer# Twinkle Twinkle Poppp!# Tic Tac...
   
    (10,707 copies sold)
7. [2006.05.10] FRUITS CLiPPER
   Fruits Clipper
   Fruits Clipper is the seventh album by the Japanese electro group Capsule. It was released in May 2006.-Track list:#CS Entrance6#Fruits Clipper#Jelly #Crazeee Skyhopper#5ive Star#Endor#Robot Disco...
   
    (12,275 copies sold)
8. [2007.02.21] Sugarless GiRL
   Sugarless GiRL
   Sugarless Girl is an album by the Japanese electro group Capsule.-Track listing:#Welcome to my World#Starry Sky#Reality#Sugarless Girl#Catch my Breath#Spider#Muzic#Melting Point#Sound of Silence#Secret Paradise...
   
    (23,324 copies sold)
9. [2007.12.05] FLASH BACK
   Flash Back
   Flash Back is an album by the Japanese electronica group Capsule. It was released on 5 December 2007. This is their first original album to be released after the duo announced for a semi-hiatus way back summer 2007, after promotions for Sugarless Girl ended.-Track listing:Tracks in * indicate...
   
    (37,915 copies sold)
10. [2008.11.19] MORE! MORE! MORE!
    More! More! More!
    More! More! More! is the tenth studio album by Japanese electronic duo Capsule, released November 19, 2008. The album achieved #3 and #6 on the Oricon daily and weekly charts, making it the band's most successful album in their career selling a total of 67,309 copies and was the duo's first album...
    
     (67,309 copies sold)
11. [2010.03.03] PLAYER
    Player (Capsule album)
    Player is the eleventh studio album by Japanese electronic duo Capsule, released on March 3, 2010. The album debuted at the 3rd and 4th position in Oricon daily and weekly charts respectively, selling 27,549 copies in its first week of release, setting a new high rank for the group. The album sold...
    
     (47,853 copies sold)
12. [2011.05.25] WORLD OF FANTASY
    World of Fantasy (album)
    World of Fantasy is the twelfth studio album by Japanese electronica duo Capsule, released on May 25, 2011 in Japan.The album was originally due for release under the title of Killer Wave...
    
     (previously Killer Wave; 25,000 copies sold)

See also

• Yasutaka Nakata
  Yasutaka Nakata
  is a Japanese songwriter, music producer and DJ. He formed the group Capsule in 1997 with vocalist Toshiko Koshijima and himself as composer/producer when both were 17. They formally debuted as capsule in 2001....
  
  
• Contemode
  Contemode
  Contemode, stylized as "contemode", is a Japanese record label founded by Yasutaka Nakata in 2003. The label is based in Shibuya, Tokyo and specializes in a variety of musical styles including electropop, Shibuya-kei, lounge, dance, and hardcore house...
  
  
• Shibuya-kei
  Shibuya-kei
  is a sub-genre of Japanese pop music which originated in the Shibuya district of Tokyo. It is best described as a mix between jazz, pop, and electropop.- Overview :...
  
  
• Coltemonikha
  Coltemonikha
  , stylised as "COLTEMONIKHA" or "COLTEMÖNIKHA", is a Japanese electronica duo consisting of model and fashion designer Kate Sakai and record producer Yasutaka Nakata....
  
  
• Perfume
  Perfume (group)
  Perfume is a Japanese all-girl trio from Hiroshima, Japan, consisting of Ayano Ōmoto, Yuka Kashino, and Ayaka Nishiwaki. They debuted locally in 2001 and made their transition to a major label in 2005, focusing more on electropop...
  
  

External links

• capsule Official website