Kōji Nakamura
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese musician who is most famous for being the lead singer
/songwriter
in the Japanese band Supercar
. His music style in general involves drone
-like guitar riffs and mixed in raw electronica
. He presently records music under the name iLL.
, Nakamura was convinced by his friend, Junji Ishiwatari (いしわたり淳治 Ishiwatari Junji) to follow up on an advertisement posted in a local magazine by Miki Furukawa (フルカワミキ Furukawa Miki) looking for fellow musicians. After Kōdai Tazawa (田沢公大 Tazawa Kōdai), a middle school acquaintance of Nakamura and Junji, joined in as the drummer, the band Supercar was formed. For 10 years (1995–2005) Supercar dished out several different indie styled songs, eventually leading in a more electronic
direction.
In 1999, Nakamura started an electronic solo project
entitled Nyantora. This project was done at the same time Supercar began to release electronica themed albums, such as Futurama and Highvision.
In 2005, Supercar broke up because the members decided to go off in different musical directions. Nakamura began recording under the name iLL in 2006. iLL's musical style is similar to Supercar's latter style in many aspects. The band hasn't gone into a completely electronic direction like Supercar's 'Highvision' era, but aims for a more zoning style of music.
Globally, Nakamura's music is known for being used in the anime
Eureka 7, its spin-off movie, the movie Ping Pong
, the anime Viper's Creed
, the anime No. 6
and the anime Un Go.
In 2011, Nakamura and former supercar bandmate Miki Furukawa formed the band called LAMA. LAMA jump-started their formation with a single entitled Spell which has been used as an opening theme for the anime No.6.
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
/songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
in the Japanese band Supercar
Supercar (band)
was a Japanese rock band active from 1995 to 2005, and who made their debut in 1997. Consisting of songwriter and vocalist Kōji Nakamura , guitarist Junji Ishiwatari , bassist Miki Furukawa , and drummer Kōdai Tazawa , Supercar is best known for combining alternative rock with electronic...
. His music style in general involves drone
Drone music
Drone music is a minimalist musical style that emphasizes the use of sustained or repeated sounds, notes, or tone-clusters – called drones. It is typically characterized by lengthy audio programs with relatively slight harmonic variations throughout each piece compared to other musics...
-like guitar riffs and mixed in raw 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...
. He presently records music under the name iLL.
Musician history
Originating from Aomori PrefectureAomori Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region. The capital is the city of Aomori.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Aomori prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
, Nakamura was convinced by his friend, Junji Ishiwatari (いしわたり淳治 Ishiwatari Junji) to follow up on an advertisement posted in a local magazine by Miki Furukawa (フルカワミキ Furukawa Miki) looking for fellow musicians. After Kōdai Tazawa (田沢公大 Tazawa Kōdai), a middle school acquaintance of Nakamura and Junji, joined in as the drummer, the band Supercar was formed. For 10 years (1995–2005) Supercar dished out several different indie styled songs, eventually leading in a more electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
direction.
In 1999, Nakamura started an electronic solo project
Solo project
A solo project usually refers to a single member of a band's work independent of their original group, yet typically without having quit their original group...
entitled Nyantora. This project was done at the same time Supercar began to release electronica themed albums, such as Futurama and Highvision.
In 2005, Supercar broke up because the members decided to go off in different musical directions. Nakamura began recording under the name iLL in 2006. iLL's musical style is similar to Supercar's latter style in many aspects. The band hasn't gone into a completely electronic direction like Supercar's 'Highvision' era, but aims for a more zoning style of music.
Globally, Nakamura's music is known for being used in the anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
Eureka 7, its spin-off movie, the movie Ping Pong
Ping Pong (film)
is a 2002 sports film directed by the Japanese filmmaker Fumihiko Sori. It is based on Taiyō Matsumoto's manga of the same name and is about the friendship between two high school table tennis players....
, the anime Viper's Creed
Viper's Creed
is a Mecha action anime series created by Sony Pictures Japan with animation by AIC Spirits and Digital Frontier. Though Hiroyuki Kanbe is the main director of the show, Shinji Aramaki is solely responsible for the creation and conception of the show...
, the anime No. 6
No. 6
No. 6 is a nine-volume novel series written by Atsuko Asano and published by Kodansha between October 2003 and June 2011. A manga adaptation drawn by Hinoki Kino began serialization in the March 2011 issue of Kodansha's Aria magazine. A TV anime series adaptation by Bones began airing in Japan in...
and the anime Un Go.
In 2011, Nakamura and former supercar bandmate Miki Furukawa formed the band called LAMA. LAMA jump-started their formation with a single entitled Spell which has been used as an opening theme for the anime No.6.
Singles
- "Call My Name" (May 20, 2007)
- "Rock" (January 28, 2009)
- "Kiss" (May 27, 2009)
- "Deadly Lovely" (September 29, 2009)
Albums
- Sound By iLL (May 31, 2006)
- Dead Wonderland (March 5, 2007) with Yuji Katsui
- Rock Album (August 6, 2008)
- Force (August 26, 2009)
- ∀ (June 23, 2010) - Collaboration & Remix album
- iLL the WorLd (September 7, 2010) - American compilation albumCompilation albumA compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
- Minimal Maximum (October 13, 2010)