Welcome back to another #SakuraUnderground! This week DJ Silent has a selection of bands and projects that are no longer around due to breakups, deaths, or just falling off the face of the earth! DJ Sakura666 plays music from #JAPAN!! There are requests this week! Thanks for the requests!
We started out with a legendary and eclectic electronic band called Add N To (X). The band was around in the late 90s and early 2000s and included members Ann Shenton, Barry 7, and Steve Claydon. The musical instruments they used were vintage synthesizers. They had an arsenal of the coolest synths, and they knew how to play them! The band was popular just as the internet was starting to explode, but sadly, there is very little information on what happened to the band, and there are no official places for their music videos. Feel free to deep-dive on YouTube to find non-official versions of their videos. We think you will like what you see.
There are 3 more bands that are no more. Playlist with comments, links to homepage and official sites below. Please enjoy!
Add N To (X) King Wasp
Add N To (X) pays homage to the classic “I Am a King Bee” by James Moore, aka Slim Harpo. Their song “King Wasp” reworks the original by replacing “bee” with “wasp” and incorporating other variations. The track embraces a vintage aesthetic, utilizing analog synthesizers for a wall of swishes, blips, and bloops. A vocoder adds another layer of retro charm. Released in 1998 on their album “On the Wire of Our Nerves,” “King Wasp” is a sonic gem, earning a perfect score of five out of five Sakura petals.🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Add N To (X) Pok’Er’Ole
Another track from Add N to (X)! This is an almost vocalless track. Released in 2000 on their album “Add Insult to Injury.” A very heavy and noisy track, with the main synthesizers being Korg MS-20, EMS synthi, Moog Rogue, WASP EDP, ARP 2600. All the classic synthesizers in one band! Crazy! But the sounds are beautiful, if you love the sounds of synthesizers. We’ll give this song a 4 out of 5 Sakura petals. 🌸🌸🌸🌸
Add N To (X) Take Me To Your Leader(Make Me Really Happy)
**This is the final release from the legendary electronic group Add N to (X). “Loud Like Nature” dropped in 2002, marking the end of their incredible run. Sadly, the band decided to call it quits in 2003. Thankfully, DJs Sakura666 and DJ Silent were lucky enough to witness their electrifying live performances a few times in the early 2000s. If you haven’t seen it already, YouTube has live footage – a deep dive is highly recommended!
While most members went on to other musical projects, online information about the band is somewhat scarce.
5 out of 5 Sakura petals 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Add N To (X) have no online presence except for streaming music
Spotify Apple Youtube *topic Youtube *stream Soundcloud
Fuck Buttons Sweet Love For Planet Earth
Emerging from Bristol, England in 2004, Fuck Buttons(FB) were a two-piece electronic force unlike any other. Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. They modified children’s instruments. This created the foundation for their explosive sound. Vocals were scarce, replaced by walls of distorted noise and shimmering harmonies that built into hypnotic sonic journeys. All their songs are very epic! Their songs often last longer than 5 minutes. Their tinysynths create immense walls of noise. The harmonies are so distorted that they hypnotize the listener. This experience brings pleasure.
“Sweet Love for Planet Earth,” a track from their 2008 album “Street Horrrsing” (yes, with three Rs!), exemplifies their epic style. The original song clocks in at over 9 minutes. The team significantly trimmed it for radio play. Some might say this was a necessary evil. This radio exposure speaks to the band’s undeniable impact.
Anyhow.. This was their sophomore album, with another coming out in 2013. Sadly this is where the train ride ends and both departed. Andrew Hung is still making music for movies and solo project. Band mate Benjamin John Power is an award winning composer and Blanck Mass member. FB do have a page on X and also stream on Spotify Apple also Andrew Hung
This song is 4 Sakura petals only because it’s the short version
🌸🌸🌸🌸
also a note from the DJs, we need more FB
Pansonic Teurastamo Pansonic are a band from Finland, as DJ Silent has expressed in the past. Names and song titles we can’t pronounce, but we sure can listen to and vibe. Mika and IIpo are the 2 members of the band. They were influenced by Einstruzende Neubauten, Throbbing Gristle and SUICIDE. The band had synthesizers and other various electronic materials that were modified to make their signature sounds. Sadly both members of the band have past on. There is very limited information on them online, but feel free to dive down the rabbit hole!
This song is 5 Sakura Petals 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
2nd Gen And/Or
DJ Silent picked this up when it was released in 2001. It’s filled with a lot of techno, it’s very noisy as well. There is very little information about the band. https://www.2ndgen.net/ is their website. We are not sure if it’s still being updated. We did get a name Wajid Yaseen. We will deep dive that topic in a future #SAKURAUNDERGROUND.
This song is very bass heavy and reminiscing of the early 2000s. It gets 4 Sakura Petals 🌸🌸🌸🌸
The Almighty Wild & Wonderful
Our first #request this evening. We were told by the requestor. “The Almighty reunites with the original lineup. They will have a revival show in Japan. This event celebrates the 35th anniversary of the band’s debut.
They will come to Japan in January 2025″ Thanks for the #request!
This song rocks! 4 Sakura Petals 🌸🌸🌸🌸
Reiko Neverland
2nd #request for the night! Thanks for the request. This is a great song. Reiko is from Thailand and he is a member from BMSG (BE:FIRST, SKY-HI, NOVEL CORE, MAZZEL) https://bmsg.shop/en
His voice is great, it’s 3 Sakura Petals 🌸🌸🌸
Yamashita Tomohisa, Taehyun Perfect Storm(feat. Taehyun of TXT)
Just one more #request tonight. Love this song. Still need to watch the drama this song is in. Blue Moment. Tomo is a hero! Taehyun from Tomorrow X Together is a korean pop band, he sings in the band. DJ Sakura watched a video of Tomo and Taehyun chatting and Taehyun’s japanese was very impressive to Tomo. It was nice. This song is also very nice. The lyric “Skies changing and fading to black
But I still see the blue” is harmonic and catchy. Thanks for the #request!
We give this song 3 Sakura Petals. 🌸🌸🌸
Ken Lloyd Kick
Lead singer of Japanese bands Oblivion Dust and Atom On Sphere, defunkt FAKE? and has recently turned to solo songs that stream on spotify and apple, pandora, youtube. He just released his 6th single KICK! It’s got a few f*bombs so we’ll play it here. This song is just as unique as he is. It seems to be louder and more aggressive than his past songs. We give it 3 Sakura Petals 🌸🌸🌸
Oblivion Dust Swarm
The best song from Oblivion Dust ever! Have you read DJ Sakura’s review? The dark synth masterpiece?
It gets 10 Sakura Petals 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
BE:FIRST, Ateez Hush-Hush
This is a killer K-Pop and J-Pop mashup featuring BE:FIRST and ATEEZ, with a distinct 80s vibe. While I haven’t dived deep into ATEEZ’s discography yet, “Hush-Hush” definitely has a chill, relaxed, low-key feel. Here at iHeartJROCK, BE:FIRST is a constant on our playlists! This songs gets 5 Sakura Petals 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
On another note, ATEEZ just wrapped up their USA tour in July 2024, including some shows in LA. Sadly, the iHeartJROCK crew couldn’t make it to see them perform with BE:FIRST as guest stars. Was there an online stream of the concert?
Speaking of BE:FIRST, we’d love to see them back in the US for a full-fledged J-Pop festival! We’re definitely craving some J-Pop vibes.
#SakuraUnderground is a podcast that features a mix of music, witty commentary, and sing-alongs. Tune in to hear your favorite songs and discover new music! Each episode is packed with a diverse mix of music, from the latest hits to classic favorites. Join us as we explore new genres and artists, and share our love of music with you.
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