Toronto, Twitter & Hip-Hop

First off, I'm back in Toronto! I loved living in Tokyo so I'm already planning how to head back there~ It still feels a bit strange to be here in Toronto but while I'm here, I'll do my best to stay bright and motivated.

まず、トロントに帰ってきました！東京の生活は大好きだったから、そこに戻る方法をもう計画している～ここでの生活はまだちょっと変な感じですけど、ここで明るい感情とやる気を維持するために頑張ります。


I've started using Twitter! Not sure if I'll be able to keep it up (look at how frequent my blog posts aren't) but I figure it can't hurt to have another way for people to reach me and vice versa. So, if you're a Twitter user, please follow O-Mocha and Full Circle!

ツイッターを始めました！頻繁に更新をできるかまだ分からない（このブログをあまり更新しないからね）でも、もう一つの接触法は悪くないと思う。もしツイッターを使うなら、Ｏ－ＭｏｃｈａとＦｕｌｌ　Ｃｉｒｃｌｅをフォローして下さいね！


This week I had the chance to head into the studio to record a hook for a track by Toronto Hip-Hop artist E-Sober. The finished song, Italian Sam, can be heard through this post at the Dot Got It blog or the Youtube video below!

今週はスタジオでトロントのＨｉｐ－ＨｏｐのアーティストＥ－Ｓｏｂｅｒのトラックでフックをレコードしました。「Ｉｔａｌｉａｎ　Ｓａｍ］と言う曲はこのブログポストと下のＹｏｕｔｕｂｅのビデオで聞くことができます！









Lastly, I want to share this song that I've been overplaying for the past week. I can't get enough of it! Check out Chronic Intoxication (Nomak remix) by Nieve & Cook~

最後に、ここ一週間にいつも聴いている曲を共有したいです。何度聴いても良い曲です！Ｎｉｅｖｅ　＆　Ｃｏｏｋの「Ｃｈｒｏｎｉｃ　Ｉｎｔｏｘｉｃａｔｉｏｎ　（Ｎｏｍａｋ　ｒｅｍｉｘ）」をチェックして下さい！









Until next time!

それじゃあ、またね！

First PV!!

I'm happy to announce that I have recently completed, and just now uploaded Full Circle's very first music video~!! After releasing the song itself on MySpace and Facebook, and seeing that it received some lovely comments and positive reactions, I felt motivated to start a music video project! I figured it was time to finally use some of the motion design skills I've picked up over the years... I hope that it's paid off! Although the rotoscoping animation and motion graphics were created solely by myself, I couldn't have done it without the help of various motion graphics experts who provided useful After Effects video tutorials, tips and tricks, not to mention the other sources that offered a couple of the vectors (slightly modified, of course) that appear throughout the video: Aetuts+, Creative COW, Video Copilot's Andrew Kramer, Premium PSD, Keep Designing (love those clouds!), Ars Grafik, ffyunie on deviantArt, and Vecteezy. If there are any sources I forgot to name, sorry!

Anyway, please check out the video, give some feedback, and feel free to share the link with your friends~ Thanks!

君色想い

The latest Full Circle track is finally online at MySpace and Facebook!! Titled Kimi Iro Omoi, which in English means "thinking about your colour", it's a bossa nova style track that I hope everyone will enjoy! Other songs are still underway so hopefully another music update will be posted here soon... I'll keep you all posted!

ＦＵＬＬ　ＣＩＲＣＬＥの最新作をＭＹＳＰＡＣＥとＦＡＣＥＢＯＯＫでアップしたよ～！！ タイトルは「君色想い」でボサノバスタイルだからみんな楽しんでくれると嬉しいな！他にもまだせいさくとちゅう曲があるからできるだけ早くアップするね。

Until then, have a listen!

それまで、聞いててね！

Two Thousand And Eleven

The New Year season has come and gone, and now we're well into 2011... a fact that I have mixed feelings about, if I'm honest! The past year and change has brought to my life many new experiences, opened and perhaps closed many doors, and propelled me through transitions of varying degrees on many different levels. I feel like things are moving and changing; some very quickly, so quickly that I scarcely have the chance to grasp and comprehend them; and others at a snail-like pace that is frustratingly like watching a car accident occurring in slow-motion...

新年はもう終わって、２０１１年はもう始まった…しょうじき、それはいりまじった感情です。この１年くらいの間に新しけいけんがあったり、新しいきかいを生み出したり、好機を多分逃したり、さまざまなレベルと度合いで自分の人生も変化しました。物事が動いてると変化してるような気がする。目まぐるしいことも、こうつじこをスローモーションで見ているかのようにひどくゆっくりなことも…

Lots to think about! Lots of decisions to make! And perhaps not a lot of time to make it in... But all we can do is what we can with what we have, so that's how I plan to go forward this year! No New Year's Resolution, exactly... just a better sense of myself, what I want to do with my time, what makes me happy, and what keeps me (relatively) sane. ;P

考えることがたくさんあります！決めなくちゃいけないことがたくさんあります！あんまり時間がないと思うけど、自分の持っているものを使ってできるだけのことをします。それが今年のけいかく！それは新年のけついじゃないけどね、ただ…自分が何をしたいのかも、自分を幸せにするものも、おちついていられるほうほうも、自分のことをもっとよくりかいします。

Music is always there, no matter what happens. Lately I've been listening to some tracks from way-back-when, like this Four Tet Remix of Sia's "Breathe Me", which has lately been fitting my mood.

どんな時も音楽はいつもみんなのためにそこにあります。最近ちょっと古いな曲を聞いてる。この曲が私の気分に今は似合うそう。

	Sia - Breathe Me (Four Tet Remix) .mp3

One thing I will try to commit myself to, though, is stretching my Japanese more... "When in Rome," no? Although I can't do a perfect translation from English to Japanese, from now on I would like to make an attempt, at least! Wish me luck~

じゃぁ、これから私の日本語のちしきをもっと広がる！「郷に入っては郷にしたがえ」ってね！かんぺきなほんやくはまだできないけど、今からがんばります！おうえんしてね～

Happy Holidays~!

Just a quick entry to wish a very Merry Christmas to all those who celebrate it!! :D My first Christmas in Japan has ended, but for all my friends and family back home in Canada, England, and the Caribbean who are still celebrating the holiday, I hope you're having a great time!! I love you guys~!!

Little Moments and Future Shows

Hey all~ This time the gap between music updates is much shorter! The latest Full Circle track, entitled Little Moments, is now available for listening on our MySpace page! Once again we went a slightly different direction with this song, so I hope you enjoy listening to the sounds and words that come forth in this one! The lyrics to this song are especially dear to me, and the song itself was a long time coming, so I'm excited to finally put it all out there!

In other news, the month of November is looking up in terms of O-Mocha and Full Circle performance opportunities!! There are three performances planned for this month, so I hope that those of you who are in the Tokyo area will be able to come out and hear us sing! Have a look at the details below! :D

Friday, November 5th, 2010

FLAVA ~2010 Final Special~

at 27destiny (Shibuya, Tokyo)

〒150-0044

東京都渋谷区円山町２－４ ジーカンスビル１Ｆ 

TEL 03-3496-2727

 DOORS OPEN at 11PM
2,500yen / 1 drink
With flyer, 2.000yen / NO drink
Get the web flyer here!

Live Performance by
Ayaka + Dr. PEACEMAKER featuring O-Mocha

For more details about the many performers going on stage that night, check out the official event page here! 

Saturday, November 6th, 2010

 PLANETOLOGY vol.56
@shimokitazawa CLUB ERA
〒155-0031
東京都世田谷区北沢2-34-5 プリマヴェール下北沢4F
TEL 03-5465-6568
open/start 24:00～5:00
entrance fee \1500/1D w/f \1000/1D

HIPHOP、R&B・・・and GOOD MUSIC

DJ
TAYAMA
SADOBEN
WATAKEN
CHIAKI
KAERU
CK-ONE
MISAKI


MC
PLANET GALAXY
D.I.C.E
LEFTY


SINGER
Yuki
Full Circle

Check out the mixi community here:
http://mixi.jp/view_community.pl?id=1584918

Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010

"HODGEPODGE（ホッジポッジ）" - Live Music & Art

1:00pm - 9:00pm

Shibuya VUENOS TOKYO & LOUNGE NEO
〒150-0043 東京都渋谷区道玄坂2-21-7
第8矢澤ビル4F
TEL 03-5458-2551

HODGEPODGE is an art and music event hosted by GuitarFish Media trying to create the bridge between Japan and the world of music. Our goal is to have an international collaboration of musicians and visual artists from all over the world in hopes of creating this international hodgepodge. All genres and art work welcome. We want to raise funds and awareness to support local artists and musicians from in and around Tokyo. We also would like to expose our audiences to different genres and interests to other than that of mainstream medias.

**Live performance of bands, singers, & DJ @ VUENOS　(B1F/1F)
**Art exhibition and movie screenings @ Lounge NEO (5F/6F)

PRICE:
ADV: 1500yen + 1 drink ticket (500yen)　
[Door: 2500yen + 1 drink ticket (500yen)]

Many different performers and artists will be at this event, including bands, emcees, singers, and DJs, so there will be lots listen to!!

Visit the website or Facebook Event page for more info!
http://www.wix.com/guitarfish/hodgepodge

http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=165979356747860

CONTACT
guitarfish.media@gmail.com

イベント詳細

HODGEPODGE はGuitarFish Media 主催の音楽及びファインアートの総合エンターテインメントイベントです。世界の様々なジャンルのミュージシャンやアーティストを招き、国籍、人種、年齢、ジャンル、などといった様々な壁を超え、どなたでも気兼ねなく、気軽に楽しんで頂く事を目的としたインターナショナルな企画です。金銭面や練習場所、自分の作品を披露するのにとても肩身の狭い思いをしながら活動するミュージシャンやアーティスト。そして他国に比べ、音楽やアートに対して未だ関心が低い日本。その中心の東京で活動する無名のミュージシャンやアーティスト達の活躍の場をもっと広げたい。また、世の中の皆さんに様々なジャンルに触れてもらい、主流のメディア以外にもすばらしいアーティストや作品がある事を知って頂きたい。こういった想いからこのHODGEPODGEを開催する決断を致しました。



当イベントは、２０１０年１１月２３日（勤労感謝の日）に、渋谷のVuenos Tokyoと同ビルのLounge Neoにて行います。１３時にオープンし、１４時からパフォーマンスをスタートした後、２１時までミュージシャンやアーティスト達によるライブパフォーマンスやアートの展示を行います。VUENOS TOKYOのメインステージにてバンド、シンガー、DJなどを含めた約２０組がパフォーマンスを行います。同時に同ビルのLounge Neo をアートのエキシビジョンスペースとし、様々なスタイルを持ったアーティスト達の作品を巨大なドーム型の壁とプロジェクターを使って展示します。

★チケットは激安です！★
前売り券：１５００円＋１ドリンクチケット(500円)
通常料金：２５００円+１ドリンクチケット(500円)

詳細はHODGEPODGEのHPをご覧下さい。
http://www.wix.com/guitarfish/hodgepodge

近日アップデートがあるのでお楽しみに！


お問い合わせ
guitarfish.media@gmail.com 

iTunes Japan Debut~!

It's been a while! After another months-long hiatus from blogging, I'm glad to announce my debut on the Japanese iTunes Store~!

We were lucky enough to be asked to contribute to this compilation album, Acoustic Autumn ~ Seasoning of Songs~ , which was recorded a couple of months back. From today on, Oct 6th (Japan time), it is finally on sale on iTunes!! This album features a selection of new artists bringing a fresh voice to various Autumn-themed songs by well-known Japanese artists.


If you have access to the iTunes Japan Store, please support the first professional foray of Full Circle!! Check out Acoustic Autumn ~Seasoning of Songs~ on iTunes! Each track is ¥１５０ or you can get the entire album for only ¥６００~

Singing a cover of ORIGINAL LOVE's 「月の裏で会いましょう」 gave me my first opportunity to sing with mellow, acoustic style music, so if you check out the album and/or my contribution to it (thank you! ;D), please be gentle with me!

More new music from Full Circle will be coming at you soon~ Until next time!