Category Archives: A Look Back at…

Collection of the “A look bac at” articles.

[A LOOK BACK AT...] Spring of Life 1st Anniversary

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31Hi everybody, and welcome to another “A look back at…” article. Today is a special day… cause It’s the first Spring of Life anniversary!

It’s been already an year since Perfume made the big step and left their historical label Tokuma Japan Communications, to shift to the more open and global Universal Music Japan. Many things happened and since that huge change, and a new chapter of the girls’ career started. Let’s analyze the beginning of the new Perfume era!

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The beginning of a new Era

Spring of Life is the first single under the Universal Music Japan label and sub-label Perfume Records, that officially began a new chapter of our girls’ career after six years under Tokuma Japan Communications, the major company that welcomed the girls after their indie period and brought them to the top of success and popularity in Japan (and outside). Their intention of going global, for the joy of all the overseas fans, were already announced at the time of the label shift, yet the very first step towards the global audience was still to be decided. Due to this, many fans were wondering if their sound and look could have been changed to appeal a wider audience, and someone didn’t know what to expect.

SoL

And so, the first step in this new era was Spring of Life. Their 15th major single was unveiled on February, and once the art direction and the song preview were released, no one had no doubt about this single anymore: It was 100% Perfume, both in the sound and the look, and the intention of the new label was clearly to tranqulize and at the same time please the fans with Perfume’s historical style of pop mixed with techno, filled with a near-futuristic look. And they hit the spot.

The upbeat rythm, the melodies, the excellent bridge composed by the long anticipated dark bass followed by the keyboard solo, and the extremely energetic chorus filled with optimistic lyrics makes this song one of the classics of the post-JPN era and best examples of Perfume’s original concept of music. Same happened for the look, that featured some white outfits that can’t be compared to Perfume’s best ones, but partly saved by the cool integration of led lights that shine following the rythm of the chorus: a nice addition that proves once again how the girls and their management pointed to mark the futuristic/robotic concept.

 

The B-side, on the other hand, is something different. As first track for the new collaboration with Kanro, Communication is the complete opposite of Spring of Life, with a cute sound and mood that creates a huge contrast with the A-side. If you allow me to express a personal opinion, while a “double-faced” single can sometimes be a good idea and a source of variety, Communication can’t reach this goal due to the fact that it’s not a very strong song. Yes, it’s cute, adorable, and the absence of modified vocals makes it very appealing at first, and also catchy. But coupled with a song like Spring of Life, it drags the whole single a bit down, and maybe a stronger B-side could have brought this single way higher in the “favorite list” of the Perfume fandom. Yet, it’s an enjoyable and not bad at all track, that gives its best in live performances, especially thanks to a complex and difficult choreography, without a doubt one of best of the recent history of the girls. A nice B-side, but it could have been better.

 

From a promotional point of view, Universal and Amuse really did a great job, creating a lot of hype behind the single and giving a lot of exposure also thanks to the new collaboration with Kanro. Also, it’s worth mentioning the huge Spring of Life box in front of Shibuya 109, that definitely caught the eye of more than one person in Tokyo.

So, from a general point of view, this single doesn’t bring the Perfume sound forward to something new, but prefers to take the old formula back to life: It doesn’t revolutionize anything, but it gives a deeper feeling of the Techno-pop sound that missed in our girls’ discography for a while: An acceptable compromise. And maybe that’s what all the fans wanted for the beginning of this new chapter in the Perfume career.

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Spring of Life

Limited Edition (CD+DVD)
Regular Edition

RELEASE DATE – 2012.04.11
ORICON WEEKLY CHART RANKING: #2

[CD]
1.Spring of Life ※｢キリンチューハイ 氷結｣CMソング
2.コミュニケーション ※「カンロ ピュレグミ」CMソング
3.Spring of Life -Original Instrumental-
4.コミュニケーション -Original Instrumental-

[DVD]
1.Spring of Life -Video Clip-

[INFOS]
- Spring of Life is the first single under the Universal Music Japan label and the “Perfume Records” sub-label

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Conclusion
Spring of Life is a good single, and one of the most appropriated demonstration of the Perfume style, even if it can’t be compared to its famous predecessors of the JPN era and back. The A-side is a strong track and highly enjoyable, bringing out all the best of our girls, while the B-side can’t reach the same level, but still finds a nice place in the B-sides category. A “so-so” single, but overall not bad at all and surely worth buying, not only for its sound, but also for the meaning it has in the history of Perfume.
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That’s it guys, I hope you enjoyed this article! Leave your impressions about this single down here in the comments  as always!

Stay tuned for every news about Perfume, and don’t forget to follow Perfume Disco on Twitter and Facebook!

GO PERFUME!!!

Perfume Disco Facebook Page

A Look Back at… Spice (1st Anniversary)

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Hi everybody, and welcome to another “A look back at…” article. Today is a special day… cause It’s the first Spice anniversary!

That’s right, it’s already been a year since the most particular single of the JPN era came out, and even though it’s not that long since it’s been released, we can say that this single can already be considered a classic: Here’s why.

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One more single

Back when Spice was announced as a single, the situation was pretty particular in the Perfume fandom: Four singles were already released, and considering how normally the Perfume management has always seen two (or three at the max) singles before the release of an album, the only question in everyone’s mind was: Where is the new album?

So you can imagine all the faces of the Perfume fans when Spice was announced as FIFTH single in a row, and I think you can even imagine these expressions better when the album JPN was released 30 days later. Pretty absurd, isn’t it?

But not that much, maybe. Looking back at Perfume’s career, this was an unusual decision for sure, but many other japanese artists did the same and never had problem or contrasts between two near releases, and luckily it’s been the same for Perfume: all the worries about the Spice single not selling good were washed away once it reached the shelves of the japanese music stores, reaching the second spot of the Oricon Weekly Chart with 75,688 sold in the first week. A very nice result for sure.

Copies of “Spice” at Tower Records Shibuya

Talking about the songs, Spice is a very particular composition: Nothing like this was heard before and it was definitely something new in the wall that composes the various sound of Perfume: Repetitive verses, a catchy chorus and an enthralling bridge that makes the epic vibe of this song go up to the stars, all of this framed by a revolutionary atmosphere and the sensation that this song is really something new and not another Laser Beam. To make it brief, this is one of the famous Nakata experiments, like 575 and Edge were.

 

The coupling song GLITTER, revealed way before during the summer season by the Kirin Chu Hi commercial, goes back on the more classic sound of Perfume, featuring intriguing melodies and super catchy synths that makes this song enjoyable to listen, especially while watching the stunning PV. It is also said that GLITTER somehow refers to the victims of the Tohoku earthquake tragedy, and seeing some parts of the lyrics and the choreography, I believe it’s highly probable.

 

 

I used to refer to Spice as “the single that shouldn’t have been released”. Why?
Both the songs were later included in JPN, but leaving these tracks as exclusives to the new album would have been way better, considering how only four new songs were in the tracklist. The reason, still unknown back then, was probably caused by some contract matter with Tokuma, the label that they would have left just a couple of months later for the more open global Universal Music.

But at the same time it’s been a great and successful single that gave Perfume even more popularity and gave them a boost for the release of the JPN album, also thanks to a vast promotion (Spice was used for the drama Sengyo Shufu Tantei ~Watashi wa Shadow and GLITTER, of course, for the Kirin CMs).

This will always been remembered as one of the best singles of the JPN era, thanks to the great quality of the songs and of the art direction, to the beautiful choreographies and particular PVs. 

It’s the single that shouldn’t have been released… but luckily it was.

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スパイス (Spice)

Limited Edition (CD+DVD)

Regular Edition

RELEASE DATE – 2011.11.02
ORICON WEEKLY CHART RANKING: #2

[CD]

1.スパイス
2.GLITTER
3.スパイス -Original Instrumental-
4.GLITTER -Original Instrumental-

[DVD]
GLITTER -Video Clip-

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Conclusions:

Spice is one of the most particular (and best) singles of the entire Perfume discography: Great songs, amazing art direction and the meaning it has in the recent history of our girls makes it one of the must have singles: It’s worth every single moment spent listening to it.

As always, check out the links below to purchase this single!

BUY SPICE REGULAR EDITION ON CDJAPAN
BUY SPICE LIMITED EDITION ON EBAY

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That’s it guys, I hope you enjoyed this article! Leave your impressions about this single down here in the comments  as always!

See you soon, and stay tuned on Perfume Disco :D

GO PERFUME!!!

Perfume Disco Facebook Page

A look back at… Linear Motor Girl (7th Anniversary)

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Hi everybody, and welcome to another “A look back at…” article! I know it’s been a while since I last wrote this series of articles, but now I’m back for this special anniversary.

Indeed, today September 21st, is Linear Motor Girl’s 7th anniversary! So today I’m gonna talk about the very first Major single by Perfume… let’s begin!

Rinia Mootaa Gaaru!

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The Beginning

Linear Motor Girl is the first Perfume single under the major label Tokuma Japan Communications, and it marks the beginning of their career in the mainstream japanese music scene. It’s been released on September 21st 2006, and it’s the first of the three singles composing the near futuristic trilogy made of Linear Motor Girl, Computer City and Electro World.

We can say that Linear Motor Girl is the very first song/single to include clear techno influences in the sound, and the one that started the concept of “Near Futuristic Technopop Unit”, an image that, back then, Perfume themselves were just starting to focus and to identify as their own image. Indeed the Promotional Video for this single, almost entirely made of (cheap) computer graphics, shows the girls dancing in an imaginary futuristic world in the skies, wearing cool black/technologic outfits and particular hairstyles. The lyrics had a change of style and composition too, focusing for the first time on futuristic themes and human feelings such as love.

Their fanbase, slowly starting to grow more and more, begins to see Perfume with a more mature image than before (they were considered as a normal idol group until that moment), and the girls, that were still holding many shows in the streets of Akihabara and in small indoor festivals as headliners, introduced the new song in live concerts, as well as Foundation and Computer Driving, included in the single itself and performed in shows until a couple of years ago.

“Foundation” live @ GAMETOUR (2008)

Once released, Linear Motor Girl ranked at the 99th spot of the Oricon Singles Chart, marking the first Perfume single ever to enter in the Oricon chart. The single lasted four weeks in the charts, with more than 2,600 copies sold.

From that moment, their releases started to climb up the charts more and more… and the rest, as they say, is history!

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リニアモーターガール (Linear Motor Girl)

RELEASE DATE – 2005.09.21
ORICON WEEKLY CHART RANKING: #99

[CD]

01. リニアモーターガール (Linear Motor Girl)
02. ファンデーション (Foundation)
03. コンピューター ドライビング (Computer Driving)

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Conclusions
Linear Motor Girl doesn’t necessarily make part of the must-have singles of the Perfume discography, but it’s definitely one of the most important releases as it signs the beginning of their professional career as a J-pop unit, and it’s also fundamental to understand how their image, concept and music have grown during the years. The song themselves are nice and funny to sing and to listen, and definitely worth more than a listen.Even though it’s their first major single, Linear Motor Girl is really easy to find, both on online websites and on physical stores in Japan, where this single is almost always present in the shelves. There are no Limited Editions, but the first press used to come with a trading card of one of the members, so if you’re an hardcore collector and want to get your hands on one of these, be ready to make some researches in the world of japanese auction websites.

As always, check out the links below to purchase this single!
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That’s it guys, I hope you enjoyed this article! Leave your impressions about this single down here in the comments  as always!

See you soon, and stay tuned on Perfume Disco :D

GO PERFUME!!!

Perfume Disco Facebook Page

A Look Back At… One Room Disco

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Hi everybody, and welcome to another “A look back at…” article!

Today I’m gonna talk about one of the most famous and loved Perfume singles, which is One Room Disco!

Are you ready to dance? ;)

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Disuko! Disuko!

One Room Disco is the 14th major single of Perfume’s discography, and the second one to achieve the first postion on the Oricon Weekly Chart after Love the World. It’s been released on March 25th 2009, and it’s the third and last single before of the release of Triangle.

One Room Disco is probably one of the most famous songs of the entire Perfume discography, thanks to its pop sound and catchy chorus, contaminated with techno elements that fits perfectly into the song without ruining its happy vibe; A special mention also goes to the bridge, definitely one of the best produced by Yasutaka Nakata in a Perfume song.


As one of the most successful songs of their career and from the Triangle album, One Room Disco is one of the most played songs in live performances: With a great participation of the audience and lots of energy from the girls thanks to the amazing choreography, this song is and will always be one of the funniest and energetic moments in a Perfume show.

A special mention goes also to the Promotional Video, directed by Kazuaki Seki as always, and it can be classified between the TOP 3 Perfume PVs, thanks to its great originality and beautiful disco-ish look, entertaining the listener from the beginning to the end: A must watch for every Perfume fan, and one of the best traps to catch your friends that want to get into the Perfume world.

The B-side of this single is 23:30, a particular and unique song in the Perfume’s discography. The sweet and delicate singing of the girls follows this song from the beginning to the end, in a repetitive structure that doesn’t bring anything special, but fits perfectly in moments of pure relax where you just want to hear the voice of our beloved girls: Nothing outstanding, but it’s worth more than a listen.

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ワンルーム・ディスコ (One Room Disco)

Limited Edition (CD+DVD)
Regular Edition

RELEASE DATE - 2009.03.25
ORICON WEEKLY CHART RANKING: #1

[CD]

01. ワンルーム・ディスコ
02. 23:30
03. ワンルーム・ディスコ -Original Instrumental-
04. 23:30 -Original Instrumental-

[DVD]

01. One Room Disco -Video Clip-

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Conclusions

One Room Disco is a must buy single for every Perfume fan, as one of the best songs of their career and one of the most successful releases so far. With a powerful and entertaing A-side that will make you jump and dance, and a B-side that will relax you and take care of your nervous system after a work day thanks to the sweet voices of the girls, this single is one of the first priorities if you decide to start to support these three talented girls.

As almost all of the Perfume singles, One Room Disco comes in a Regular and Limited Edition: The reguar is easy to find in all the major shops, while the Limited (featuring an amazing cover with a glossy/shiny effect) is a bit more complicated to find and expensive, but not impossible at all: Auction sites will be the right choice for it.

As always, check out the links below to purchase this single!

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That’s it for this week guys, hope you enjoyed this article! Leave your impressions about this single down here in the comments!

See you soon, and stay tuned on Perfume Disco :D

GO PERFUME!!!

Perfume Disco Facebook Page

A Look Back at… ⊿

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Hi everybody guys, and welcome to another “A look back at” article!

Since last Saturday was Triangle’s 4th anniversary, today I’m gonna talk about the third sucessfull Perfume album. Let’s begin!

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⊿, better know as Triangle, is the third Perfume studio album, and it’s been released on July 8th 2009.

Announced by the girls at the famous Disco! Disco! Disco! show held at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium and ranked #1 on the Oricon Album Chart, Triangle sold  more than 300.000 copies and it’s been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ), and it’s the second best selling Perfume album just after GAME.

Triangle is well known amongst the fans for the great overall quality of the songs and for the perfect fusion of techno/electronic sounds with a more pop and easy listening vibe and structures. Following the concept of near futuristic technopop unit without exceeding it, the album leaves space to a couple of songs that tend more to a certain sound, but without breaking the perfect equilibrium of the overall concept, resulting in a perfectly flowing album that can be easily listened from the beginning to the end without getting tired of it.

The album starts with Take Off, the first intro ever produced for a Perfume album, with an acid sound that leads to the more sweet and pop-ish Love the World, a not so appropriated combination that doesn’t hurt the listener that much anyway (the Take Off / NIGHT FLIGHT combination used for the Triangle Tour wasy way more appropriated though).
Just after the first single of the album, everything starts to flow perfectly as Dream Fighter begins, leading to the electronic and catchy NIGHT FLIGHT used for the famous Pino CM, to then explode with Edge (Triangle mix), one of the most loved Perfume songs ever that brings the album to the most extreme side of the Perfume sound with heavy beats and dark lyrics, exactly as the particular Kiss and Music, with a certain sexy vibe and lyrics.

Edge (Triangle mix) live performance.

The album continues to the second half with more easy listening and happy songs like Zero Gravity, remarkable for its live choreography, and I still Love U with its clear and enjoyable 80′s vibe. The great disco sound continues with The Best Thing, one of the most appreciated songs of the album, and then to the classic and super hit One Room Disco, a must of live performances and a great song to sing and dance in perfect Perfume style.

Triangle reaches its end with Negai (Album mix), a ballad that calms the mood of this very disco and upbeat album, sweetly (and with a bit of melancholy) leading the listener to the end of this great piece of J-pop music: A good song to listen in particular moments, for a different yet appropriated ending.

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3rd Album – ⊿ (Triangle)

Limited Edition (CD+DVD)
Regular Edition

Release date – 2009.07.08
Copies sold: 332,000
Oricon Weekly Chart ranking: #1

[CD]

01. Take off
02. love the world
03. Dream Fighter
04. edge (⊿-mix)
05. NIGHT FLIGHT
06. Kiss and Music
07. Zero Gravity
08. I still love U
09. The best thing
10. Speed of Sound
11. ワンルーム・ディスコ
12. 願い (Album-mix)

[DVD]

01. ｢I still love U｣ Special Video Clip
02. ｢NIGHT FLIGHT｣ LIVE@代々木第一体育館 May 10th,’09
03. ｢edge｣ LIVE@代々木第一体育館 May 10th,’09 ⊿-version
04. ｢love the world｣ TV-SPOT
05. ｢Dream Fighter｣ TV-SPOT
06. ｢ワンルーム･ディスコ｣ TV-SPOT

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Conclusions

Triangle is one of the best Perfume releases so far: with a great production and a perfect flow, this album takes many different sounds and put them together in a perfect, unique concept that it’s impossible to get tired of it. Every single song is worth listening, and you’ll love to hear the many vibes contained in this almost perfect CD from the beginning to the end: It’s the true Perfume sound at its best, and probably the most appropriated album to introduce your friends that want to get into the magic world of Perfume. Masterpiece.

Luckily, it’s really easy to find and buy this album: both the Regular and Limited Edition are really easy to find for good prices pretty much everywhere, wether you choose to buy from an online shop or on an auction site.
Links are below as always! ;)

BUY TRIANGLE REGULAR EDITION ON CDJAPAN
BUY TRIANGLE LIMITED EDITION ON YAHOO AUCTIONS JAPAN

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That’s it for this week guys, hope you enjoyed this article! Leave your impressions about this single down here in the comments!

See you soon, and stay tuned on Perfume Disco :D

GO PERFUME!!!

Perfume Disco Facebook Page

A Look Back at… Love the World

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Hi everybody guys, and welcome to another “A look back at” article!

Since next Sunday is Love the World’s 4th anniversary, today I’m gonna talk about the first single off from the successful Triangle album!

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Love the World is the 7th Major and 12th overall single from Perfume’s discography, and the first to include songs from the Triangle album. It’s been released on July 8th, and it’s the first Perfume single to rank #1 on the Weekly Oricon Chart.

The well known A-side Love the World, also first song of the Triangle album, has a very electro pop sound with a catchy melody that brings immediately attention to the listener, together with an easy chorus coupled with some very happy and optimistic lyrics in pure Perfume style. The PV is also really good looking: With a classy black and white filter, this video is one of the best representations of Kazuaki Seki’s creativity and fantasty, with multiple effects that entertain till the end without resulting boring: definitely one of the must see PVs of their videography.

The B-side of this single is another well known and loved song from the fans, and probably one of the most particular… We’re talking about Edge.

This is probably the song that completely stands out from the Perfume standard songs, due to its extremely techno sound and dark lyrics. Like a complete opposite of Love the World, this song talks about the difficulties of a love relationship and the desperation that can come with it, reaching the highest peak with the lyrics: 

“Everyone would die someday, right?
If so, before it comes
I’ll hit my hardest and sharpest part 
And see a new world”

Due to its particular and not simple structure and length (the album mix is the longest Perfume song ever: more than 8 minutes) this song is not really easy listening, and it takes its time to get used to the listeners’ ears, but once you’ll fully get into it you won’t do anything but appreciate this great piece of techno music. The frenetic structure, the dark yet meaningful lyrics, the desperate and revolutionary vibe, and the strong sound that hits the listener from the beginning to the end makes this track one of the best Perfume songs ever composed by Yasutaka Nakata and definitely the most particular of their discography. Nakata probably had no limit in composing this song, and considering his talent, it’s not a surprise that this song came out to be a masterpiece.

During the years fans asked for another song similar to this, yet their previous label Tokuma Japan Communications refused to ever allow a song like this again cause of its heavy and and not easy listening nature. Even though, the song was included for the Kose CM, a well known japanese make up company.

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love the world

Limited Edition (CD+DVD)
Regular Edition

Release date – 2008.07.09
Oricon Weekly Chart ranking: #1

[CD]

01. love the world
02. edge
03. love the world -Original Instrumental-
04. edge -extended mix-

[DVD]

01. love the world -Video Clip-

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Conclusions

Love the World is one of the most successfull Perfume singles without a doubt. Thanks to the pop-sounding and happy A-side and the most dark and techno-ish B-side, this single offers two great songs but with different vibes and sounds. It’s really easy to find on the web: the Regular Edition is still sold on all the major online stores, while the Limited Edition can be easily found on auction sites like eBay and Yahoo Auctions Japan. Definitely a worth buying release. ;)

BUY LOVE THE WORLD REGULAR EDITION ON CDJAPAN
BUY LOVE THE WORLD LIMITED EDITION ON EBAY 

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That’s it for this week guys, hope you enjoyed this article! Leave your impressions about this single down here in the comments!

See you soon, and stay tuned on Perfume Disco :D

GO PERFUME!!!

Perfume Disco Facebook Page

A Look Back at… Electro World [6th Anniversary]

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Hi guys, and welcome to a new “A look back at…” article!

Did you know that yesterday June 28th was Electro World’s 6th anniversary? Considering how much progresses our girls have made to the top, it seems like it’s way more time!

Anyway, isn’it the best moment to talk about one of the best and most favorite Perfume songs ever?

Let’s start!

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Near Futuristic Technopop Unit

Electro World is the third Major and 8th overall single of Perfume’s Discography, and it’s been released on June 28th 2006. This single is the last piece of the “Near Futuristic trilogy” created by their producer Yasutaka Nakata and composed by the singles Linear Motor Girl, Computer City and Electro World.

This song is considered as one of the best Perfume songs ever for it’s futuristic vibe and upbeat rythm, and today it’s still one of the most played songs in all of their live shows as one of the songs that represents better the near futuristic technopop unit concept that raised Perfume in their early days.
The super energetic beat, the great singing of the girls perfectly synchronized with the various structure of the song, and the fast bridge that explodes into to the fresh chorus makes this song one of the best pieces of music produced by Nakata for the girls: If you’re watching a Perfume live show and you suddenly see all of the audience jumping like crazy and singing, you can be sure that the song playing is Electro World.

The coupling song for this single is Wonder 2, another well known song by the Perfume fans, also known as the “ballad” of Complete Best. Based on a very easy listening melody, this is one of the most touching Perfume songs, and it was usually used as ending track of their early concerts, and it’s still played today as one of the most quiet songs leading to the end of the show.

In a old Perfume interview, A-chan revealed that they started to see their popularity grow around the release of Electro World: Even though they weren’t still known nationwide, with the release of this single the girls got the chance to perform a show in the well known district of Akihabara in Tokyo; the girls managed to promote the show by themselves distributing flyers in the streets of Akihabara to the people passing by, a famous scene that can be found in many of the Perfume videos reminiscing their history as sign of their neverending strength of will.

Their sacrifices weren’t in vain… ;)

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エレクトロ・ワールド (Electro World)

Release date – 2006.06.28
Oricon Weekly Chart ranking: #77

[CD]

01. エレクトロ・ワールド
02. wonder2

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Electro World makes part of the series of Perfume’s classic songs, together with other masterpieces such as Polyrythm, Dream Fighter, Secret Secret and so on. It’s one of those tracks you should definitely make listen to the new comers to make them fall in love with this group, and also one of the best demonstrations of the concept of Near Futuristic Technopop unit.

It’s really easy to find this single as it’s still available everywhere, and once you’ll open your package you won’t do anything but admire the fantastic cover, definitely one of the best of Perfume’s discography. Links to purchase this release are just down here as always!

BUY ELECTRO WORLD AT CDJAPAN
BUY ELECTRO WORLD AT YESASIA

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That’s it for this week folks, hope you enjoyed this article! Leave your impressions about this single down here in the comments!

See you soon, and stay tuned on Perfume Disco :D

GO PERFUME!!!

Perfume Disco Facebook Page

A Look Back at… Fan Service: Bitter

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Hi everybody, and welcome to another “A look back at…” article!

As you may remember, my first article of this weekly series was about the very important Maxi Single release called Fan Service: Sweet, first piece of a project that should have closed the career of our beloved girls, thing that luckily didn’t happen. So today I’m gonna analyze the second piece of this project called Fan Service: Bitter, which is also the very first Perfume Live DVD release. If you’re asking how the first Perfume performances were back in the early days, then this article will probably be interesting for you and, hopefully, convince you to buy this nice release. Let’s begin!

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An early but great performance

The live show for Fan Service: Bitter has been recorded on December 21 (2006) at the Harajuku Astro Hall for the “X’mas Special LIVE”, a very small yet well known venue in the famous fashion district of Tokyo, barely enough to contain the energy of the girls‘ dances and moves, thing that didn’t stop the trio to perform an entertaining and awesome show as always.

What mainly differs this live DVD from all the other shows that came after is without a doubt the tracklist: while classics such as Electro World, Perfume, and Perfect Star Perfect Style are still here, this is the only show where we can see performed their indie singles and songs that haven’t seen the light on their Complete Best album such as Counter Attraction, Imitation World, Oishii Recipi and Super Jet Shoes. The show flows very well and it’s focused on happy and energetic songs, and even though we can clearly see the great synchronization of the girls, a quality that will lead them to the more complicated and “serious” choreos that we all know today, most of the songs are more on the idol-ish side, giving this concert a very happy and thoughtless vibe. The girls put 100% of their energies as always and their interaction with the audience is more alive than ever, thanks also to the very small stage. The DVD also contains some curious backstage and reharsal footage, a nice add for all the fans that want to take a look at the girls’ life and routine before they became famous.

Even though this DVD made part of a BitterSweet project created for the end of their career, this performance actually shows how much of a shame would have been to let these three young yet incredibly talented girls go on their way back home.

Fan Service: Bitter is a short, enjoyable and funny performance that all the Perfume fans should watch to fully understand their career’s life, started from underground clubs to reach the glory in the biggest venues of Japan. In the end of this show, you’ll just be glad that A-chan, Nocchi and Kashiyuka didn’t leave us alone and kept staying with us.

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Fan Service［bitter］

First Press – Limited Edition (DVD + Photobook)
Second Press – Regular Edition (released later)

Release date – 2007.03.14 (First Limited Press) / 2008.02.13 (Second Press)

[DVD]

01. エレクトロ・ワールド
02. おいしいレシピ
03. コンピューターシティ
04. リニアモーターガール
05. モノクロームエフェクト
06. スーパージェットシューズ
07. Perfume メドレー
08. パーフェクトスター・パーフェクトスタイル
09. コンピュータードライビング
10. スウィートドーナッツ
11. Perfume
12. JENNY HA GOKIGEN NANAME
13. Perfect Star Perfect Style

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Conclusions

Fan Service: Bitter is a worthy show that should be part of every Perfume fan collection as document of their early days and to fully understand their escalade to the huge success they’ve conquered. Would it be the first Live DVD to suggest to a new fan? Probably not, but those who are into this group in a while should definitely check out this performance and get ready to have some real fun.

This Live DVD has been release two times: On 2007 the First Press was released together with a A4 photobook in a very elegant shiny silver color, and today is definitely one of the rarest and most expensive Perfume items out there, even more than its coupling release Fan Service Sweet. One year later, on 2008, when the destiny of Perfume was saved, their label released another version of this concert composed only by the DVD alone without a photobook: Luckily, this one is easy to find in online stores but a little bit more difficult on real music shops in Japan, where it can be found more easily on used CDs stores.

In any case, it’s definitely worth buying. Links are just down here!

BUY FAN SERVICE: BITTER LIMITED EDITION ON YAHOO AUCTIONS JAPAN
BUY FAN SERVICE: BITTER REGULAR EDITION ON CDJAPAN

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That’s it for this week folks, hope you enjoyed this article! Leave your impressions about this single down here in the comments!

See you soon, and stay tuned on Perfume Disco :D

GO PERFUME!!!

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A look back at… Perfume Livefolio

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Hi everybody guys, and welcome to another “A look back at…” article for this week!

This time I’m not gonna talk about a Perfume musical release, but about the second official Perfume photobook, which is Perfume Livefolio.

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Perfume Livefolio is the second official Perfume photbook, and also the very first close look to the Perfume live activities, with shots from the backstages and the life on the road while touring Japan promoting their successfull 3rd album Triangle. While the previous Perfume Portfolio was focused on on the girls’ image and beauty itself, this one mainly shows the true feeling of living a nationwide tour, with many funny moments during the reharsals, in the backstage and on the stage itself, with a great focus on the girls’ naturalness and expressivity.

Livefolio can also be considered a real document of their final Yokohama shows, the same that has been recorded for their masterpiece Perfume Triangle Tour 2009 DVD, with many shots of all the highlihts of the gigs, displaying at the best their first performances full of effects and a bigger and more spectacular stage than the more simple and underground GAMETOUR; From the epic Edge to the sexier and amazing Kiss and Music performance, this photobook, thanks also to some very appropriated black and white filters, completely shows the true vibe and feeling of living a Perfume concert.

But what makes this photobook excellent is the masterly balance between live shots and the “days-off” of the girls, with many pictures from their tourbus, hotels and also from the places around the venues and the cities they’ve visited during their tour, making this photobook a perfect balance of their more professional side, and the more natural look in the relaxing moments, making it a truly complete portfolio of their life as a group. From an overall point of view, we can say that Perfume Livefolio is the perfect mix between Portfolio and the Live @ Tokyo Dome photobooks, satisfying the fans that want to see not only their life on the stage, but also a bit of their more “fan service” and natural pics. Form an artistic point of view, maybe this is not their best book (Portfolio still remains the best on this point of view), but it’s definitely a must buy anyway for all the fans that want a beautiful document of Perfume’s life as a group.

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Perfume Livefolio

Front Cover

Number of Pages: 144
Photography by: Kazuaki Seki
Release date:  2009.12.17

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Conclusions:

Perfume Livefolio is an excellent photobook that represents the most balanced product between the professional Perfume we know on the stage, and the more natural and funny girls we’ve learned to love over the years. Kazuaki Seki made another great work, giving us various moments of the girls’ life on the road and also a lot of stunning pictures representing their beauty at the best; Also, the choice to make it in a vertical format is very appropriated.
Maybe (and I say, maybe) it’s not the first photobook I’d suggest to buy from the girls, but still it remains a must buy for those who want to have a closer look at the girls’ career. Luckily, it’s still really easy to find nowadays for a very reasonable price, making it a great deal for all the fans interested in this kind of merchandise. Links to buy this photobook are just down here!

Buy Perfume Livefolio from CDjapan.
Buy Perfume Livefolio on Amazon.jp 

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That’s it for this week folks, hope you enjoyed this article! Leave your impressions about this single down here in the comments!

See you soon, and stay tuned on Perfume Disco :D

GO PERFUME!!!

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A look back at… Perfume First Tour: “GAMETOUR” DVD

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Hi guys, and welcome the the fourth “A look back at…” article!

Today I’m gonna talk about one of the first Perfume live DVDs, which is GAMETOUR, the second Perfume Live DVD and the first to document their very first Nationwide tour in support of their successfull 2008 album GAME.

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GAMETOUR has been released on October 2008, and it’s made of recordings taken from the dates held at the ZEPP Tokyo and Yokohama BLITZ.

Even if this was their first tour with a complete stage and tracklist and many dates to face, the girls made these very professional performances special exactly as they’ve always done and are doing nowadays. The stage is obviously “poor” if compared to today’s gigs, but the energy of this performance is the same of a Tokyo Dome show.

The intro starts with the titletrack from GAME, with the girls wearing spectacular outfits and dancing with shining laser sabers, emphasizing more than ever the concept of near futuristic techno pop unit. The tracklist takes songs from the Complete Best album and GAME, following the electro sound concept for all the concert, smartly alternated by calmer songs like Macaroni and Take Me Take Me. Even though the setlist is a little bit shorter and there are less stage effects such as lights and lasers, the entire show flows in an excellent (and even better) way if compared to other performances and it’s not less entertaining thanks to the great focus on the girls and the choreos itself instead of many other particulars that we can find in their successive show.

Even though this was their first national tour, there is still an underground feeling that makes this DVD more comparable to an early days performance like Fan Service: Bitter than Triangle Tour or any other DVD, and I think it’s great and fundamental to see this side of the girl, not only to understand their evolution, but also cause it’s simply entertaining.

Despite the absence of many effects for obvious reasons, this DVD entertains like a today’s Perfume performance. It’s a true hardcore Perfume show: no lasers, no special interludes or other things. Just a stage, the girls, the music and the crazy audience:

It’s the real essence of Perfume: A must see.

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Perfume First Tour『GAMETOUR』

2008.10.15

[DVD]

01.GAME
02.エレクトロ・ワールド
03.コンピューターシティ
04.コンピュータードライビング
05.Twinkle Snow Powdery Snow
06.Baby cruising Love
07.ファンデーション
08.Take me Take me
09.シークレットシークレット
10.マカロニ
11.ポリリズム
12.チョコレイト・ディスコ
13.パーフェクトスター・パーフェクトスタイル
14.ジェニーはご機嫌ななめ
15.Perfume

-ENCORE-
01.セラミックガール
02.wonder2

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Conclusions

GAMETOUR is without a doubt one of the best Perfume performances released, and in my opinion a must see show for every Perfume fan, especially to the newcomers that need to see the girls’ ability in the closest way possible.
Lucklily this DVD is very easy to find, and you can buy it pretty much everywhere on online stores, and during my trip in Tokyo I could notice how this DVD was always present in the Perfume section.
For the collectors interested, the first press of this release contained a little flyer given at the entrance of the venue, which is basically an instruction for how and when to use the glowsticks used by the audience during Wonder 2, the last song of the GAMETOUR tracklist and also one of the most beautiful moments of Perfume’s career. A sticker with the GAMETOUR logo was also included, but it’s pretty rare to found nowadays.

As always, here’s a link to buy the DVD.

BUY PERFUME’S GAMETOUR DVD.

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That’s it for this week folks, hope you enjoyed this article! Leave your impressions about this single down here in the comments!

See you soon, and stay tuned on Perfume Disco :D

 

GO PERFUME!!!

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