New items for the 「Hamasaki Ayumi Hiroba」 at Ameba Pigg will be available from 30 December 13:30 for a limited time!

T-shirt (2 types): 200AG each
 

Sports towel (2 types): 150AG each
 

ayu Daruma: 250AG

ayupan Mask: 200AG

Ameba Pigg-only item!
ayu Pine Decoration: 300AG

2011 New Year ayupan (Green/Orange/Pink) (3 types): 250AG each
   

⇒ Visit Ameba Pigg http://pigg.ameba.jp/

Misa-chan’s note: Bushido (武士道) is the samurai code. Once again, I’m only translating the parts relevant to ayu.

—–

…….

ayu-chan’s new album

Love songs

is on sale

During all my years of recording, I’ve been deeply moved by some music I’ve experienced. But this time, I’m going to write about the last song on the album, November.

The very first demo we received from Komuro-san had no rhythm. With just a trance-like synthesizer sound, the song was of a sorrowful drifting ambient trance genre. The song already felt complete at that point, but

The album this time had an underlying theme, not voiced but understood by everyone, to develop an organic sound as much as possible and to cut down on the synthesizers.

We wanted something which can invoke a feeling on nostalgia, no matter who and how old the listener is, and make them think of their childhood days. So based on that feeling,

We decided to feature the sure-kill piano+harmonica combination with my xylophone and I.

Next, the rhythm problem.

Drums could be inserted in the background. As we were aiming for something cool with a large sound, we made a request to Vinnie Colaiuta, who did SEVEN DAYS WAR, straight away.

As for bass,

We wanted a sound which was short and sparse but lively, something like the song CRAZY by SEAL. So we found out who did the bass for CRAZY. And it was Pino Palladino, the bassist who did SEVEN DAYS WAR as well.

Pino was from England, so he wasn’t in America often. The last time, he was coincidentally in Los Angeles on a tour, that’s why we miraculously managed to get him to play.

So we asked our super coordinator and translator

“Where can we get someone who has a groove, but does not do the rock genre?”

Hearing our request, she casually made an offer to Nathan East for us.

Nathan is Eric Clapton’s right hand man, basically the best bassist in the world!

Yesterday, I went out for drinks with my senior Shinga-san, and she asked “So, what big shot musician have you worked with lately?”. I replied “Nathan East” and she was so surprised she fell off her chair.

Yeah, anyway, we anxiously sent off the demo tape to Nathan and Vinnie. And finally, the day for recording arrived.

On a cue, the drums and bass started off recording together, and from the very first session, everything was perfect! It took all my effort to hold in my tears. This was a sure kill!

We had a sound producer on hand just in case to give the musicians their cues and music instructions, but because they were such good players, they didn’t need those. We didn’t need to get them in the mood, and they remained steady and calm throughout.

But it was hard to stay calm, they were just so good from the very beginning.

After that, we gave them just a little bit of simple instructions, and they redid the whole song for us again.

Vinnie and Nathan were both great players, and could do wonders in so little time. With such wonderful work done, it didn’t feel like I was working at all…

In the end, the take that got the “OK” was the very first take they did.

Telling jokes and laughing all the way, but so serious and involved when they are performing. Though we didn’t spend much time with them, Vinnie and Nathan were so cool

Yep

Just one strike! Normally, there’s always lots of changes made during recordings, and lots of people often come unprepared. But this, they pull out their sword, and all they need was just one strike!

This is what true bushido/samurai is about.

As a musician myself, I strive to be like that too.

It was a moving experience.

—–

Visit CMJK’s blog.
Found by truehappiness@AHS.

I didn’t translate the full entry, but only the parts relevant to ayu.

—–

…….

A parcel from avex!

With loud exclamations, I received ayu-chan’s sample discs

They reached yesterday

Kome-san, Jirou-kun
Thank you so much m(_ _)m

So

New album 「Love songs」
Nobita and Nagano Yuuta worked lots on this
I, not so much

But ayu-chan’s sound direction and mood this time round is basically

The TK sound = synthesizers

Whatever impression I had of the TK sound
was totally destroyed
Almost all the songs were strings-based
(stuff like violins and cellos)
and featured the piano as well

It was an organic TK sound

Such a new invention
I couldn’t help feeling
“So it’s finally here”

The recording itself
was a really awesome experience

I’ll write more about that next time

—–

Visit CMJK’s blog.
Found by truehappiness@AHS.