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Sim City (album)
''Sim City'' is the fifth studio album by Japanese musician and composer Susumu Hirasawa, released on August 2, 1995 via Polydor K.K. This is his last record with Polydor, as he would later switch record labels to Nippon Columbia. Overview In 1994, Susumu Hirasawa got the suggestion to try a Pink Floyd-like sound for his next solo album from his neighbor, Doll Magazine editor-in-chief Mikio Moriwaki. His original plan was to make a '90s version of ''The Dark Side of the Moon'', which would cover similar ground to '' Virtual Rabbit''. Sometime afterward, he came up with the idea of the , a role-playing game held in an overseas country for members of his official fan club Hirasawa Bypass. It was decided that it would happen in the Thai city of Phuket, since the airplane trip would be short and it didn't have a lot of Japanese tourism; because of that lack of Japanese reference, Hirasawa took a trial visit to see if it would be a good place for the tour, his first time in the coun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records (78s) collected in a bound book resembling a photo album; this format evolved after 1948 into single vinyl LP record, long-playing (LP) records played at rpm. The album was the dominant form of recorded music expression and consumption from the mid-1960s to the early 21st century, a period known as the ''album era''. Vinyl LPs are still issued, though album sales in the 21st-century have mostly focused on CD and MP3 formats. The 8-track tape was the first tape format widely used alongside vinyl from 1965 until being phased out by 1983, being gradually supplanted by the cassette tape throughout the 1970s and early 1980s; the popul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Siren (Susumu Hirasawa Album)
''Siren'' is the sixth solo album by Susumu Hirasawa. It was released on August 1, 1996 by Nippon Columbia, with Hirasawa exclusively providing most of the instruments and production. Overview As with the previous album ''Sim City'', it was greatly influenced by Hirasawa's trips to Thailand and continues that album's style and concepts. Starting from fertility goddesses and a "mermaid legend" he heard (possibly Suvannamaccha), Hirasawa investigated legends from around the world to see how much the ideals represented by the country's Kathoey gender role (with whom he spent most of his time in the country with) manifest in their myths, which led him to discover the same frequent pattern of fertility goddesses seducing humans and associations with gender variance or androgyny. He also interpreted such ideas as the Gemini myth and the concept of yin and yang as examples of things possessing attributes of both the masculine and feminine. The conclusion that Hirasawa derived from his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rockin'On Japan
''Rockin'On Japan'', often stylized in all caps, is a monthly magazine that covers the Japanese music scene and various cultural events in Japan, such as art venues and culinary expos. History The magazine was founded in 1972, and focused on providing news that was thoroughly sourced and fact-checked, while also providing content without censorship and on original news stories. This requirement involved only conducting one on one interviews without doing generalized press interviews and announcements. The magazine later, in 1986, split into versions that served Japan domestically, re-titled to ''Rockin'On Japan'', and that covered international music content, titled ''Rockin'On''. The current owner of the magazine is Yoichi Shibuya, who oversaw the expansions of the magazine and the creation of official music festivals sponsored by the magazine itself. Festivals and production The main festival created by the magazine is named ''Rock in Japan Festival'' and sets itself apart by ha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kathoey
''Kathoey'' or ''katoey'' (, ; , , ; ; , ), commonly translated as ''ladyboys'' in English, is a term used by some people in Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand, whose identities in English may be best translated as transgender women in some cases, or effeminate gay men in other cases. ''Kathoeys'' are not traditionally transgender, but are seen as a third gender. Transgender women in Thailand mostly use terms other than when referring to themselves, such as (, 'woman'). A significant number of Thai people perceive ''kathoeys'' as belonging to a separate gender, including some transgender women themselves. In the face of the many sociopolitical obstacles that navigate in Thailand, activism has led to constitutional protection from unjust gender discrimination as of January 2015, but a separate third gender category has not yet been legally recognized. History Androgynous men in Khmer society have been observed by Chinese explorer Zhou Daguan who visited Angkor Wat in 1296 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Union and China, while South Vietnam was supported by the United States and other anti-communist nations. The conflict was the second of the Indochina wars and a proxy war of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and US. The Vietnam War was one of the postcolonial wars of national liberation, a theater in the Cold War, and a civil war, with civil warfare a defining feature from the outset. Direct United States in the Vietnam War, US military involvement escalated from 1965 until its withdrawal in 1973. The fighting spilled into the Laotian Civil War, Laotian and Cambodian Civil Wars, which ended with all three countries becoming Communism, communist in 1975. After the defeat of the French Union in the First Indoc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phuket City
Phuket ( ; or , ) is a city in the southeast of Phuket Island, Thailand, and the capital of Phuket province. the city municipality had a population of 71,284 and an urban population of 252,515 in the entire district of Amphoe Mueang. When considering the broader metropolitan area, the population is approximately 400,000. Phuket is 862 km (535.6 mi) south of Bangkok. History Phuket is one of the oldest cities in Thailand. It was an important port on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula where Chinese immigrants first landed. Phuket Old Town is a quarter studded with heritage buildings in ten streets: Klang, Phang Nga, Rassada, Dee Buk, Krabi, Thep Kasattri, Phuket, Yaowarat, Satun, and Soi Rammanee. These older buildings show Phuket town's former prosperity. They were constructed when tin mining was an important industry on the island. Their architectural style is called " Sino-Portuguese", characteristic of which is a single or two-storey building with a na ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Role-playing Game
A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting or through a process of structured decision-making regarding character development. Actions taken within many games succeed or fail according to a formal role-playing game system, system of rules and guidelines. There are several forms of role-playing games. The original form, sometimes called the tabletop role-playing game (TRPG or TTRPG), is conducted through discussion, whereas in live action role-playing game, live action role-playing (LARP), players physically perform their characters' actions.(Tychsen et al. 2006:255) "LARPs can be viewed as forming a distinct category of RPG because of two unique features: (a) The players physically embody their characters, and (b) the g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Virtual Rabbit
''Virtual Rabbit'' is the third studio album by Susumu Hirasawa, released on May 25, 1991 via Polydor K.K. Overview ''Virtual Rabbit'' was made in the same style as the previous two albums, although greater in scale, with compositions more in line with Hirasawa's later solo work, and with a larger focus on orchestral styled instrumentation. It explores reality, religion, science, and dreams. With this album, Hirasawa continued to streamline his production methods, reducing the use of guest musicians in the album almost completely to choral backing. This was the first Hirasawa album to be engineered by Masanori Chinzei, who has since worked as engineer on all of Hirasawa's music. Track listing Personnel *Susumu Hirasawa – vocals, classical guitar, electric guitar, synthesizers, drum machine, sampler, sequencer, programming, acoustic piano (3), toy accordion (4), Amiga 2500 ("Say" program – Narration (5)), autoharp (7), production ;additional musicians * – backing voca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Dark Side Of The Moon
''The Dark Side of the Moon'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 1 March 1973, by Capitol Records in the US and on 16 March 1973, by Harvest Records in the UK. Developed during live performances before recording began, it was conceived as a concept album that would focus on the pressures faced by the band during their arduous lifestyle, and also deal with the mental health problems of the former band member Syd Barrett, who had departed the group in 1968. New material was recorded in two sessions in 1972 and 1973 at EMI Studios (now Abbey Road Studios) in London. The record builds on ideas explored in Pink Floyd's earlier recordings and performances, while omitting the extended instrumentals that characterised the band's earlier work. The group employed multitrack recording, tape loops, and analogue synthesisers, including experimentation with the EMS VCS 3 and a Synthi A. The engineer Alan Parsons was responsible for many aspects of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments, philosophical lyrics, and elaborate Pink Floyd live performances, live performances, and became a leading progressive rock band. Pink Floyd were founded in 1965 by Syd Barrett (guitar, lead vocals), Nick Mason (drums), Roger Waters (bass guitar, vocals) and Richard Wright (musician), Richard Wright (keyboards, vocals). With Barrett as their main songwriter, they released two hit singles, "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play", and the successful debut studio album ''The Piper at the Gates of Dawn'' (all 1967). David Gilmour (guitar, vocals) joined in 1967; Barrett left in 1968 due to deteriorating mental health. Following Barrett's departure, all four remaining members contributed compositions, though Waters became the primary lyricist an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nippon Columbia
, often pronounced ''Korombia'', operating internationally as , is a Japanese record label founded in 1910 as Nipponophone Co., Ltd. It affiliated itself with the Columbia Graphophone Company of the United Kingdom and adopted the standard UK Columbia trademarks (the "Magic Notes") in 1931. The company changed its name to Nippon Columbia Co., Ltd. in 1946. It used the Nippon Columbia name until October 1, 2002, when it became . On October 1, 2010, the company returned to its current name. Outside Japan, the company operated formerly as the Savoy Label Group, which releases recordings on the SLG, Savoy Jazz, and continues to operate as Denon. It also manufactured electronic products under the Denon brand name until 2001. In 2017, Concord Music acquired Savoy Label Group. Nippon Columbia also licensed Hanna-Barbera properties in Japan until those rights were transferred to Turner Home Entertainment sometime in 1997. Currently, these rights are owned by Warner Bros. Japan LLC. O ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
