Virtual band
Encyclopedia
In music
, a virtual band (also called a virtual group or cartoon band; also known as cartoon group) is any group whose members are not corporeal musicians, but animated characters
. The music is recorded (and, in the case of concerts, performed) by human musicians and producers, while any media related to the virtual band, including albums, video clips and the visual component of stage performances, feature the animated line-up; in some cases (including all four of the Gorillaz
albums, Gorillaz
, Demon Days
, Plastic Beach
, and The Fall
), the virtual band members have been listed as the writers and performers of the songs. Live performances can become rather complex, requiring perfect synchronization between the visual and audio components of the show.
The term virtual band was popularised with Gorillaz in 2000; however, the concept of the virtual band was first demonstrated by Alvin and the Chipmunks
in 1959, when their creator, Ross Bagdasarian, accelerated recordings of his own voice to achieve the 'chipmunk voice'. There have since been various bands that have recorded material, including, but not restricted to, The Archies
, Dethklok
, and Mistula
. Each group has used different animation and recording techniques to achieve their desired effect, the most common being computer animation, traditional animation, and vocal mixing and manipulation.
In recent years, the term has also come to be used for music groups who collaborate using the Internet
, no longer requiring the members to be present in the same place.
is a genius & DJ, while Murdoc of Gorillaz is a demonic fingered bass player.
The style of animation used for depicting the characters varies. Some groups, like The Archies
, Gorillaz
, and Alvin and the Chipmunks
, are hand-drawn characters, and much of their media use traditional animation
and cartooning techniques. Others, such as Crazy Frog
, JuJu Eyeballs, Genki Rockets
, and The Bots, are computer-generated
. Mistula is distinct from many of their counterparts by being animated using stop motion
.
Some people consider puppetry
as a form of animation; this consideration means groups like Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem
can be considered virtual.
In some instances, most notably The Chipmunks
, manipulation of voices may be employed, either to achieve a desired vocal effect, or to make it dissimilar to the voice of the actual singer. The manipulation is done by either modifying the playback speed of the vocal track, for example speeding it up or slowing it down, or by putting it through a synthesizer
(this process is called Vocoding
).
Writing and production credits may be assigned to either the virtual band, or the human writers and artists involved.
The second, and more complex, method differs from the first in that allowance is made for a variety of responses and interaction. This means having a wide range of animated sequences ready to play, with matching spoken lines, in response to different reactions.
In both cases, extensive rehearsal is required to synchronize spoken lines and instrumentation with animated action. This can be eliminated by using pre-recorded music and speech, however doing so also weakens the actual 'live' experience.
(Some non-virtual artists and groups have employed a similar technique on some concert tours and performances. DJ Shadow
, for example, on his In Tune and On Time tour, had pre-animated sequences, which were played on giant screens behind him while he performed the set. Again, a large amount of pre-tour planning and synchronisation rehearsal was required beforehand.)
' performances at the MTV Europe Music Awards
in Lisbon
and the 2006 Grammy Awards
. The group used a combination of computer-generated 3D imagery with 19th-century Pepper's Ghost
technology to create life-like holograms of the band members. There were also initial plans for a Gorillaz world tour using this technology.
were the first virtual band to appear. Centered around the 'front-munk' Alvin, his two brothers Simon and Theodore, and their manager/father Dave Seville, their voices were created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., who accelerated the recording of his voice to create the distinctive sound; the process earned him two Grammys in 1959 for engineering.
The success of the Chipmunks spurred on another group, the Nutty Squirrels
, to join the ranks. A scat-singing version of Bagdasarian's creation, they made the American Top 40 with their song "Uh-Oh". Their success, however, was short-lived.
were the first virtual band to appear in worldwide pop charts. In 1969, The Monkees
rejected their manager's suggestion that they play the song "Sugar Sugar." Displeased about this, he took the song, and created a group who could be easily managed; basing it on the Archie
comic that was popular at the time, he created the Archies.
During this time, other television programs, such as Josie and the Pussycats
and The Muppet Show
, began to include bands as part of the format (in the case of Josie and the Pussycats, the eponymous band was the show's focus). Some of the groups that appeared on these shows released mainstream recordings. Some bands, however, would 'break up' after the end of the show's run.
After The Archies
, produced by Filmation
, became a huge pop hit, Hanna-Barbera
started releasing several cartoon TV shows with the adventures of rock bands, such as Josie and the Pussycats, The Cattanooga Cats
, The Impossibles
, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids
, Jabberjaw
, and others.
Virtual bands still appear in television: the Chipmunks appeared in their own television show for much of the 1990s, and the Adult Swim
show Metalocalypse
features the group Dethklok
.
The V-Birds, United Kingdom's first animated female group, appeared on Cartoon Network. Said to be inspired by the success of Gorillaz, the V—Birds are backed by real band, UB40
.
released Jem
, an animated TV series featuring two enemy bands with a new song video on each episode.
In the early 1990s, the Chipmunks were updated to fit with the more contemporary setting, and now played their own instruments; they released a CD
of covers to accompany the new show, Alvin and the Chipmunks
.
At the end of 90s, singing in Spanish, English and French, the first Latin American virtual band, Swave, emerged in France. But it was in the 2000s decade that their single "In the Future" written and produced by Juan Capacho, from the album "From the Eternal Fall" gained international notice.
The first recorded use of the term virtual band, however, came about in 1996. It was used to describe an American group called the Bot Brothers, who also used the internet
as a distribution medium.
In 1999, the first Australia
n virtual band, JuJu Eyeballs, were unearthed. Their tenure as a band was to be brief: they had released two singles through Warner-Chappell Australia, one of which was only available through the site, before going on hiatus in 2001.
The media were the first to bring the term into popularity, with the appearance of Britain
's Gorillaz
in 2000. Formed by Blur
's Damon Albarn
and Tank Girl
's Jamie Hewlett
, and produced by Deltron 3030
's Dan the Automator
, the group brought the virtual bands to the musical fore again, with their scoring numerous Top 20 positions around the world, and the World Record of being the Most Successful Virtual Band. The band has since released 4 albums in their first self-titled debut album Gorillaz
, Demon Days
, Plastic Beach
& The Fall
- they have released 2 B-Sides albums & 2 EP's.
Philippine
band Mistula
, the first virtual band for the country, was formed in 2004, comprising Bella Lugosi, Manx Minuet, Uno and Lobo, four unique dolls. Their mix of graphic imagery, literature and music, which is dubbed as 'rock poetry' by music authorities, earned them many accolades, including one from UK-based music site Overplay for The Last Supper.
The first Contemporary Christian Music
virtual band was also launched in 2008, b.o.o.n et r o c k, and was based on allegory
similarities to C.S Lewis' work.
produced a song featuring the very popular ringtone Crazy Frog
, called Axel F. Sampling the ringtone, along with the original 'Axel F' theme from Beverly Hills Cop, the song made Number 1 in both England and Australia, and top 10 in many other countries. This release was followed by two albums and several more singles, including Popcorn, Jingle Bells and We Are the Champions.
A few months after the Crazy Frog release, to coincide with the release of the new line of dolls, Bratz Rock Angelz released their first single, So Good. The group followed in the line of many of their real-life pop counterparts stylistically.
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, a virtual band (also called a virtual group or cartoon band; also known as cartoon group) is any group whose members are not corporeal musicians, but animated characters
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
. The music is recorded (and, in the case of concerts, performed) by human musicians and producers, while any media related to the virtual band, including albums, video clips and the visual component of stage performances, feature the animated line-up; in some cases (including all four of the Gorillaz
Gorillaz
Gorillaz is an English musical project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. This project consists of Gorillaz music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters...
albums, Gorillaz
Gorillaz (album)
Gorillaz is the debut album by the British virtual band Gorillaz, released in March 2001. It includes the singles "Clint Eastwood", "19-2000", "Rock the House" and "Tomorrow Comes Today"...
, Demon Days
Demon Days
Demon Days is the second studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz, released in May 2005. The album features contributions from De La Soul, Neneh Cherry, Martina Topley-Bird, Roots Manuva, MF DOOM, Ike Turner, Bootie Brown of the Pharcyde, Shaun Ryder, Dennis Hopper, the London Community Gospel...
, Plastic Beach
Plastic Beach
Plastic Beach is the third studio album by British virtual band and alternative hip hop supergroup Gorillaz, released 3 March 2010 on Parlophone and Virgin Records. Conceived from an unfinished Gorillaz project called Carousel, the album was recorded during June 2008 to November 2009 and produced...
, and The Fall
The Fall (Gorillaz album)
-Additional personnel:* Guitar on track 3 by Mick Jones* Additional keyboards on track 6 by Jesse Hackett* Bass on track 12 by Paul Simonon* Qanun on track 12 by James R Grippo* Vocals, guitar and additional songwriting on track 13 by Bobby Womack...
), the virtual band members have been listed as the writers and performers of the songs. Live performances can become rather complex, requiring perfect synchronization between the visual and audio components of the show.
The term virtual band was popularised with Gorillaz in 2000; however, the concept of the virtual band was first demonstrated by Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual;...
in 1959, when their creator, Ross Bagdasarian, accelerated recordings of his own voice to achieve the 'chipmunk voice'. There have since been various bands that have recorded material, including, but not restricted to, The Archies
The Archies
The Archies are a garage band founded by Archie Andrews, Reggie Mantle, and Jughead Jones, a group of adolescent fictional characters of the Archie universe, in the context of the animated TV series, The Archie Show...
, Dethklok
Dethklok
Dethklok is both a virtual band featured in the Adult Swim animated program Metalocalypse, as well as a real band created to perform the band's melodic death metal music in live shows. The band was created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha. The music heard on Metalocalypse is performed by Brendon...
, and Mistula
Mistula
Mistula is the first Filipino virtual band, and is composed of four customized ball-jointed dolls. They fuse music, graphic art, literature, photography, and other art forms, built around themes of Catholic idolatry and cultural commentary....
. Each group has used different animation and recording techniques to achieve their desired effect, the most common being computer animation, traditional animation, and vocal mixing and manipulation.
In recent years, the term has also come to be used for music groups who collaborate using the Internet
Internet band
An Internet band is a musical group whose members collaborate online through broadband by utilizing a content management system and local digital audio workstations...
, no longer requiring the members to be present in the same place.
The members of the virtual group
The members of virtual groups are animated characters, and, like any other fictitious character, have their own personality, voice, history, and playing style. For example, Alvin, the 'front-munk' of the Chipmunks, is considered mischievous, Ragz Mo' Rocka's, group leader, GrayscaleGrayscale
In photography and computing, a grayscale or greyscale digital image is an image in which the value of each pixel is a single sample, that is, it carries only intensity information...
is a genius & DJ, while Murdoc of Gorillaz is a demonic fingered bass player.
The style of animation used for depicting the characters varies. Some groups, like The Archies
The Archies
The Archies are a garage band founded by Archie Andrews, Reggie Mantle, and Jughead Jones, a group of adolescent fictional characters of the Archie universe, in the context of the animated TV series, The Archie Show...
, Gorillaz
Gorillaz
Gorillaz is an English musical project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. This project consists of Gorillaz music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters...
, and Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual;...
, are hand-drawn characters, and much of their media use traditional animation
Traditional animation
Traditional animation, is an animation technique where each frame is drawn by hand...
and cartooning techniques. Others, such as Crazy Frog
Crazy Frog
Crazy Frog, originally known as Adam King, is a computer-animated character created in 2003 by Erik Wernquist. Marketed by the ringtone provider Jamba!, the animation was originally created to accompany a sound effect produced by Daniel Malmedahl in 1997 while attempting to imitate the sound of a...
, JuJu Eyeballs, Genki Rockets
Genki Rockets
is a virtual band. The group consists of Tetsuya Mizuguchi, Kenji Tamai and Lumi. The face of the group is 18-year old Lumi, a fictional girl who was born in space on September 11, 2037, and has never been to Earth....
, and The Bots, are computer-generated
Computer animation
Computer animation is the process used for generating animated images by using computer graphics. The more general term computer generated imagery encompasses both static scenes and dynamic images, while computer animation only refers to moving images....
. Mistula is distinct from many of their counterparts by being animated using stop motion
Stop motion
Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...
.
Some people consider puppetry
Puppetry
Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance which involves the manipulation of puppets. It is very ancient, and is believed to have originated 30,000 years BC. Puppetry takes many forms but they all share the process of animating inanimate performing objects...
as a form of animation; this consideration means groups like Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem
Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem
Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem is the name of a Muppet rock band of The Muppet Show. Following The Muppet Show, they appeared in various Muppet movies and television specials, and have also recorded album tracks. Dr. Teeth and Animal were designed by Jim Henson, while the rest of the original...
can be considered virtual.
In the studio
The recording of the music is done by the human musicians and artists, whom the virtual artists emulate. in some cases the singing is done by machines or synthesizer applications like Hatsune Miku vocaloid who is a virtual artist. This is done using the normal in-studio recording process; see Sound recording for a detailed explanation.In some instances, most notably The Chipmunks
The Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual;...
, manipulation of voices may be employed, either to achieve a desired vocal effect, or to make it dissimilar to the voice of the actual singer. The manipulation is done by either modifying the playback speed of the vocal track, for example speeding it up or slowing it down, or by putting it through a synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
(this process is called Vocoding
Vocoder
A vocoder is an analysis/synthesis system, mostly used for speech. In the encoder, the input is passed through a multiband filter, each band is passed through an envelope follower, and the control signals from the envelope followers are communicated to the decoder...
).
Writing and production credits may be assigned to either the virtual band, or the human writers and artists involved.
On stage
One of two methods can be employed for live performances. The first involves animating the entire set, with little or no allowance for audience interaction, then 'performing' it as is. The major pitfall with this method is the lack of audience interaction, which can be vital during concerts. This is best suited to short performances, where audience response can be predicted.The second, and more complex, method differs from the first in that allowance is made for a variety of responses and interaction. This means having a wide range of animated sequences ready to play, with matching spoken lines, in response to different reactions.
In both cases, extensive rehearsal is required to synchronize spoken lines and instrumentation with animated action. This can be eliminated by using pre-recorded music and speech, however doing so also weakens the actual 'live' experience.
(Some non-virtual artists and groups have employed a similar technique on some concert tours and performances. DJ Shadow
DJ Shadow
Joshua Paul Davis better known as DJ Shadow is an American music producer, DJ and songwriter. He is considered a prominent figure in the development of instrumental hip hop and first gained notice with the release of his highly acclaimed debut album Endtroducing....., which was constructed...
, for example, on his In Tune and On Time tour, had pre-animated sequences, which were played on giant screens behind him while he performed the set. Again, a large amount of pre-tour planning and synchronisation rehearsal was required beforehand.)
An example
Perhaps the most complex live performance by a virtual band was GorillazGorillaz
Gorillaz is an English musical project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. This project consists of Gorillaz music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters...
' performances at the MTV Europe Music Awards
MTV Europe Music Awards
The MTV Europe Music Awards were established in 1994 by MTV Networks Europe to celebrate the most popular music videos in Europe. Originally beginning as an alternative to the American MTV Video Music Awards, the MTV Europe Music Awards is today a popular celebration of what MTV viewers consider...
in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
and the 2006 Grammy Awards
Grammy Awards of 2006
The 48th Annual Grammy Awards took place on February 8, 2006 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Irish rock band U2 were the big winners, winning five awards including Album of the Year. Mariah Carey, John Legend, and Kanye West each were nominated for eight awards and won three,...
. The group used a combination of computer-generated 3D imagery with 19th-century Pepper's Ghost
Pepper's ghost
Pepper's ghost is an illusionary technique used in theatre and in some magic tricks. Using a plate glass and special lighting techniques, it can make objects seem to appear or disappear, transparent, or make one object seem to morph into another...
technology to create life-like holograms of the band members. There were also initial plans for a Gorillaz world tour using this technology.
Early history
While the term had not been coined at the time, Alvin and the ChipmunksAlvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual;...
were the first virtual band to appear. Centered around the 'front-munk' Alvin, his two brothers Simon and Theodore, and their manager/father Dave Seville, their voices were created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., who accelerated the recording of his voice to create the distinctive sound; the process earned him two Grammys in 1959 for engineering.
The success of the Chipmunks spurred on another group, the Nutty Squirrels
Nutty Squirrels
The Nutty Squirrels were a scat singing virtual band, formed in imitation of The Chipmunks, that had a Top 40 hit in late 1959 with the song "Uh-Oh"...
, to join the ranks. A scat-singing version of Bagdasarian's creation, they made the American Top 40 with their song "Uh-Oh". Their success, however, was short-lived.
Virtual bands from television
The ArchiesThe Archies
The Archies are a garage band founded by Archie Andrews, Reggie Mantle, and Jughead Jones, a group of adolescent fictional characters of the Archie universe, in the context of the animated TV series, The Archie Show...
were the first virtual band to appear in worldwide pop charts. In 1969, The Monkees
The Monkees
The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
rejected their manager's suggestion that they play the song "Sugar Sugar." Displeased about this, he took the song, and created a group who could be easily managed; basing it on the Archie
Archie Comics
Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
comic that was popular at the time, he created the Archies.
During this time, other television programs, such as Josie and the Pussycats
Josie and the Pussycats (TV series)
Josie and the Pussycats is an American animated television series, based upon the Archie Comics comic book series of the same name created by Dan DeCarlo....
and The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
, began to include bands as part of the format (in the case of Josie and the Pussycats, the eponymous band was the show's focus). Some of the groups that appeared on these shows released mainstream recordings. Some bands, however, would 'break up' after the end of the show's run.
After The Archies
The Archies
The Archies are a garage band founded by Archie Andrews, Reggie Mantle, and Jughead Jones, a group of adolescent fictional characters of the Archie universe, in the context of the animated TV series, The Archie Show...
, produced by Filmation
Filmation
Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live action programming for television during the latter half of the 20th century. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1963...
, became a huge pop hit, Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
started releasing several cartoon TV shows with the adventures of rock bands, such as Josie and the Pussycats, The Cattanooga Cats
Cattanooga Cats
Cattanooga Cats is an animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera for ABC. It aired from September 6, 1969 until September 4, 1971.-Segments:...
, The Impossibles
The Impossibles
The Impossibles were a rock music band from Austin, Texas on the Fueled by Ramen label. They originally played ska punk prior to their first break-up but transitioned to a more indie rock/alternative sound upon reuniting....
, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids was a Saturday morning cartoon produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1973 for NBC...
, Jabberjaw
Jabberjaw
Jabberjaw is a 30-minute Saturday morning animated series created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears and produced by Hanna-Barbera and aired from September 11, 1976 to September 3, 1978 on ABC.-Premise:...
, and others.
Virtual bands still appear in television: the Chipmunks appeared in their own television show for much of the 1990s, and the Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
show Metalocalypse
Metalocalypse
Metalocalypse is an American animated television series, created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha, which premiered on August 6, 2006 on Adult Swim...
features the group Dethklok
Dethklok
Dethklok is both a virtual band featured in the Adult Swim animated program Metalocalypse, as well as a real band created to perform the band's melodic death metal music in live shows. The band was created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha. The music heard on Metalocalypse is performed by Brendon...
.
The V-Birds, United Kingdom's first animated female group, appeared on Cartoon Network. Said to be inspired by the success of Gorillaz, the V—Birds are backed by real band, UB40
UB40
UB40 are a British reggae/pop band formed in 1978 in Birmingham. The band has placed more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. One of the world's best-selling music artists, UB40 have sold over 70 million records.Their hit singles...
.
Revival
During the 1980s, HasbroHasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
released Jem
Jem (TV series)
Jem, also known as Jem and the Holograms, is an American animated television series that ran from 1985 to 1988 in U.S. first-run syndication...
, an animated TV series featuring two enemy bands with a new song video on each episode.
In the early 1990s, the Chipmunks were updated to fit with the more contemporary setting, and now played their own instruments; they released a CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
of covers to accompany the new show, Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks (TV series)
Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated television series featuring The Chipmunks, produced by Bagdasarian Productions in association with Ruby-Spears Enterprises from 1983–87, and DIC Entertainment from 1988-90....
.
At the end of 90s, singing in Spanish, English and French, the first Latin American virtual band, Swave, emerged in France. But it was in the 2000s decade that their single "In the Future" written and produced by Juan Capacho, from the album "From the Eternal Fall" gained international notice.
The first recorded use of the term virtual band, however, came about in 1996. It was used to describe an American group called the Bot Brothers, who also used the internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
as a distribution medium.
In 1999, the first Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n virtual band, JuJu Eyeballs, were unearthed. Their tenure as a band was to be brief: they had released two singles through Warner-Chappell Australia, one of which was only available through the site, before going on hiatus in 2001.
The media were the first to bring the term into popularity, with the appearance of Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's Gorillaz
Gorillaz
Gorillaz is an English musical project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. This project consists of Gorillaz music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters...
in 2000. Formed by Blur
Blur (band)
Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...
's Damon Albarn
Damon Albarn
Damon Albarn is an English singer-songwriter and record producer who has been involved in many high profile projects, coming to prominence as the frontman and primary songwriter of Britpop band Blur...
and Tank Girl
Tank Girl
Tank Girl is a British comic created by Jamie Hewlett and Alan Martin. Originally drawn by Jamie Hewlett, it has also been drawn by Rufus Dayglo, Ashley Wood, and Mike McMahon.The eponymous character Tank Girl drives a tank, which is also her home...
's Jamie Hewlett
Jamie Hewlett
Jamie Christopher Hewlett is an English comic book artist and designer. He is known for being the co-creator of the comic Tank Girl and co-creator of the virtual band Gorillaz.-Biography:...
, and produced by Deltron 3030
Deltron 3030
Deltron 3030 is an alternative hip hop supergroup composed of producer Dan the Automator, rapper Del the Funky Homosapien and DJ Kid Koala...
's Dan the Automator
Dan the Automator
Daniel M. Nakamura , better known by the stage name Dan the Automator, is a Japanese-American hip hop producer. He founded the record label 75 Ark, which was distributed by Tommy Boy Records during its short existence....
, the group brought the virtual bands to the musical fore again, with their scoring numerous Top 20 positions around the world, and the World Record of being the Most Successful Virtual Band. The band has since released 4 albums in their first self-titled debut album Gorillaz
Gorillaz (album)
Gorillaz is the debut album by the British virtual band Gorillaz, released in March 2001. It includes the singles "Clint Eastwood", "19-2000", "Rock the House" and "Tomorrow Comes Today"...
, Demon Days
Demon Days
Demon Days is the second studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz, released in May 2005. The album features contributions from De La Soul, Neneh Cherry, Martina Topley-Bird, Roots Manuva, MF DOOM, Ike Turner, Bootie Brown of the Pharcyde, Shaun Ryder, Dennis Hopper, the London Community Gospel...
, Plastic Beach
Plastic Beach
Plastic Beach is the third studio album by British virtual band and alternative hip hop supergroup Gorillaz, released 3 March 2010 on Parlophone and Virgin Records. Conceived from an unfinished Gorillaz project called Carousel, the album was recorded during June 2008 to November 2009 and produced...
& The Fall
The Fall (Gorillaz album)
-Additional personnel:* Guitar on track 3 by Mick Jones* Additional keyboards on track 6 by Jesse Hackett* Bass on track 12 by Paul Simonon* Qanun on track 12 by James R Grippo* Vocals, guitar and additional songwriting on track 13 by Bobby Womack...
- they have released 2 B-Sides albums & 2 EP's.
Philippine
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
band Mistula
Mistula
Mistula is the first Filipino virtual band, and is composed of four customized ball-jointed dolls. They fuse music, graphic art, literature, photography, and other art forms, built around themes of Catholic idolatry and cultural commentary....
, the first virtual band for the country, was formed in 2004, comprising Bella Lugosi, Manx Minuet, Uno and Lobo, four unique dolls. Their mix of graphic imagery, literature and music, which is dubbed as 'rock poetry' by music authorities, earned them many accolades, including one from UK-based music site Overplay for The Last Supper.
The first Contemporary Christian Music
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
virtual band was also launched in 2008, b.o.o.n et r o c k, and was based on allegory
Allegory
Allegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
similarities to C.S Lewis' work.
New source media
In 2005, dance duo Bass BumpersBass Bumpers
Bass Bumpers is a DJ and record production team, known for their dance/techno music. They are originally from Germany; with members: Henning Reith, Caba Kroll, CJ Stone, George Dee, Akira Yamamoto, and Reinhard "DJ Voodoo" Raith...
produced a song featuring the very popular ringtone Crazy Frog
Crazy Frog
Crazy Frog, originally known as Adam King, is a computer-animated character created in 2003 by Erik Wernquist. Marketed by the ringtone provider Jamba!, the animation was originally created to accompany a sound effect produced by Daniel Malmedahl in 1997 while attempting to imitate the sound of a...
, called Axel F. Sampling the ringtone, along with the original 'Axel F' theme from Beverly Hills Cop, the song made Number 1 in both England and Australia, and top 10 in many other countries. This release was followed by two albums and several more singles, including Popcorn, Jingle Bells and We Are the Champions.
A few months after the Crazy Frog release, to coincide with the release of the new line of dolls, Bratz Rock Angelz released their first single, So Good. The group followed in the line of many of their real-life pop counterparts stylistically.
Notable groups
- Alvin and the ChipmunksAlvin and the ChipmunksAlvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual;...
- The ArchiesThe ArchiesThe Archies are a garage band founded by Archie Andrews, Reggie Mantle, and Jughead Jones, a group of adolescent fictional characters of the Archie universe, in the context of the animated TV series, The Archie Show...
- Anna Blue
- Deathmøle
- DethklokDethklokDethklok is both a virtual band featured in the Adult Swim animated program Metalocalypse, as well as a real band created to perform the band's melodic death metal music in live shows. The band was created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha. The music heard on Metalocalypse is performed by Brendon...
- DvarDvarDvar is a virtual band from Moscow, Russia that plays darkwave music, though their more recent releases have been coined as Lightwave, for a lack of an existing genre to file their unique sound under.-History:...
- Daft PunkDaft PunkDaft Punk are an electronic music duo consisting of French musicians Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter . Daft Punk reached significant popularity in the late 1990s house movement in France and met with continued success in the years following, combining elements of house with synthpop...
- Eternal DescentEternal DescentEternal Descent is a virtual band created in 2004 by multi instrumentalist and writer of the Eternal Descent comic book Llexi Leon.Whilst the music is partly played by fictional characters represented in visual media, additional orchestral and industrial elements act as a soundtrack to the ongoing...
- Genki RocketsGenki Rocketsis a virtual band. The group consists of Tetsuya Mizuguchi, Kenji Tamai and Lumi. The face of the group is 18-year old Lumi, a fictional girl who was born in space on September 11, 2037, and has never been to Earth....
- GorillazGorillazGorillaz is an English musical project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. This project consists of Gorillaz music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters...
- Josie and the Pussycats
- JuJu Eyeballs
- MistulaMistulaMistula is the first Filipino virtual band, and is composed of four customized ball-jointed dolls. They fuse music, graphic art, literature, photography, and other art forms, built around themes of Catholic idolatry and cultural commentary....
- Nutty SquirrelsNutty SquirrelsThe Nutty Squirrels were a scat singing virtual band, formed in imitation of The Chipmunks, that had a Top 40 hit in late 1959 with the song "Uh-Oh"...
- One EskimoOne eskimOOne Eskimo is the first full-length studio album by the indie rock group One Eskimo. It peaked at #196 on the US Billboard charts.-Trivia:...
- Pikku OravaPikku OravaPikku Orava is an animated singing squirrel, popular in Finland. Its album, Uusi Seedee reached number two in the Finnish album charts, and has achieved platinum status . The songs are cover versions of popular Finnish songs, in a squeaky voice similar to The Chipmunks.Pikku-Orava has released an...
- ProzzäkProzzäkProzzäk was a Canadian pop music virtual band that consisted of Simon and Milo . The name Prozzäk was inspired by the drug Prozac. In an interview with the New York Times, McCollum mentions that their music makes people feel good and happy which is an effect of the drug Prozac...
- Silicon TeensSilicon TeensSilicon Teens were a virtual British electronic new wave pop group. The project was the creation of Mute Records founder Daniel Miller.-Background:...
- SpacemonkeyzSpacemonkeyzSpacemonkeyz were a musical group consisting of Darren Galea, Richie Stevens and Gavin Dodds. They came together when Galea created a dub remix of the Gorillaz' "Tomorrow Comes Today" , which Gorillaz founder Damon Albarn liked so much that he asked Galea to remix the...
- StartYourOwnRebellion
- Strawberry FlowerStrawberry Floweris a Japanese virtual band. In the first years, it was a trio of three Pikmin, the red, yellow and blue Pikmin, and debuted on December 6, 2001 with the single, Ai No Uta. The purple or white Pikmin did not join the group until their 3rd single, Tane No Uta. Since then, the group has been a pentadrio...
- Studio KillersStudio KillersStudio Killers are a virtual band that is composed of three animated cartoon characters, Cherry , Goldie Foxx, and Dyna Mink.The genre is electronic music...
- The X-Structure
- Yesterday's New Quintet
- Yourfavoritemartian