I've Sound, or simply called , is a Japanese

techno Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...

trance music Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that emerged from the British new-age music scene and the early 1990s German techno and hardcore scenes. Trance music is characterized by a tempo generally lying between 135–150 beats per minut ...

production group based in

Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous city ...

Hokkaidō is Japan, Japan's Japanese archipelago, second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost Prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own List of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; th ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

. Led by Kazuya Takase, it features the talents of seasoned "sound creators" and many different vocalists, known as to their fans. They have created the theme songs for many Japanese adult games, most famously the opening "

Tori no Uta is a Japanese trance song sung by Lia, written by Jun Maeda, composed by Shinji Orito, and arranged by Kazuya Takase. The song was recorded at Paramount Studio in Los Angeles by the visual novel studio Key through their record label Key Sounds L ...

" to the visual novel ''

Air The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing f ...

'' by Key. More recently, they have been creating the theme songs to

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

series. Among anime fans, I've Sound is well known for providing the theme songs to such series as the ''Please!'' franchise (''

Please Teacher! is an anime television series directed by Yasunori Ide, written by Yōsuke Kuroda, and produced by Bandai Visual. It was later adapted into a manga and light novel and centers on a group of friends and the odd things that happen to the ...

'' and ''

Please Twins! is an anime television series scripted by Yōsuke Kuroda and produced by Bandai Visual, which was later adapted into a light novel and one-volume manga series. It centers on a family of three teenagers in high school all living together who ...

''), ''Kanon'', ''

'', ''

Kannazuki no Miko is a Japanese ''yuri'' manga series created by Kaishaku. The series, centering on the relationship between main characters Himeko and Chikane, also has elements of mecha themes in its plot. The 14-chapter series was serialized by Kadokawa ...

'', ''

Black Lagoon ''Black Lagoon'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rei Hiroe. It has been published in Shogakukan's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Monthly Sunday Gene-X'' since April 2002, with its chapters colle ...

'', the '' Shakugan no Shana'' series, ''

Starship Operators A starship, starcraft, or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between planetary systems. The term is mostly found in science fiction. Reference to a "star-ship" appears as early as 1882 in '' Oahspe: A Ne ...

'', ''

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is a Japanese murder mystery dōjin soft visual novel series produced by 07th Expansion that comprises the first two entries of the ''When They Cry'' franchise. The series focuses on a group of young friends living in the ficti ...

'', the ''

Hayate the Combat Butler is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kenjiro Hata. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' magazine from October 2004 to April 2017. Shogakukan released 52 volumes in Japan from February 2005 to Jun ...

'' series, ''

Nanatsuiro Drops is a Japanese adult visual novel developed by UNiSONSHIFT and released on April 21, 2006 for Windows. The game was later ported to the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS. A light novel, written by Tamaki Ichikawa and illustrated by Noizi Ito, ...

'', ''

A Certain Magical Index is a Japanese light novel series written by Kazuma Kamachi and illustrated by Kiyotaka Haimura, which has been published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint since April 2004 in a total of three sepa ...

'', '' Rideback'', ''

Sky Girls is a Japanese anime franchise produced by Konami and animated by J.C.Staff. A 30-minute OVA episode was released on August 25, 2006 and a television series adaptation aired on Chiba TV from July 5, 2007, to December 27, 2007. Plot In th ...

'', ''

High School DxD is a Japanese light novel series written by Ichiei Ishibumi and illustrated by Miyama-Zero. The story centers on Issei Hyodo, a perverted high school student from Kuoh Academy who desires to be a harem king and is killed by ...

'', '' Jormungand'', ''

Tokyo Ravens is a Japanese light novel series written by Kōhei Azano and illustrated by Sumihei. It was adapted into a manga series in 2010. It received an anime series on October 9, 2013 and ended on March 26, 2014. Funimation simulcasted the series o ...

'', ''

To Love-Ru is a Japanese manga series written by Saki Hasemi and illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki. The manga was serialized in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magazine from April 2006 to August 2009, and the chapters collected into 18 ''tan ...

'' series, ''

Waiting in the Summer is a 2012 Japanese anime television series animated by J.C.Staff, produced by Genco and Geneon, and directed by Tatsuyuki Nagai. The screenplay was written by Yōsuke Kuroda with original character design by Taraku Uon, who both contributed ...

'', '' Nagi-Asu: A Lull in the Sea'', '' Aokana: Four Rhythm Across the Blue'' and ''

Girly Air Force is a Japanese light novel series written by Kōji Natsumi and illustrated by Asagi Tōsaka. A manga adaptation by Takahiro Seguchi launched in ''Monthly Shōnen Ace'' in October 2018, and an anime television series adaptation by Satelight air ...

''.

History

I've was founded in 1998 by members of the six-member Takase Fight. During this time they produced music for tsushin

karaoke Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music is ...

and adult game brands based in Hokkaidō. They also made two tracks for the

Dancemania ''Dancemania'' is a series of remix compilation albums by i-DANCE. The series deals primarily with dance music, especially Eurodance. Despite many of its tracks being made by various musicians from all over the world and mainly from the European ...

series, "If You Were Here" by Jennifer and "Is This The Way You Kill A Love" by Gina, both featured in

Dance Dance Revolution (''DDR'') is a music video game series produced by Konami. Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, ''Dance Dance Revolution'' is the pioneering series of the rhythm and dance ...

. They first assumed the name "I've" while working on the

eroge An ''eroge'' ( or , ''erogē''; ; a portmanteau of ''erotic game'' , ''erochikku gēmu'') is a Japanese genre of erotic video game. In 1982, Japan's Koei, founded by husband-and-wife team Yoichi and Keiko Erikawa (and later known for strate ...

''Lips: egao no yukue'' in the autumn of 1998. Although production for the game was later cancelled, they were able to establish ties with

Visual Art's , formerly and previously spelled in English as VisualArt's, is a Japanese publishing company which specializes in publishing and distributing visual novels for a large list of game developers. Visual Arts has developed game engines their brands ...

, a computer game and software maker that most of I've's subsequent works are released under. The first game I've produced music for was ''Hakidame: Trash'', produced by Zero (a brand of Visual Art's), released in February 1999, where they were credited as ''I've Sound''. The game featured the songs "Fuck Me" and "Utsukushiku Ikitai". I've's big break came when the popular PC game '' Kanon'' by Key was released in 1999, featuring the theme songs "Last Regrets" and "Kaze no Tadoritsuku Basho", both arranged by I've. This gained them a burst of fame among

gamers. These songs were later used as insert songs during Kanon's 2002 anime adaptation, and later as the main opening and ending themes in that anime's 2006 remake. They released their first compilation album, ''Regret'' in December 1999. In 2002, I've was hired to produce the music for their first anime series, ''

'', which helped to further spread their name among

otaku is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, particularly in anime, manga, video games, or computers. Its contemporary use originated with a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori in '' Manga Burikko''. may be used as a pejorat ...

, and exposed them internationally. In April 2004, Kotoko, one of I've's vocalists who worked on ''Please Teacher,'' made her major debut with the album ''Hane''. This was followed by

Mami Kawada is a former Japanese pop singer and lyricist who was signed to NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan and also a member of I've Sound, a musical group which produces soundtracks for ''eroge'' (erotic games) and anime. Born and raised in Sapporo, Ja ...

's major debut single "Radiance" single in February 2005, and

Eiko Shimamiya , also called Eiko or Peko, is a female J-pop singer-songwriter, and producer who is currently affiliated with Heart Company. She is best known for singing the opening themes of the anime series ''Higurashi When They Cry''. Eiko also handles a s ...

's ''Ulysses'' album the same year in April.

Mell Mell (stylized as MELL) is a female Japanese singer from Sapporo, Japan, who is signed to Geneon Universal Entertainment. She is a former member of the Sapporo-based I've Sound, and one of its main vocalists. Mell has contributed vocals to seve ...

and sound creator C.G mix made their major releases in 2006 (''Red Fraction'' single and ''In Your Life'' album respectively). Most recently,

Kaori Utatsuki is a J-pop singer who is signed to Geneon Universal Entertainment. She is a former member of the music production group I've Sound based in Sapporo, Japan. She has performed several songs for eroge An ''eroge'' ( or , ''erogē''; ; a portman ...

also joined the ranks in August 2007 with the single ''Shining Stars Bless''. I've held their first concert on October 15, 2005 at

Nippon Budokan The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally built for the inaugural Olympic judo competition in the 1964 Summer Olympics. While its primary purpose is to host martial arts con ...

. In 2012, Mami Kawada released her fourth album, ''

Square the Circle Squaring the circle is a problem in geometry first proposed in Greek mathematics. It is the challenge of constructing a square with the area of a circle by using only a finite number of steps with a compass and straightedge. The difficult ...

'' including her last singles used as theme songs for the anime

and the third season of Shakugan no Shana. Larval Stage Planning released their second single, which was used as the opening song for

. In August 2012, a new volume of the Girls compilation series was released, and MAKO, a vocalist who had been a guest singer of the group twelve years before, made a surprising return. In 2013 and after having suffered an unknown disease,

MELL Mell (stylized as MELL) is a female Japanese singer from Sapporo, Japan, who is signed to Geneon Universal Entertainment. She is a former member of the Sapporo-based I've Sound, and one of its main vocalists. Mell has contributed vocals to seve ...

left I've Sound and released a compilation album of her most successful songs.

released "Going on", her second mini album and also announced her retirement.

Larval Stage Planning is a Japanese J-pop group formed in 2010 and is signed to Lantis. The group is also a member of the Sapporo-based music production group I've Sound. History Members The group was formed by veteran singer and then-I've Sound vocalist Eiko Shi ...

released "Sympathy" the opening theme song for the second season of

, and also announced that they were preparing their first album. In 2014, Nami Maisaki and Rin Asami announced their graduation from I've Sound, leaving Larval Stage Planning only with Airi Kirishima, as a solo project. However, in the end of the year, an unexpected turnaround was announced, when Nami Maisaki returned to the group as the new Sound Creator, now stylized as NAMI. In the same year, IKU signed with I've, now as an Official I've Girl, and also three new singers called RINA, Minori Kitamura and marriage blue were presented at Comiket Market 87, with the "I've MANIA TRACKS NEW WAVE" release. Although only RINA has been confirmed as a member of the group, marriage blue remains in business with I've as a partnership. In 2016, Mami Kawada, the last of the first generation of I've singers, announced her retirement from singing, and started her works as composer, outside I've. On the same year, IKU released a new single, called "Kimi no Namae". The three songs were composed by herself and arranged by Kazuya Takase and Takeshi Ozaki. In 2017, Sound Creators Takeshi Ozaki,

Maiko Iuchi is a Japanese composer and arranger. Much of her work is for video games and anime. Biography Iuchi was born in Hiroshima. She learned piano and percussion from a young age. As a high school student, she performed as a drummer in various ban ...

and Tomoyuki Nakazawa left I've too. In the same year, I've released its 10th I've Girls Compilation, entitled "ALIVE". Also, YUZUNO, RINA and marriage blue made their debuts with the singles "Light and dark", "Shine your light" and "§-section-", respectively. In 2018, IKU released her third album on March 30, called "TERMINAL", her first entirely produced by I've. On July 11, C.G mix released a single called "daybreak", and also, on August 18, YUZUNO and RINA each released their second single, called "Luminous" and "Laboratory", respectively. On December, I've announced two new singers: Asuka Sato and Leina. It was also announced Yuzuno's graduation from I've Sound, with a memorial album called "PINK POISON" to be released in March 2019. In 2019, I've followed major releases under its own label. C.G mix released his third album "ADVANCE" and a self-cover mini-album "the other side", Asuka Sato made her debut with the EP "D＊ BACKUP" and Leina released her second EP "NOISE". Also, RINA got her first anime tie-up song "awake from the deep", which was an insert song for the fourth episode of

. On July 30, she released her first album "PRISMATICA". In the same year, Airi Kirishima left the group. In 2020, Asuka Sato is going to release her second EP "CROSSOVER", on February 7.

Members

Sound creators

Singers

Discography

''Girls Compilation'' albums

* '' regret'' (1999) * '' verge'' (2000) * '' disintegration'' (2002) * ''

Lament A lament or lamentation is a passionate expression of grief, often in music, poetry, or song form. The grief is most often born of regret, or mourning. Laments can also be expressed in a verbal manner in which participants lament about somet ...

'' (2003) * ''

Out Flow Out may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films *Out (1957 film), ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 *Out (1982 film), ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander *Out (200 ...

'' (2003) * ''

Collective A collective is a group of entities that share or are motivated by at least one common issue or interest, or work together to achieve a common objective. Collectives can differ from cooperatives in that they are not necessarily focused upon an ...

'' (2005) * ''EXTRACT'' (2010) * ''LEVEL OCTAVE'' (2012) * ''Evidence nine'' (2014) *

The Time - Twelve Colors ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

(2016) * ''ALIVE'' (2017)

Concept albums

* ''

Short Circuit A short circuit (sometimes abbreviated to short or s/c) is an electrical circuit that allows a current to travel along an unintended path with no or very low electrical impedance. This results in an excessive current flowing through the circu ...

'' (2003) * '' Short Circuit II'' (2007) * ''

Short Circuit III ''Short Circuit III'' is a concept album by Japanese music production unit I've Sound, released on June 25, 2010. It is the third album in the ''Short Circuit'' series, centering on their denpa music, denpa songs. The album is a compilation of so ...

'' (2010)

Comic Market releases

* '' Dirty Gift'' (2002) * '' Mixed Up: I've Remix Style'' (2004) * '' I've Mania Tracks Vol.I'' (2007) * ''

The Front Line Covers I've Sound, or simply called , is a Japanese techno/trance music production group based in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. Led by Kazuya Takase, it features the talents of seasoned "sound creators" and many different vocalists, known as to their fa ...

'' (2008) * ''I've Mania Tracks Vol.II'' (2009) * ''I've Mania Tracks Vol.III'' (2010)

Other CDs

* ''I've Hard Stuff - Luding Out'' * ''I've Cure Trance Vol.1 - Psychedelic'' * ''I've Cure Trance Vol.2 - Psychedelic GOA'' * ''I've Trance Magic Vol.1'' * ''I've Trance Magic Vol.2'' * ''I've Trance Magic Vol.3'' * ''I've verve - circle001 - Beyond the underground groove'' (?) * ''I've verve - circle002 - beat spellbound-agitation mix'' (?) * ''I've verve - circle003 - electronica-mayhem'' (?) * ''I've verve - circle004 - Psychedelic Trance Edition'' (?) * ''I've verve - circle005 - Psychedelic Trance Edition - Journey of Space Exploration -'' * ''I've Cure Trance Vol.3 - Psychedelic IBIZA'' * ''Master Groove Circle'' (2008) * ''I've Sound 10th Anniversary: Departed to the future Special CD Box'' (2009) * ''Master Groove Circle 2'' (2009) * ''I've Sound 10th Anniversary Departed to the Future'' (2009)

Videos

* ''I've in Budokan 2005: Open the Birth Gate'' (2006) * ''Short Circuit II Premium Show in Tokyo'' (2007) * ''I've in Budokan 2009: Departed to the future'' (2009)

References

External links

Low Trance Assembly: I've Sound official site
* {{Authority control Anime musical groups Japanese electronic music groups Techno music groups Trance music groups Japanese pop music groups Musical groups from Hokkaido