‎Named after a form of Buddhist meditation, Zazen Boys first appeared as a side project of Japanese musician Mukai Shutoku, the guitarist/vocalist of alt-rock band Number Girl, as an opportunity for Mukai to express some of his more diverse and experimental musical urges at a time when his other band. Available with an Apple Music subscription. Listen free to ZAZEN BOYS – ZAZEN BOYS 4 (Asobi, Honnoji and more). 9 tracks (44:12). Discover more music, concerts, videos, and pictures with the largest catalogue online at Last.fm.

1. Zazen Pronunciation

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

MembersNotable instruments

Zazen Boyz
Origin	Tokyo, Japan
Genres	Indie rock MathRock Jam
Years active	2003 –Present
Labels	Matsuri Studio
Associated acts	Number Girl, Vola & The Oriental Machine, Straightener,Kicking the Lion, Art-School
Mukai Shutoku (Vocals,Guitar, Synthesizer) Yoshida Ichirou (Bass, 2007-Present) Yoshikane Sou (Guitar) Matsushita Atsushi (Drums, 2005-Present)
Fender Telecaster,Fender Stratocaster, Fender Precision Bass

Zazen Boys is a Japanese band formed by former Number Girl guitaristand vocalist Mukai Shutoku. Stylistically, their music consistsmostly of complex rhythmic songs reminiscent of math rock, as well asextended improvisational songs characterized through liveperformances.

2Discography 2.1Singles and EPs 2.4Compilations andSoundtracks

History

After the breakup of Number Girl, Mukai Shutoku began touringsolo under the moniker Mukai Shutoku Acoustic and Electric.Although initially performing new versions of Number Girl songs, hequickly developed many that would appear on Zazen Boy's firstalbum. After touring through June 2003, Shutoku commissioned friendand former Number Girl drummer Inazawa Ahito, and after formerArt-School bassist Hinata Hidekazu and guitarist Yoshikane Sou(formerly of Kicking the Lion) joined, the first incarnation ofZazen Boys was formed.

Using Shutoku's experimental mindset, influenced by Buddhistchants, hip-hop, funk, punk, and improvisational jazz, Zazen Boysachieved unexpected success. They released Zazen Boys andwent on successful tour. During this time, the band released thesingle 半透明少女関係(Hantoumei Shoujo Kankei), as wellas the acclaimed live album Matsuri Session 2.26.2004Tokyo. Five months after their debut, Zazen Boys IIwas released to even more critical acclaim. In early 2005, Inazawaleft to form his own band, Vola and the OrientalMachine. Whether or not the split occurred due to personal orcreative differences remains unclear. Undaunted, Shutoku quicklyrecruited session drummer Matsushita Atsushi to replace Inazawa.Zazen Boys recorded a five-track EP, Himitsu Girl's TopSecret, in July 2005. They continued to release liverecordings, the online-only album Live at Osaka,Matsuri Session Live at Yaon, and Matsuri Session12.27.2005 Tokyo, as well as Live at Shibuya, an iTunes-exclusive performance fromthe opening of the Shibuya Apple Store.

In early 2006 the band released Zazen Boys III.Zazen Boys III featured the improvisational andexperimental elements prominent in live performances, and was metwith more mixed reactions from fans and critics than their priorreleases. The next month, a limited edition collection ofimprovised studio tracks, Live at Matsuri Studio, went onsale at concerts. For the rest of 2006, the band toured constantly,releasing another online live album, 'Zazen Boys Live at Okinawa2006'. In early 2007, Hidekazu left Zazen Boys to pursue otherprojects, and was replaced by former Nine Days Wonder and 12939dbbassist Ichiro Yoshida. On September 17, 2008, the band releasedtheir fourth studio album, Zazen Boys 4. The album markeda change in the band's sound, drawing heavier on synthesizer andfunk elements.

Additionally, Zazen Boys have contributed songs to several moviesoundtracks. 真夜中の弥次さん喜多さん(Mayonaka no Yaji-SanKita-San) was comprised mostly of original Zazen Boys tracks,and an alternate version of Jimonjitou was featured on thesoundtrack to 'カナリア' (Canary)

Discography

Singles andEPs

• 半透明少女関係 (Hantoumei Shoujo Kankei) (2004)
• Himitsu Girl's Top Secret (2005)
• I Don't Wanna Be With You (2007)

Albums

• Zazen Boys (2004)
• Zazen Boys II (2004)
• Zazen Boys III (2006)
• At the Matsuri Studio (2006, limited edition instrumentalalbum)
• Zazen Boys 4 (2008)

Zazen Pronunciation

LiveAlbums

• Matsuri Session 2・26 2004 Tokyo (2004)
• Zazen Boys Live at Osaka (2005, online-only)
• Live at Shibuya iTunes Store (2005)
• Matsuri Session Live at Yaon (2005)
• Matsuri Session 12・27 2005 Tokyo (2005)
• Zazen Boys Live at Okinawa (2006, online-only)

Compilations andSoundtracks

• It's Only Rock and Roll (But We Like It): A Tribute to theRolling Stones (2003)
• オリジナル・サウンドトラック「 真夜中の野次さん喜多さん」 (Original Soundtrack MayonakaYaji-San Kita-San) (2005)
• オリジナル・サウンドトラック「カナリア」 (Original Soundtrack Canary)(2005)

Externallinks

Singles & EPs

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Live Albums

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About Zazen Boys

Named after a form of Buddhist meditation, Zazen Boys first appeared as a side project of Japanese musician Mukai Shutoku, the guitarist/vocalist of alt-rock band Number Girl, as an opportunity for Mukai to express some of his more diverse and experimental musical urges at a time when his other band was riding the crest of its breakthrough into the mainstream. After Number Girl's demise he revived the project, taking them to new levels of critical and commercial success and proving a critical link between mainstream and underground music in Japan.
The original 2002 lineup of Zazen Boys featured Mukai backed by the experimental hip-hop/funk band 54-71, although he undertook his immediate post-Number Girl activities under his own name and with a variety of musicians, including avant-garde jazz-punk band Panic Smile (early contemporaries of Mukai from his hometown of Fukuoka) and jazz musician Kikuchi Naruyoshi. In contrast to the Pixies-style alt-rock that had made Number Girl famous, these early shows mixed jazz, funk, rock, and hip-hop, and it was this collision of genres that formed the basis for what was to become the new Zazen Boys.
Establishing the new lineup around ex-Number Girl drummer Inazawa Ahito, former Art-School bass player Hinata Hidekazu, and guitarist Yoshikane Sou from Kicking the Lion, Mukai started work on a self-titled debut album, Zazen Boys, which was released in 2004 and quickly followed up by a second, entitled Zazen Boys, Vol. 2, during the same year. Both albums drew on and developed ideas mixing funk, rock, and elements of traditional Japanese culture partially developed in Number Girl's final album, Num-Heavy Metallic, as well as the more experimental work of the post-Number Girl live shows. The punk influences of his previous work gave way to a new interest in heavy, crashing guitars reminiscent of Led Zeppelin. Other characteristic features are obvious dub, hip-hop, and soul influences; frequent changes in time signature; and Mukai's rapid-fire half-spoken vocals interspersed with sudden bursts of falsetto.
In 2005 Inazawa departed to form the more new wave-influenced Vola and the Oriental Machine, and he was replaced by Matshshita Atsushi for the Himitsu Girl's Top Secret EP and 2006's uncompromising Zazen Boys, Vol. 3, which saw the band pushing its experimental tendencies still further. Another departure came in 2007 -- this time it was Hinata, subsequently replaced by Yoshida Ichiro of Nine Days Wonder. This was followed by the single 'I Don't Wanna Be with You,' which bemused fans by overlaying a minimalist funk backdrop with a glossy, synth-led 1980s sheen. In spring 2008 the band decamped to the United States to record new material. Zazen Boys, Vol. 4 was released in September of that year. ~ Ian Martin

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