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is a Japanese rap rock group founded in 1996 by Kenji "Kj" Furuya and Sakurai Makoto.〔 〕 They were one of the first groups to popularize hip hop in Japan. They brought a western flavor to Japanese music and helped to turn rap music mainstream, with a mixture of reggae, hip hop, metal, punk, drum 'n' bass, rhythm 'n' blues and Spanish music influences. Some of their best known songs include "Shizuka na Hibi no Kaidan o", "Grateful Days", "Life Goes On", and "I Love Hip Hop". Kenji has stated in several interviews that the reason Dragon Ash started out as a pseudo-punk band was because, at the time, punk was popular in Japan, and his handlers felt that the hip hop image would not sell. He has also noted that hip hop has always been first in his book (although has great passion for rock music), but he did what was necessary to become successful in the industry. Dragon Ash is a member of Mob Squad, which is an affiliation with the bands Source and Endive. Dragon Ash also has the French fleur-de-lis as their band logo/symbol, and have several songs with lily imaginary. Dragon Ash are known for their slogan 'Free Your Mind', this is where they utilize their open-minded approach with their adaptability with incorporating music genres to their forte of musical creativity. Additionally, Dragon Ash are also known for their slogan 'No Music, No Life', with their creativity & dedication for the importance of music first and foremost, before the fame and money of the music industry. Kenji Furuya (leader of Dragon Ash), has expressed his music terminology 'No Music, No Life' most effectively, with Dragon Ash producing millions of record sales from their debut, and No.1 charting singles and albums. Kenji also has displayed this creativity evolving with different music genres; first releasing raw and powerful punk rock albums during their earlier songs (between 1996-1998), gracefully progressing towards the 'hip hop/rock amalgamation' expression of sound for their 1999 album 'Viva La Revolution', selling 2 million copies; (the first half of the album with strong elements of hiphop, and the second half with powerful elements of rock music). By 2000 Dragon Ash were creating multiple chart selling hits of hiphop influenced tracks, once their 2001 album was released 'Lily of da Valley', their powerful fusion of rock & hip-hop was finally ready for Dragon Ash fans to embrace, as this album sold 1 million copies in Japan. ==History== Dragon Ash started out from humble punk beginnings to become one of the brightest groups in the growing New Japanese Rock movement in the late 1990s, blending pop sensibilities with a hard-edged sound, producing albums and singles that play like a tour of Western rock of the 1990s. Lead singer and guitarist Kenji Furuya, son of actor Ikko Furuya, met drummer Makoto Sakurai when they were junior high students in a Tokyo suburb, and the two started playing together. Though temporarily sidetracked into following in his father's footsteps, Furuya gave up the few acting gigs that he was getting on TV dramas to concentrate on music in high school. In 1996, knowing what they wanted but needing some sort of mentor, they took on bass player Ikuzo Baba, ten years their senior. Furuya and Sakurai had the talent and drive—Baba brought experience and a wealth of musical knowledge. Dragon Ash was born. The group debuted in 1997 with two EPs at the beginning of the year, The Day Dragged On and Public Garden, which showed their raw, punk hardcore style, influenced by another rock trio, Nirvana. By the end of the year and time of their release, Mustang!, the group had progressed from their simple punk roots to a blend of pop, funk, hardcore, rap, and metal. Through 1998 their popularity increased, and by the time of Buzz Songs, their sound had solidified to rock/rap, helped with the mixing skills of DJ Bots, who occasionally appeared on some songs. Two singles -- "Let Yourself Go, Let Myself Go" and "Grateful Days," the latter featuring hardcore rapper Zeebra and soulstress ACO—sold so well that they cracked the Japanese Oricon charts, usually reserved for pop music, and went to number one. Dragon Ash’s first big break with their 4th single, "Let Yourself Go, Let Myself Go", which hit No. 7 on the Oricon Weekly Singles chart, and eventually climbed to No. 4, selling a total of 640,000 copies. In May they simultaneously released their fifth and sixth singles, "Grateful Days" and "I Love Hip Hop", which debuted at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively. When these two singles debuted, "Let Yourself Go, Let Myself Go" had not yet dropped off the top 10 chart, giving Dragon Ash 3 top 10 singles at the same time. The band finally reached the peak of their success when they released their third album, Viva la Revolution, in July and it hit No. 1 on its debut week. The album has sold in excess of 2,000,000 copies. During 1999, now Dragon Ash had become a four-piece, with DJ Bots essential to the mix. Their third album, 1999's Viva la Revolution, not only signified the arrival of the band as a major group in Japan, but was one of the first volleys in the New Japanese Rock movement. In 2000, Dragon Ash undertook the Total Music Communication Tour, touring Japan with a lineup that included other rising rock acts, such as Missile Girl Scout, Penpals, and Skebou Kings. Meanwhile, Furuya and DJ Bots formed a duo of sorts, writing and producing songs for acts such as Sugar Soul under the name Steady & Co. Likewise, Baba and Sakurai sidelined as a remixing unit called Motor Headphone, popping up on various compilations. If anyone had any doubts that the group was softening around the edges, 2001's Lily of da Valley was as hard, funky, and uncompromising as their earliest work. The band continued to be successful throughout the turn of the century, collaborating with the hip hop group Rappagariya on ''Deep Impact'' in 2000 and consistently pulling in No. 1 spots on both the singles and albums charts with their new releases. In 2003 the group expanded to include its full current roster of members, bringing in Hiroki, Atsushi, and Dri-V.〔 〕 In 2007 they celebrated their 10th anniversary by simultaneously releasing two best-of albums, ''The Best of Dragon Ash with Changes Vol. 1'' and ''The Best of Dragon Ash with Changes Vol. 2''. Both albums hit No. 1 upon their debut.〔 〕 36-year-old musician Kenji Furuya, the leader of Japanese rap rock group Dragon Ash, will release his first solo album "Everything Becomes The Music" from Victor Entertainment on June 17. Following his solo debut song "Swallow Dive" in March of this year, acclaimed anime director Kenji Kamiyama directed a music video for "Stairway," the leading track from the album. Kamiyama is known for his directorial works for the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex series (2002–2006), Eden of the East (2009), and 009 Re:Cyborg (2012). Furuya, who has been a big fan of these works, wanted Kamiyama to direct live-action MVs of his solo songs. The "Stairway" MV was filmed in Australia. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Dragon Ash」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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