Asobi Seksu

  • New York, NY
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  • Alternative
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  • 2001
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About Asobi Seksu


Bearing a hyper-stylized and glitzy graphic design sense, a pretty and petite Japanese female singer who sings alternately in Japanese and English, and a band name with a hint of nod-and-a-wink naughtiness (it's claimed to be a Tokyo-based slang term that means "playful sex"), Asobi Seksu come across like the latest Japanese import, the newest in a long line of ironic Shibuya-kei indie pop artists following Puffy AmiYumi, Cibo Matto, and Pizzicato Five. In fact, the quartet is based out of New York City, and besides the heavy Japanese pop influences, Asobi Seksu bear comparison both to the British shoegazer bands of the early '90s (My Bloody Valentine in particular) and to New York guitar noise acts ranging from Sonic Youth to Yo La Tengo.

Singer and keyboardist Yuki Chikudate, guitarist James Hanna, bassist Glenn Waldman, and drummer Keith Hopkin formed Asobi Seksu in late 2001, self-releasing their self-titled debut album the following year. Garnering a strong local buzz at a time when the New York club scene was hot again following the success of the Strokes and Interpol, Asobi Seksu came to the attention of the indie Friendly Fire Records, which reissued Asobi Seksu with new cover art in 2004. The album's single, "I'm Happy But You Don't Like Me," raised the band's college radio and online profile; that song and two others from the album, "Sooner" and "Walk on the Moon," were placed in the indie film In Between Days, which won a special jury prize at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.

Before recording their second album, Asobi Seksu underwent a major personnel shift, with the core duo of Chikudate and Hanna replacing Waldman and Hopkins with new bassist Haji and drummer Mitch Spivak. Produced by hot New York indie producer/engineer Chris Zane (Human Television, Ambulance LTD, etc.), the more polished, multi-layered Citrus was released to solid reviews in May 2006. At some point near the end of the nearly two years spent touring behind the album, Hanna had a revelation that led him to rethink the sound of the band, namely that he was sick and tired of the guitar sound the band had utilized up to then. For the next album, the band (then down to the core duo of Chikudate and Hanna) stripped back the layers of guitar noise and aimed for a more atmospheric and lush sound. Hush was released by new label Polyvinyl in February of 2009, and Chikudate and Hanna continued in this cleaner direction for 2011’s Fluorescence. ~ Stewart Mason & Tim Sendra, Rovi

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Music

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  • Transparence
    asobi-seksu
    Video
    Transparence
  • Me and Mary
    asobi-seksu
    Video
    Me and Mary
  • Thursday
    asobi-seksu
    Video
    Thursday
  • Walk on the Moon
    asobi-seksu
    Video
    Walk on the Moon
  • 6883528
    SoundStream
    SoundStream
    song name
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    • Thursday
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/6/3/0/3/1/107513036.mp3
    • Strings
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/0/3/1/7/6/259067130.mp3
    • Strawberries
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/1/4/9/2/3/107532941.mp3
    • Stay Awake
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/5/0/6/1/6/108061605.mp3
    • Thursday
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/3/3/1/2/3/262732133.mp3
    • Nefi & Girly
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/8/4/2/5/4/107545248.mp3

Photos

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  • Asobi Seksu
    Sean McCabe
  • Asobi Seksu

News

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  • Asobi Seksu
    Asobi Seksu announce U.S. spring tour
    prefixmag.com
    02.09 London, UK: Islington Academy (NME Awards w/Howling Bells) 02.10 Manchester, UK: Roadhouse 02.11 Dublin, IE: Crawdaddy 02.13 Belfast, UK: Speake...
    Read More
  • Asobi Seksu
    News in Brief: Donda West, Asobi Seksu, Pocket, Insomnia Festival
    www.pitchfork.com
    to pack accordingly when acts including Lindstrøm, Wave Machines, Thomas Fehlmann, and Matias Aguayo do their thing up there October 22-24. ... News i...
    Read More
  • Asobi Seksu
    Asobi Seksu Dropping 'Fluorescence' Feb. 15
    prefixmag.com
    Hush,and their critically acclaimed sophomore album,Citrus. Fluorescenceis due out Feb. 15, 2011. The track list is below: 01 Coming Up 02 Trails 03 M...
    Read More
  • Asobi Seksu
    Asobi Seksu Tour With Cults
    www.pitchfork.com
    It's tough to drag yourself out of the house in the dead of winter, though warm, gushy music usually does the trick. During the colder months of next ...
    Read More
  • Asobi Seksu
    New Release: Asobi Seksu: Fluorescence
    www.pitchfork.com
    Artist: Asobi Seksu Album: Fluorescence Release Date: February 15 (U.S.) / February 14 (UK) Label: Polyvinyl Tracklist: 01 Coming Up 02 Trails 03 My B...
    Read More
  • Asobi Seksu
    Listen: Deerhoof Remix Asobi Seksu
    www.pitchfork.com
    MP3: Asobi Seksu: "Trails (Deerhoof Remix)" NYC rockers Asobi Seksu are known for pretty, shoegazey textures. Art-punk lifers Deerhoof are known for k...
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  • Asobi Seksu
    Listen To Boris And Asobi Seksu Cover One Another
    stereogum.com
    Record Store Day Black Friday is going to bring with it a ton of cool shit but the Boris/Asobi Seksu split 7″ has to be one of the standouts. On the A...
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Discography

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  • Fluorescence (2011)
    Asobi Seksu
    Fluorescence (2011)
    Polyvinyl
  • Rewolf (2009)
    Asobi Seksu
    Rewolf (2009)
    Polyvinyl Records
  • Transparence (2009)
    Asobi Seksu
    Transparence (2009)
    Polyvinyl
  • Hush (2009)
    Asobi Seksu
    Hush (2009)
    Polyvinyl
  • Spaceland Presents: At the Echo October 6th, 2006 (2007)
    Asobi Seksu
    Spaceland Presents: At the Echo October 6th, 2006 (2007)
    Graceland Records
  • Citrus (2006)
    Asobi Seksu
    Citrus (2006)
    One Little Indian
  • Asobi Seksu (2004)
    Asobi Seksu
    Asobi Seksu (2004)
    One Little Indian
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