Anamanaguchi

Anamanaguchi is an American chiptune-based pop and rock band from New York City.[1] The band has four members: lead songwriters and guitarists Peter Berkman and Ary Warnaar, bassist James DeVito, and drummer Luke Silas.[2]

Anamanaguchi
Anamanaguchi at U Street Music Hall in Washington, D.C. in 2015.
Background information
OriginNew York City, New York, U.S.
Genres
Instruments
Years active2004–present
Associated acts
WebsiteOfficial website
Members
  • Peter Berkman
  • James DeVito
  • Luke Silas
  • Ary Warnaar

Anamanaguchi combines digital electronic sounds such as those seen in chiptune and bitpop with traditional band instrumentation. As with other chiptune artists, they have created music using video game hardware from the mid- to late 1980s: namely a NES and a Game Boy. Berkman has stated that their music is not solely influenced by video game music and that much of it is inspired by "[s]imple pop stuff, like Weezer and the Beach Boys,"[3] as well as Janet Jackson.[4]

Berkman also cites J-pop and Japanese producer Yasutaka Nakata as a notable influence.[5] "... for Berkman, the influence of Shibuya-kei style pop from Japan, particularly artists like Cornelius and Yasutaka Nakata (Perfume, Capsule) is particularly important."[6]

Berkman stated that his top three influences in order would be "Tim & Eric and that absurd comedy, Japanese music and video games." [6] "Ultimately, Berkman's interest in Japanese pop culture is at the root of his interest in video games."[6]

The origin of the band's name is unclear. In one interview, Berkman said the name "Anamanaguchi" came about from a member in one of his former bands pronouncing gibberish in the style of Jabba the Hutt.[7] On several other occasions, the band has explained that their name came about after the members worked as interns at Armani (Berkman and DeVito), Prada (Warnaar), and Gucci (Silas) while studying fashion at Parsons School of Design (though three of the four majored in Music Technology at New York University). People began calling them the "Armani-Prada-Gucci boys," which eventually was elided into "Anamanaguchi."[8]

Career

2006–2009: Power Supply and Dawn Metropolis

The band formed in Chappaqua, NY where Peter Berkman & James DeVito were classmates.[9] Through events such as Pulsewave NYC they formed a relationship with the netlabel 8bitpeoples and subsequently released their debut the Power Supply EP in August 2006. The track "Helix Nebula" was featured as the theme song of the former GamesRadar podcast TalkRadar.[10]

Peter Berkman met Ary Warnaar at New York University where they were studying Music Technology. In 2009, Ary Warnaar and Luke Silas joined the band for the release of their following EP, Dawn Metropolis. The album was released with an accompanying website that included animated videos for each of the songs, done in collaboration with artists David Mauro and Paris Treantafeles.

A song from Dawn Metropolis titled "Jetpack Blues, Sunset Hues" is the theme to Chris Hardwick's The Nerdist Podcast.[11] On November 26, 2013, Anamanaguchi appeared as guests on the podcast itself.[12]

(left to right) James DeVito, Peter Berkman and Ary Warnaar in Brooklyn, New York, in 2009

2010–2012: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and summer singles

In 2010, Anamanaguchi were approached by Ubisoft to compose music for the video game adaptation of the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game.[13] The soundtrack for the game was released on Amazon and iTunes by ABKCO Records on August 24, 2010.[14] The soundtrack debuted at No. 3 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart (aka Soundscan's New Artist Chart).[15] In the summer of 2010, Anamanaguchi began releasing a series of singles for free download on their website. These singles were released with animated gif cover art (featuring collaborations with artists such as Paul Robertson and Ryder Ripps) and were printed as limited 7" vinyl with lenticular artwork to mimic the animated images.

2013–2015: Endless Fantasy

On May 3, 2013, Anamanaguchi launched a Kickstarter project for their album Endless Fantasy. In just 11 hours, their funding goal of $50,000 was reached. At the end of its run, the project was backed by 7,253 people who contributed to raising a grand total of $277,399,[16] making it the second most-successful music project to be funded on Kickstarter at the time, behind that of singer Amanda Palmer.[17]

Anamanaguchi featured on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on June 17, 2013, where they played their song "Endless Fantasy" from the album of the same name. On June 19, 2014, they released a single titled "Pop It" featuring a then-unknown singer whose face was hidden from view.[18] The song was a stylistic departure for the group in that it did not feature any chiptune elements nor traditional band instrumentation, with a lead vocal. Entertainment Weekly described the song as having "glitchy electronic flourishes and relentlessly bubble gummy vibe", also drawing comparisons to Kyary Pamyu Pamyu.[18] In September, the song was featured in a Target TV advertisement, and in mid-2015 was also featured in a Taco Bell commercial for iced beverages. On November 24, 2014, the singer's name, "Meesh彡☆", and her face were revealed to the public.[19]

On November 21, 2014, Anamanaguchi revealed they had been working on a new album titled [USA], which was set to release sometime in 2016.[20] The band also stated that the album would not be a chiptune album.[21] This album was later delayed for an undisclosed amount of time.[22]

2016–present: Capsule Silence XXIV and [USA]

On March 28, 2016, the band released a video game called Capsule Silence XXIV, along with an original score containing over 30 songs. The band "leaked" the game for free online after staging a hoax Twitter dispute with the game's fictional developer, NHX. The game also contains an unreleased video for "Japan Air", among other hidden Easter eggs.[23] In May 2016, the band was the opening act at the North American Miku Expo tour, finishing at a two-show event at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. The band returned to the stage each night and performed their single "Miku" live with Hatsune Miku for her encore. The official soundtrack of Capsule Silence XXIV was released in two parts as Capsule Silence XXIV (Original Soundtrack Vol I) on December 21, 2016, and Capsule Silence XXIV (Original Soundtrack Vol II) on October 13, 2017.

On October 19, 2017, the band announced that they would be debuting music from their third studio album, [USA], at a live show on November 10 in Brooklyn, NY. The performance was live streamed on the band's official Twitch page.[24]

On October 18, 2018, Anamanaguchi headlined Coalchella, a virtual music festival conducted entirely in a Minecraft server with sets broadcast live on an online radio.[25] On January 12 the following year, Anamanaguchi headlined Fire Festival, another Minecraft music festival by Open Pit Presents, the organizers of Coalchella.[26] During the final minutes of the music set, band member Peter Berkman revealed in the server's text chat that their third studio album, [USA], was finished and that there would be "NEW MUSIC [in] 2019".[27] Anamanaguchi also headlined Open Pit's third festival, MineGala, on September 14, 2019.[28]

In a YouTube video released on August 20, 2019, Anamanaguchi stated that the release date of [USA] would be October 25. It released on the label Polyvinyl Records.[29]

Discography

Studio albums
List of studio albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
US (Top Album Sales)
[30]		 US
Dance
[31]		 Heatseekers
[32]		 Independent
[33]
Dawn Metropolis ————
Endless Fantasy
  • Released: May 14, 2013
  • Label: dream.hax
  • Formats: CD, digital download, vinyl
 1022121
[USA]
  • Released: October 25, 2019
  • Label: Polyvinyl
  • Formats: CD, digital download, vinyl
 63—37
"—" denotes items which failed to chart.

EPs
  • Power Supply (2006)
  • Dawn Metropolis Preview (2009)

Singles
Year Title Album
2010 "Airbrushed" Summer Singles
"My Skateboard Will Go On"
"Aurora (Meet me in the Stars)"
"Airbrushed" (RAC remix)
"Mess"
2011 "My Skateboard Will Go On" Split w/ Starscream
2013 "Meow" Endless Fantasy
"Endless Fantasy"
2014 "Prom Night"[34]
"Pop It (feat. meesh彡☆)" non-album single
2016 "Miku (feat. Hatsune Miku)" HATSUNE MIKU EXPO 2016 E.P.
2019 "Lorem Ipsum (Arctic Anthem)" [USA]
"Air On Line"
"On My Own (feat. HANA)"
2020 "Styla" Summer Singles 2020
Kei (feat. POCHI)
"Get Your Wish" (Anamanaguchi Remix)
"Vancouver"

Soundtracks
Title Album details Peak chart positions
US
[35]		 US
Dance
[31]		 Heatseekers
[32]
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game (Original Videogame Soundtrack) 18073
Capsule Silence XXIV (Original Soundtrack Vol I) ———
Capsule Silence XXIV (Original Soundtrack Vol II) ———
"—" denotes items which failed to chart.

Live bootlegs
  • Knitting Factory, Brooklyn, NY, USA (2011)
  • Daytrotter Session (2011)
  • Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY, USA (2011)

Compilation albums
  • Frug 4 Lyfe (2011)[36]
  • Single + Remix Collections. The album was released exclusively in Japan on March 4, 2012.[37][38] The album compiles all of the singles from the band's summer of singles along with all the tracks from Power Supply. As well as these tracks, it includes two previously unreleased remixes of Anamanaguchi tracks.

Remixes
YearTrackOriginal ArtistAlbum
2010"Rainbow in the Dark"Das RacistMy Skateboard Will Go On
2011"Too Dramatic"Ra Ra RiotN/A
2012"Sisterly"Fang IslandSisterly
2013"Coming Home (featuring Neverstore)"Futurecop!Coming Home (Remixes)
"Overexposed"Matt and KimLighting Remixes
2014"Kill Your Radio"HEARTSREVOLUTIONN/A
"Sad Machine"Porter RobinsonWorlds (Limited Edition Box Set)
"Girls Just Want to Have Fun"Cyndi LauperShe's So Unusual: REMiXED
"Pretty Green"SpineePretty Green
2015"Feel The Lightning"Dan DeaconN/A
2017"ひゅるり"Osaka✮ShunkashutoN/A
"Not Mine"Lil MiquelaN/A
2018 "Always" Meishi Smile / LLLL / U-Pistol N/A
2020 "Get Your Wish"[39] Porter Robinson Nurture
gollark: ···…·
gollark: It's like a small, odd frying pan!
gollark: ···…
gollark: Mid-dots look weird.
gollark: ···

References
  1. "Anamanaguchi Home Page as of October 10, 2011". Web.archive.org. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  2. Berkman, Peter, James DeVito, and Ary Warnaar. "Anamanaguchi Avoid the Perils of Cheap Nostalgia." Interview by Vijith Assar. The Village Voice. August 4, 2009. Web. August 13, 2009.
  3. Berkman, Peter. "8-bit punks Anamanaguchi beyond the side-scrollers." Interview by David Wolinsky. A.V. Club. July 18, 2011. Web. July 18, 2012.
  4. "Anamanaguchi: From NES to MTV – IGN". IGN. February 8, 2013. Archived from the original on August 5, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  5. Berkman, Peter. "Song Exploder Ep. 18" Interview by Hrishikesh Hirway. Web. September 2, 2014
  6. "Anamanaguchi's Peter Berkman Shares His Top 3 Influences: Tim and Eric, Japanese Music and Video Games". L.A. Weekly. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  7. Machkovech, Sam (May 23, 2013). "Anamanaguchi: The Ninja Turtles of Rock « Polygon". polygon.com. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
  8. "We Talked to Anamanaguchi About Bitcoin, Memes, and Dick Tricks | NOISEY". Noisey.vice.com. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  9. "GameSetWatch Sound Current: 'Anamanaguchi's Guide to Scott Pilgrim: The Game Soundtrack'". www.gamesetwatch.com. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  10. "Talkradar HQ". GamesRadar. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
  11. Hardwick, Chris (November 30, 2011). "Nerdist Podcast Theme on Two Guitars « Nerdist". Nerdist.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  12. Levine, Katie (November 26, 2013). "Nerdist podcast: anamanaguchi". Archived from the original on November 28, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
  13. Twitter / Anamanaguchi: WE ARE DOING THE MUSIC FOR Archived December 8, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. Twitter.com. Retrieved on November 16, 2010.
  14. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game (Original Videogame Soundtrack): Anamanaguchi: MP3 Downloads. Amazon.com. Retrieved on November 16, 2010.
  15. "Heatseekers Albums 2010-09-11". Billboard.com. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  16. "Anamanaguchi – make Endless Fantasy more than an album by Anamanaguchi". Kickstarter.com. May 3, 2013. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  17. "Kickstarter Projects – Music – Most Funded". Kickstarter. Retrieved May 4, 2013.
  18. "Anamanaguchi releases a mysterious (but catchy) new single". EW.com. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  19. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on January 23, 2016. Retrieved November 27, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  20. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved November 21, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  21. "ANAMANA... GUCHI on Twitter: "[USA] will not be a chiptune album."". Twitter. December 14, 2014. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  22. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  23. "Anamanaguchi Uses Viral Marketing For Latest Album Release". GameSpot. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  24. "Anamanaguchi". www.facebook.com. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  25. "Inside Coalchella, the Minecraft music festival that had brands everywhere (sort of)". adage.com. October 11, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  26. "A Small Conversation With the Lineup of Fire Festival, the Minecraft Music Festival". NEST HQ. January 9, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  27. "r/Anamanaguchi - USA LP DONE". reddit. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  28. "MineGala Day 1 Set Times". Twitter. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  29. "Anamanaguchi". www.youtube.com. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  30. "Anamanaguchi – Chart History: Top Album Sales". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  31. "Anamanaguchi – Chart History: Dance/Electronic Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  32. "Anamanaguchi – Chart History: Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  33. "Anamanaguchi – Chart History: Independent Albums". Billboard. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  34. Anamanaguchi. "Prom Night 2014 SINGLE". SoundCloud. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  35. "Anamanaguchi – Chart History: Overview". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 16, 2014. Note: click on "overview" to get peak position of the Scott Pilgrim video game OST on the Billboard 200
  36. "Frug 4 Lyfe". Discogs. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  37. "Single + Remix Collections – Anamanaguchi – Discover music at". Last.fm. January 15, 2013. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  38. "Release "Single + Remix Collections" by Anamanaguchi". MusicBrainz. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  39. Heffler, Jason (July 15, 2020). "Porter Robinson celebrates birthday with bitpop remix of 'Get Your Wish' by Anamanaguchi". EDM.com. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
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